At the beginning of 2008 we decided to make one new thing every week. This was before I started the blog, before we started living quite so frugally, before I quit my job…before a lot of things. The idea came to us on New Year’s Eve after finishing off a goose, which neither of us had made before. “We should make one new thing each week this year!” Of course we should. One new thing a week is manageable and it is also impressive – fifty two never-been-cooked before dishes. At first we were good about marking down the date, which relaxed into marking down the week and eventually devolved into us racking our brains at the end of each month trying to remember what the hell we ate. Some months have fewer entries than they should, some months have more. We were somewhat undisciplined, but by the end of the year we developed a new habit – culinary exploration on a regular basis. In fact we like trying new things so much that we have more than 52 things on our list – there are a total of 54 dishes we made (and many more we can’t remember). Some turned out better than others. All were fun. For 2009, I’m planning to post a recap of the new things we eat at the end of each month (easier now that there is a blog for these things) and we’ll be making new dishes with an eye toward economy (partly from necessity, but also because it’s challenging and fun). I’ll also include more information about the recipes so they can be duplicated. But for now, here’s our 2008 new foods list – it was fun to make and eat – I hope it’s fun to read!
Wishing you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.
Cheers.
The Official Bake Like A Ninja New Food List for 2008 (by month)
January
Chili Dogs
Cheese Souffle
Seafood Pot Stickers
Crespelli
February
Bratwurst with Shallots, Mushrooms and Dijon Mustard
Shrimp in Coconut Milk
Ragu of Lamb with Homemade Pasta
Steak Tartar with French Fries
March
Lamb Chops with Cherry Preserves and Port Sauce
Homemade Handcut Pasta with Truffles
Vegetable Korma
White Anchovy Pasta
April
Meatballs with Anchovies and Creamed Spinach
Fondue
Eggplant Bharta
Macaroni and Cheese (from Cook’s Illustrated – new and fabulous!)
May
Baked Fries
Sausage, Spinach and Pasta
June
Homemade Pesto with Homemade Handkerchief Pasta
Fettuccine Alfredo
Agnolotti with Prosciutto
July
Very Complicated Hazelnut Cake
Potato Salad
Jerk Chicken
Red Beans and Rice
Pineapple Pizza with Bacon
Quesadillas (from a recipe – it counts!)
August
Artichoke Heart and Sundried Tomato Pizza
Meatballs in Red Sauce
Eclairs
Coconut Chicken with Cashews
No-Knead Bread
Chicken Braised in White Sauce with Garam Masala
September
Indian Cheese and Green Peas in Fragrant Tomato Sauce
Corn Curry
Oven Fried Fish
Lavash Crackers
Homemade Mayonnaise
“Restaurant Style” Hummus
Potatoes braised in Yogurt Sauce
October
Oatmeal Snack Cake
Dal with Red Lentils
Dal with Brown Lentils
“Kwalty’s” Chick Peas
Potato Pizza
November
Kasha Varniskes
Chicken Caccitora
Rustic Dinner Rolls
Braised Short Ribs
December
Swedish Meatballs
Whole Roasted Chicken
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake
Egg Nog
Very impressive list!
My mouth is watering reading this list!
Are you sure you don’t want to move to Mesa and come cook for us every day? Pretty please?
Much love, health and happiness to you in 2009. Keep them recipes coming!
-Pam
@megan – thanks – the list was fun to make and even more fun to eat!
Looking forward to being more organized and intentional with it in 2009.
@pamela slim – We’d love to move to Mesa and cook for you – all we need is a local film industry with enough vitality to keep the husband working, and we’re there!
Cheers.
Happy 2009! Sounds like quite a list!