2021 Kitchen Resolutions

If you’re reading this, we’ve made it to 2021, and this little newborn year has so much potential. One of my favorite parts of this time is setting my resolutions, and sharing them with you! Each year, I choose four kitchen-related areas to focus on, and call them my Kitchen Resolutions. Let’s get started with a quick look back on my goals from 2020.

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2020 Kitchen Resolutions Recap

Kitchen Resolutions 2020 | Spring Update | Summer Update | Fall Update

Over the past twelve months, I watched my goals go from visions for the future, to something that felt entirely out of reach. Then, I slowly was able to figure out how to make each one work in such a strange year. Here’s how each turned out at the end.

Cut Down On Waste: Food And Disposables

After the farm share season ended, we switched back to meal kits (I really love Hello Fresh lately, and you can get $70 off). The good thing about these is the lack of food waste, but the downside is the amount of plastic. I’m still trying to make sustainable swaps, and snuck in one last order of reusable microwave covers before the end of December. That will help lower our plastic wrap usage.

Try Making Something Totally New Each Season

This was my favorite goal! When I set it, I had no idea how much time I’d be spending in the kitchen and one new thing felt like a lot. However, I was able to accomplish so much more than that. Some of my favorites over the year were cream puffs, baked oatmeal, and no-bake cheesecake. But most recently, I made macarons for the first time, and they were delicious!

Keep Eating Local, Even In The Off Season

We are still eating apples as much as possible. While working, my husband and I each have one per day. However, we slacked a bit during our holiday break. I think we made up for it by making a few apple desserts and using one of our squashes for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, we lost our favorite local take-out place, despite our continued support. But that means we’ll just have to try some new ones.

Take Advantage Of Hosting Opportunities

Our sunroom is finally finished being built, and we are working on decorating! I was able to use the space to host a small and safe Thanksgiving dinner, using our new tables and chairs from IKEA. Then later, we also safely hosted my in-laws for Christmas dinner, but it was too cold to eat out there, so we celebrated indoors.

But that’s enough about the weird year that was 2020. Instead, it’s time to think about what my kitchen will look like in the coming months. Here are my four goals for 2021, and how I think I might achieve them across the year.

Better & Healthier Snacks

This resolution is two-fold. First, I want to have better snacks on hand. I know that I am always going to be the type of person who reaches for a bite between meals. But if I have easy access to snacks that are good for me, that’s better than going straight for the chips.

I’ve been looking into subscription boxes and what types of snacks are sold at my local store to get an idea of what’s out there. Then, I’ll also need to do a bit of reorganizing in the pantry, so that the better-for-me snacks are the first ones I grab.

This may involve investing in a few new storage solutions, or just doing a bit of an overhaul with what we already have. Either way, I love a good project, and this will likely be a big one when I get there.

Research Science & Technique

I am always trying to learn new things. Last year, it was through trying and creating, but in 2021 I want to focus more on understanding how stuff works. I got a few new cookbooks for Christmas that I am excited to read cover-to-cover: The Food Lab and The Flavor Matrix.

The first is all about the science and technique in cooking, including how different factors can affect the chemical reactions. I’ll try to include little tidbits of what I’m learning when it applies to a specific recipe, so I hope you’re ready to get a little bit nerdy up in here.

The Flavor Matrix is a bit different in that it uses a molecular approach to determining which foods pair well together. If you’ve seen my recipes, you know I love a good combination of flavors (like peaches and corn, anyone?) so I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with this book as well.

Learn to Like a Food I Hate

I am not exactly optimistic, but my husband says the first step here is wanting to try. So what’s the food I really just can’t stand? Mushrooms. And somehow, I am going to figure out a way to convince myself they are not harbingers of evil if there’s even a speck in a dish.

For the first few months of the year, I will do some research on how I can get started. Then I’ll develop an action plan for expanding my taste horizons to include these currently unappetizing fungi. Finally, over the second half of the year, I hope to try to begin eating them.

I don’t think I’ll be the person reaching for stuffed mushrooms at parties, or tossing them in my salads any time soon. But if I can eat Chinese takeout or a frozen veggie pizza without constantly picking around, I’ll consider this goal achieved.

Invest in My Food Photography

Here’s my fun goal for the year, and it’s one that you will benefit from as well! I am excited to be able to invest time, energy, and some money into my food photography for this blog. So what does that mean?

Well, my college degree is in photography, but I am the first to admit there’s more to learn. I plan on looking at available courses to see if one suits my needs. Then, I’ll be adding some pieces to my props collections. Things like backdrops, tools, dishes, and more that will help me create my visions for each dish.

I will definitely let you know in my posts when I have found something I love, so you can grab it too for your own kitchen! For starters, the fun teal towel in the background of these photos. It comes in a set of gorgeous colors.

What are your goals?

Do you have any kitchen resolutions for 2021? If so, let me know what you are working on this year. I’ll be checking in every three months with updates on mine. Hopefully we’ll all start seeing some progress soon.

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