Looking Back

2010 was an eventful year in my kitchen and garden.  There were quite a few recipes I tried that I didn't blog about (I've got to save some stuff for 2011).  Since I didn't start blogging until August, there was quite a bit of gardening information left out.  I thought I would take a few minutes and look back at 2010 in my kitchen and garden and look ahead to some of my culinary and gardening goals for 2011.  Happy New Year!

2010 Highlights (Good and Bad):
Learning how to make soft, moist whole wheat bread
Making turkey soup that tasted just like my mother-in-laws's
Harvesting a ton of cabbage and Brussels sprouts from the garden
Learning different ways to cook cabbage and Brussels sprouts
No real spring.  We went from really cold to temperatures in the 80s.  The tomatoes and peppers were pretty unhappy this spring.
Making vegetable broth
Too many fire ants in the garden
Discovering roasted pears- best side dish ever (Maybe I discovered these in 2009, but we ate a lot of them this year)
Expanding the number of fish recipes I make
Growing kale
My first attempt at bread bowls
Not buying lettuce for 2 months because my garden produced so much
Meatball soup
Finding nitrate-free bacon that I actually liked
Yummy homemade apple butter
6 nights below freezing before Jan 1.  Goodbye tomatoes and peppers.
New Year's Eve black-eyed-peas that were mushy and tasted like dirt
Large crop of cucumbers
Lots of yummy eggplant
Homemade vanilla extract (I haven't tried it yet, it still needs a little bit of time)
Learning how to make my own flavored syrup for coffee
Scalloped potatoes in the crockpot- not a good idea with the newer crockpots.  We went out for dinner that night.

2011 Goals:
Don't grow squash
Remember to blog about fish recipes
Do more research on companion planting
Grow cucumbers vertically
Learn how to make dried beans that taste good without using a seasoning packet or meat for flavor
Find a maccaroni and cheese recipe that doesn't rely heavily on american cheese that the kids are willing to eat
Finally have enough tomatoes for a nice harvest
Grow beets
Learn to like beets
Try turnips in something other than broth
Find a cheaper way to make beef broth
Grow more sunflowers in the summer
Start making our hamburger buns and sub rolls
Find more eggplant recipes
Grow sweet potatoes

One of the many cabbages we harvested in 2010