It would be nice to learn a new dish or two. I'm getting tired of the same old things every night. I watch FoodTV and see great ideas but for some unknown reason I never go into the kitchen to give them a try. As soon as I see an ingredient I don't usually have in the frig or cabinet I automatically stop reading and never attempt them. So my resolution will be to make some easy dinners that have nothing in common with what I've been making for years.

I don't make resolutions however, I do take stock of things and consider where I need to grow. One place I don't need to grow is in my back end :), so I'm going to learn to eat right again. (Used to). I'm decluttering my kitchen (which is small) and picking up a few small appliances and gadgets that will make it easy enough for anyone to cook, so I can begin making healthy meals for myself. I'm going to walk more (nothing heroic for me) and stop by the market more frequently for fresh food and carry it home.

I have some incredibly good recipes for things such as authentic country biscotti left to me by my mother (her art was food) and I'll be sharing those recipes with AT in the near future. Yeah, the Food Channel is a great incentive. I love Michael Chiarella and obviously I'm misspelling his name. Also Giada DeLaurentis.

Happy Eating, All.

ooooh, anne! that should be your resolution! to learn about new ingredients and how they work!
go to a good used book store, they always seem to have cool reference books on weird food ingredients
grab one about vegetables and fruits, one about "world" cooking and one about herbs/spices, and then you'll always have something on hand to look up the thing that's giving you pause, and, seeing as this is a website, i'll say, there's something just a wee bit sexier about curling up with a reference book and learning than with a computer and learning

oh, and i have a question...
anyone know how to remove food smells from the air?
i've been cooking A LOT over the past week, and you can tell! my teeny tiny apt reeeeks of cooking smells
we have awful (read no) cross ventilation and its a bit cold to have the window open
thoughts?

JMarieb:
"Small appliances"? If you are near New York, you might enjoy aa store in the East Village called TINY. It is a shop that specializes in items that are compact, small, clever, for people who live in small spaces. And if you don't have a mini-Cuisinart, I like the new one I just got--though I have to confess a love of old-fashioned gadgets, too.

for small, multi-tasking gadgets that are totally worth it, my vote goes, hands down, to the immersion blender!
it puress, it whips, it soups, and if you go for the deluxe jobby, it also comes w/ a mini cuisinart attachment and a whisk and a thingy to make shakes (or margartias!) in!

Hi there!! I just discovered this very cool site...to anne in regards to new cooking experiences, I found a fantastic book called "For the Love of Food" -the complete Natural Foods Cookbook by Jeanne Marie Martin. I, too, have been trying to "spice" things up a bit and one thing I do is every week or so I pick up an ingredient I've never used before and try it in a recipe. Asian markets are good for cool things like canned bamboo shoots and hearts of palm etc....

and to ann for the cooking smells, I put eucalyptus, orange and lemon oil in a diffuser and also put into a spray bottle with distilled water and smells awesome!!

happy cooking!!!

Hey Corey: I guess by 'small' I meant other than a refrigerator, you know, things that fit on countertops. I am a 35 minute Metro North ride from NYC and work in NYC (well, work is pushing the limit of the word) and might just take a look at TINY. Sounds good. I do have a mini-cuisinart, the aerowhip thing that does foamy milk, and my favorite coffee bean grinder that I've had for years, plus I'm gearing up to pick up a French Press pot next weekend. But I also have (my kitchen is small but my standards, but not shrunken) tons of Cuisinart pots, Crock Pot, every conceivable piece of cutlery, boards, and - oh yeah, I even have huge roasting pans, all of it tucked away and hidden. You see, I used to actually "cook".

My dual career and lifestyle are not condusive to coming home at 7 and making a real meal and I'd like to stay on the smaller side with my butt - hence, my new fascination with my glorious Rival Crock Pot and freezer containers.

As for old fashioned gadgets - Plenty. Aren't they great? So, does TINY have a website or would you kindly give me the address? I work uptown but a Saturday might call for a trek into the City and a serious spending spree. Besides, the Village has many great little shops. I'm overdue.

Hi Jmarieb:
It turns out that Tiny has an Apartment Therapy listing, with comments (and address info):

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/072805/east-village/tiny-living-furnishings-for-small-homes-003376

I'm a coffee fanatic! I saw a TV show the other night on the history of coffee and it was said that the French Press makes the best cup. As luck would have it I mentioned to a friend who keeps asking me how she can repay me for helping her out this past fall and I mentioned a FP. She just happened to have a brand new Bodum in her cabinet and gave it to me. I bought espresso beans yesterday and ground them coarsely. This morning was my first time trying it and I can see that it's going to be trial and error at first to get just the right amount of coffee and water to get that great cup.

But as a side note - Since I didn't need the coffee machine anymore I put it under the cabinet and took a couple of other things off as well and I discovered a whole new blank surface. I guess I have to start cooking now to take advantage of the counter space. Mind you we're only talking about 25" x 25".