Do you make New Year's resolutions? I do. I make them all year long. I'm quite flexible when it comes to making up my mind, and so always keep a notebook close at hand to allow the jotting of revisions all year long. Sometimes (rarely) I actually keep the resolutions that I make. Most of the time though, I just resolve to add them to next year's list and hope for the best.
I've got a head start this year, however, as one of my resolutions was to learn more about food. The collage of books you see above is but a part of what I currently have on hold at the library (and apparently the limit is 25). In 2011 I've decided that I want to learn to cook more ethnic and regional foods. I have never, for example, made a tamale from scratch. I want to do this. I want to learn more about the cuisine of Portugal and Spain, more about foods of various U.S. regions of the South, West, and Northeast. I plan on reading and reviewing each book and sharing with you one or more of the recipes. It should be an interesting journey for us both.
All of the searching for cookbooks put me in the mood for Mexican food, so I made use of the Beer-Braised Beef and Onions left over from the Insight Bowl dinner (an EXCELLENT recipe!) in the form of empanadas. I used Grands biscuits that I first spread with refried beans before adding the beef, a dollop of salsa, fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, sliced scallions, and grated cheese. As sides I served Ina Garten's Guacamole Salad and Spanish Rice. Delicious!
What do you resolve for 2011?
