Month: December 2018

A Few Good New Year Resolutions 2018

A new year brings new opportunities–such as finding more ways to have fun in the kitchen! So as you plan your new year resolutions 2018, consider the following list of possibilities. Unlike some lists, it’s focused less on restriction, more on enjoyment. Give yourself something to look forward to trying in 2019!

A few good new year resolutions 2018: for fun in the kitchen
Photo by Oskars Sylwan on Unsplash

A lot of people like to knock new year resolutions. Mostly that’s because they don’t stick. Google around: according to statistics all over the Internet, most people who set new goals for the new year won’t keep to them. Some resources say as many as nine out of ten people will give up. Nonetheless, setting goals and making resolutions is still a good idea, especially if you pursue a specific kind of change, that is, the fun ones.

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10 Best Recipes of 2018: Dishes I’ll Keep Making in the New Year

It’s the last week of the year–a time for resolutions, plans and, why not, thinking through your best recipes of 2018. So here’s my list. As the new year dawns, these are the favorite dishes sticking around with me. (What recipes have you loved this year? I’d love to hear your recommendations, too!)

Long-fermented sourdough bread, based on Min Kim's recipe #sourdough #fermentedfood #wapf
pictured here is a bread bake from last week, based on Min’s recipe

The last Wednesday of the year is the perfect time to take stock and regroup. A fresh start is upon us! But, at least part of planning and dreaming for what comes next for you, kitchen wise, in 2019, includes looking back to see what’s already working. For me, that includes a few go-to recipes I can wholeheartedly recommend. So here are my 10 best recipes from 2018, from this site and around the Web!

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from the garden where I have been put

The following is the first of what hopefully becomes a regular, infrequent series on this site: personal essays relating to food themes. If you are a writer and would like to submit a contribution, contact me. Or, if creative nonfiction about food is not your thing, visit the home page for what else is new!

As a freelance writer and mother of two small children, I dwell in two dichotomous realities: the immaterial world of articulating concepts and the material world of childcare needs. My managers ask me to put ideas into sentences; my children ask me to give them something to eat.

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Date-Paste Shortbread Cookies

All you need is four ingredients to make these tasty date-paste shortbread cookies. Buttery, crumbly, delicate and kissed with sweetness, they’re a perfect vehicle for showcasing the beauty of homemade date paste.

date-paste shortbread cookies / go eat your bread with joy

It’s one thing to say date paste is great in baked goods (the Internet repeatedly tells us to swap it one to one for refined sugar, maple syrup or honey). But it’s another to test it in a recipe and see what happens. Does it actually work? What changes when you swap it in? Armed with a fresh batch of date paste, I decide to experiment for myself and find out. 

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How to Make Date Paste

If you aren’t already familiar with how to make date paste, here’s what you need to know: It’s essentially a four-step process. Trying it gives you a new valuable player in your unrefined-sweetener game. It doesn’t take much time, and it offers all kinds of uses. Here’s how!

how to make date paste

To anyone who’s used unrefined sweeteners, tried a sugar-free diet or blended raw ingredients to make desserts, Medjool dates are nothing new. Plump and meaty, they’re sweet enough to flavor the crust of raw brownies and beneficial enough to be recommended to pregnant women in their third trimesters. Use them to make date paste, and they become even more versatile.

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