One of the questions I have come to despise is the dreaded, “What’s for dinner?” Sometimes it’s easy. You have a craving. Maybe you see something on TV that makes you think, “Oh, let’s have that!” Usually it’s a mentally deflating moment of “didn’t we just have this discussion yesterday?”
As I mentioned previously, 2023 is going to be the year of epicurious-ity. I plan to break out the cookbooks, channel my inner “Chopped” chef and generally experiment in the kitchen. I took the first step even before the new year (this is becoming a habit!). I had bookmarked a page on a cookbook I received for Christmas. Thursday evening I made lemon risotto. One taste and we declared it a success. Delicious, light, creamy … it may be my new summer risotto because the lemon gives it a fresh brightness that would be great on a hot day.
Yesterday, the question of our evening repast drove me to the freezer for experiment number two. I created lasagna cupcakes using leftover lasagna noodles and some extra filling from when I made a full pan of lasagna for Boxing Day. Lest you think I am some sort of creative foodie genius, this was not my idea. Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room and Osteria in Cottonwood, Arizona, offers these little gems of deliciousness on their menu. I thought I’d see if I could recreate them. IT WORKED!
The final day of the year is blissfully free of the dreaded daily query. Our neighbor serves up tamales for a New Year’s Eve feast every year. Tomorrow another neighbor has invited us to their annual Black Eyed Peas celebration.
Looking ahead to 2023, there will certainly be times when we fall back on our favorites. I’ve shared recipes and blogged about some of those several times. I’m excited to try out some new things. My kitchen will never be “farm-to-table” but “pantry-to-table” can be a thing, right?
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Eat something! You can’t explore on an empty stomach.
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