New Year - New Goals

It seems to me that I am hearing of fewer and fewer people making New Years' Resolutions and that makes me happy.  It frustrates me to no end when I hear of people swearing off sweets, poor eating habits, laziness, etc full on knowing that by March 1st (if they're really lucky to even last this long) they'll be back to their old lame habits.  It's for this reason alone that I do not set New Years' Resolutions.  Instead, I set New Years' Goals.

My 2010 Goal was simple, to cook one new main course recipe each week.  It was a huge success.  I made 54 new recipes over the course of the year, not counting recipes that I just made up, were for dessert (we made a really good Egg Nog Flan that I wish I could have counted), etc.  The best part of it all is that I now have at least 40 recipes that I have permanently added to my collection because they were such a hit for both Brad and me.

How did I find my recipes?  I am a firm believer that if over 100 people have reviewed a recipe and it still has at least 4.5/5 stars, it must be at least somewhat decent.  I visited websites like Allrecipes.com (an amazing website if you have never used it), FoodNetwork.com, and Cookinglight.com to find my basic recipes and then in almost all cases, took the liberty of reducing fat to create my final dish.

What were our top 10 favorite recipes?
1)  Asian Turkey Cups (Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps is what we are calling them):  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1932640
2)  Crepes with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Spinach:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crepes-with-Spinach-Bacon-and-Mushroom-Filling/Detail.aspx
3)  Pasta with Vodka Creme Sauce (we added chicken, bacon, and mushrooms): http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001654684
4)  Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas:  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215924
5)  Spicy Barbecue Shrimp Kebabs:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spicy-barbecued-shrimp-skewers-recipe/index.html
6)  Cilantro Shrimp:  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000002001864
7)  Baked Potato Soup:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx
8)  Shrimp Pad Thai:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-pad-thai-recipe/index.html
9)  Peanutbutter Noodles:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Noodles/Detail.aspx
10)  Maple Salmon:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Maple-Salmon/Detail.aspx

So...after a successful 2010, I've decided to up the ante this year and not only continue with my one new recipe a week goal, but I'm adding another goal and that goal is to read Quinn a book every night.  I do not particularly care for reading but I know how important it is to read to your children so Quinn has been and will continue to get a book read to him every afternoon or evening during 2011.  My goal is to have an 80% completion rate on this goal meaning that I will read to him at least 5-6 times per week.  So far, we are off to a good start though reading books typically is not as much fun as eating books, at least in Quinn's world!

So there you have it...be on the lookout for new recipe reviews during 2011.  So far I've made Chili Garlic BBQ Salmon, Greek Orzo Salad, and Curried Honey Mustard Chicken.  We are expecting a snow day tomorrow, so my 2nd new recipe for this week is going to be Pretzel Rolls.  How fun will that be?!?  I'll let you know if they are a success or not...assuming we do have a snow day!