I like to make resolutions for myself, though they rarely last the whole year.  That’s probably because I choose overambitiously, forgetting that being a student and an instructor are both full-time jobs in and of themselves.  Or because I really like to cook, and to eat, and so the typical “lose weight and get in shape” mantra combined with enthusiasm for food and the sedentary requirements of student-hood don’t mesh too seamlessly.

So this year I am proposing something different for myself: dual resolutions.  In the academic world – in my “job” – I will continue to work on my dissertation and meet the deadlines I set for myself.  I will submit a proposal to at least one conference, and send out at least two articles to journals.  Hopefully I will get at least one bite out of this.

In the world of food, at first I thought I would simply resolve to post here once a week.  However, as I know I have promised this on multiple occasions and not delivered, I have to think about how to make this work.  It’s not always that I don’t have time to post, but sometimes we have a week (or two) of eating in which nothing seems post-worthy.  Who wants to hear about grilled cheese sandwiches?  Who wants to hear about chicken noodle soup?  Well, maybe you do, but sometimes I just can’t muster the enthusiasm to wax poetic (prosaic?) about them.

But this year, I have Mark Bittman to inspire me.  Early in November I wrote about Bittman’s 101 make-ahead Thanksgiving sides, which free up your oven for the turkey.  Though some are certainly autumnal, some have Asian flair, some utilize summer vegetables, and some are salads requiring no cooking at all.  In short, they could last the year!  So that is my resolve for this site: this year, once a week, I will make one of these dishes.  I will photograph it, and I will blog about it.  I’ll provide not only Bittman’s “recipe” but also the ingredients I use and whether I made any changes to it, and I’ll tell you honestly what N. and I thought about it.  We won’t go through the full 101; I’ve already determined that some things we wouldn’t care for, and some we just don’t eat (beets, we’re looking at you!).  But that’s my resolution.  Once a week, one at a time.  For one year.  Or until the recipes run out.  We’ll see how far I get!

Happy New Year, everyone.