Progress on New Year’s Resolutions

Okay, so, I’ve been slacking on posting, and I really don’t have a good excuse as to why.

And, I’ve also spent quite a bit of time posting about nifty antiques, when I probably could have been doing quite a few posts on the subject of my year’s goals, especially since I spent so much time talking about how important goals are.

So, here’s what I’ve decided are my goals for the year:

1. Read 52 books this year. That accounts to one book per week. This includes the books Megan and I are reading out loud, the audiobooks I listen to on the way to work, and the books I’m reading for my theory on YA literature. To accomplish this goal, my weekly and daily goals are measured by time spent reading.

2. 52 new recipes tried

I’m ahead of schedule on this one, especially since there are times where I see one recipe and right beside it on Pinterest is another one that looks just as good and probably easier than the one that I had wanted to try earlier, Or I happen across a new ingredient and very much want to try it out in a variety of recipes.

3. 70 Blog posts

Here’s where I’m slacking. Work takes a lot out of me, and I’ve convinced myself that there isn’t enough time in the morning to post videos like I would like. Also, owing to the nature of my career, I’m not going to be talking about it much here.

4. Complete 3 manuscripts

This is the most long-term goal I’ve got. I’ve got about 50k words left on Critical, probably 30-40k left on Deathless, then I can also work on a book called Signumancy. I’ve started this one just to play around with magic systems, since I’ve had beef with most of the ones on the literary market, as it were (Except for The Rithmatist, of course).

Tonight I’d like to share one of my culinary adventures, coincidentally in time for Valentine’s Day, even though I find it to be one of the most ludicrous holidays in existence.

Recipe number 10 out of 52 for the year is Persian Love Cake. I found this one and loved the exotic array of spices involved. I got to go find rose water, which was harder to find than I imagined. Plus I also got to use cardamom, which my brother had sent to me as a Diwali gift.

Here’s what I learned from this recipe: cakes are harder to make when you’re at a higher altitude, and this one’s technically an angel food/chiffon cake. Needless to say, it didn’t rise as it should have, but it still turned out a great tasting cake with a bright flavour mixed with with the deep complexity of the saffron and rose water.

You can get special mixes and stuff for making angel food cakes at higher altitude, but that’s not what I was looking for in making this. I added more strawberries between the layers and served it with a strawberry puree, which I think the cake needed.

This was the best cake I have ever made.

Recipe 11 rolled out right afterwards. Remember, I didn’t do this because it was Valentine’s Day or because Megan had any expectations of me on this day. I decided I wanted to make this recipe yesterday when we were coming back home from a quick trip to visit the parentals and did our shopping at a grocery store and I happened to find some lobster tails. I had never cooked lobster before and thought that the skill would be cool to have for future opportunities. Then I remembered that I had tried lobster bisque when I went to a friend’s wedding reception.

That sounded worth the shot. I had made shrimp bisque in the past and that had been met with good success.

What did I learn from making lobster bisque? Well, first and foremost, how to prepare lobster. And, there’s no way to make a delicious bisque that’s healthy. Part of it being a bisque is that rich, creamy texture that only comes from using heavy cream. I tried to use skim milk mixed with corn starch like a health recipe suggested, but that made it a tomato soup with a little something weird. So I ended up fixing it with heavy cream. That fixed it into the wonderful thick soup that I know and love.

Cooking is wonderful.