New Year’s food intentions

January 1, 2024 by
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I have written about New Year’s food resolutions before, but I am not a fan of the term “resolution” because it sets a person up for failure if they don’t meet the resolution exactly. Instead, I prefer the term “intention” because it more accurately reflects how I approach the situation: this is what I would like to try in the coming year. There’s no pressure to reach some lofty milestone that sounds good on December 31 but makes you want to cry by January 31.

My cooking and baking intentions for 2024 are slightly different than they have been in years past. Due to personal and health-related challenges I am being more gentle with myself. Instead of vowing to make an intricate, jaw-dropping masterpiece from a Cédric Grolet book (and cursing/crying because it all goes awry), I want to find more bakes that are simple yet unforgettable like one of my favorite cookies, the Rosemary chocolate chip shortbread pictured above. These cookies do not require mastery of any tricky technique nor do they involve any specialized pans or equipment, yet they are sublime. Every time I serve these delights to my friends and family I receive rave reviews. What’s better than a low effort, high reward recipe? If I happen to find sufficient time and energy to tackle a Grolet recipe that’s wonderful, but if not, I won’t feel like I let myself down.

I also want to use more of the lovely tools I am fortunate to own. The adorable oval scalloped-edge cookie cutters I spied at an antique store for a mere $6.50 USD last week are begging to be used. These heavy-duty tinned steel beauties are my favorite purchase from 2023. Oval became a theme for me last year, because my other great find was a set of oval baking molds from France that should make gorgeous financiers or teacakes. Using these handsome tools will be a great pleasure. What are your food-related intentions for 2024?

Category: Antipasto

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10 Comments

  • Indio32  on  January 2, 2024

    I’m the opposite….. I’m on team Resolution! I think Resolutions have gotten a bad rap purely because people set unrealistically high expectations for resolutions and then unsurprisingly fail.
    My Resolution for 2024 is bake at least 1 item ie bread, biscuits, cake etc a week. I’m also going to do the gut biodiversity thing of 30 different vegetables, fruits etc a week.
    Anyway, happy 2024 everyone!

  • LeilaD  on  January 2, 2024

    I started my New Year’s Intention last week- to comb through my cookbooks and try to realistically look at which ones I will use and which ones are just pretties on my shelf. I want to try to work through some of the smaller cookbooks this year so I can try to shrink my “I want to cook this” list.

  • bittrette  on  January 2, 2024

    I prefer “resolution”; like so many words popularized since the 1980’s, “intention” reeks of euphemism. And why should new year’s resolutions be so uniquely unserious? If you really want to change your ways, you don’t give up the effort after the first slip-up – if you do, you probably weren’t serious in the first place.
    But from now on I’d like to apply myself to the recipes I have instead of collecting new ones – I already have enough for three more lifetimes with no repeats. That’s why I joined EYB.

  • dbuhler  on  January 2, 2024

    I love this question, and I love seeing what others plan to focus on this coming year! My goals this year are: to cook/bake 2 recipes from each of my non-baking specific cookbooks and my bread books (my cookbooks are separated into two main categories: “baking” and “meal time” and then further organized within those two categories), to bake or cook at least 6 recipes from the few books I am trying to cook/bake my way through, to bake 6 recipes from Sweet so I can participate more in the EYB Cookbook Club, and to be more intentional about baking my way through my baking bucket list. There are so many things that I want to try that I have just never gotten around to, like baklava, lye pretzels, croissants, yeasted fried fitters, etc. My bucket list is ever growing but I really want to start checking some bakes off this list to help me grow as a baker…and to have some fun!! Now…all I have to do is narrow down which source to use for each bucket list bake….

  • dbuhler  on  January 2, 2024

    Also, I forgot to add that the shortbread recipe you linked to sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try it! I grew up eating a lot of shortbread as my grandmother is European and it is her favorite cookie, and she was the only person in my life who baked until I was old enough to use the oven. Although I never disliked shortbread, I just always wanted chocolate chip cookies. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I really began to understand how amazing the humble shortbread is…and when you add chocolate to it…well, nothing could be better!

  • tmjellicoe  on  January 2, 2024

    I like the idea of a goal. 2022 I set a goal of cooking 180 new recipes. I made it to 175 (and I included little recipes like making a spice mix I’ve never made)

    This year I’ve set a goal of cooking at least one new recipe out of every cookbook I have.

  • eliza  on  January 3, 2024

    I don’t usually make resolutions, but I’ve bought quite a few kindle books over the years, some that I’ve not cooked from yet. So I plan to make 2-3 recipes from each one this year…my own “kindle challenge” if you will. And I also will make the shortbread Darcie! It looks wonderful.

  • lkgrover  on  January 4, 2024

    I made an EYB bookmark for all my cookbooks that I haven’t made more than one recipe from: total 40 cookbooks (including the 2 Christmas gifts, and 2 purchases on December 26). My resolution is to use my new/unused books more frequently. My second intention (more relaxed than the resolution) is to bake twice a month — my coworkers are going to enjoy this, as I usually bring the results to work.

  • CapeCodCook  on  January 5, 2024

    My resolution/intention is to continue a practice I started a few months ago. I now request enticing new cookbooks that EYB brings to my attention from the library FIRST! Our library system on the Cape has a great platform for accessing cookbook collections from scores of local libraries for delivery to my home library. Reading the cookbook and THEN deciding about purchasing it has saved me some $$ while I acquire new cookbooks that really fit my lifestyle. Also I get to read more great new cookbooks!

  • ldyndiuk  on  January 7, 2024

    I don’t really do goals/resolutions/intentions/whatever for the most part anymore, but in 2022 I decided to bake a cake every month. It was quite fun and I got a lot of mileage out of my copy of Snacking Cakes. This year I’m going to up my game and bake a pie/tart every month. I got a tart pan for Christmas last year and I’ve only used it a few times, and I’ve only made a handful of pies in my life. Not long ago I bought a copy of The Perfect Pie by America’s Test Kitchen so I plan on using it a lot this year!

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