This is the year!

Alright everyone. No more procrastinating. I have resolved to get myself together this year. Last year I "committed" to a few projects - one of which was this blog. As you can see, it was a failed attempt. I'm pretty sure it had to do with the fact that I didn't have defined goals. So this year I am setting out to LEARN the fundamentals of cooking and technique via Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, which promises to be the type of cookbook that teaches you not just the "hows", but also the whys".

Last year I read "The Soul of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman (http://ruhlman.com/my-books), a book comprised of three stories about chefs in "pursuit of perfection". Indeed they were. The third story was the most inspiring to me; it was about Thomas Keller's rise to greatness. I've never tried his food, but I have been to Alinea in Chicago (and it was the best meal I've ever had, hands down), started by Grant Achatz. Achatz worked under Keller at The French Laundry in California. So after reading about his tale, his philosophy and discovering he was Achatz teacher...well, let's just say I have a new celebrity crush. And I want to learn how to cook his way: with precision and intuition.

So I've ordered this cookbook and it will arrive this week at work. I will get started on the recipes next week, after the blitz of cake-making is over (three in one week - one a wedding cake!). There are over 250 recipes in this cookbook. The boy said "there's no way that'll happen in a year". I can do it. If Julie Powell can do 524 of Julia Child's recipes, I can do this.

There are other things I want to do this year too. Have been procrastinating putting pen to paper on this in any kind of meaningful way. Perhaps because I am afraid I have too many resolutions to be realistic. I want to make sure these are things I can actually do. But this blog will be the place where I chronicle what I make and what I discover.

This is the year!!