A few fall/winter food goals

I know I’m not the the only one who falls victim to a food rut now and then. And I really seem to fall into one in the fall and winter. There isn’t as much selection for tasty produce, it’s cold, dark and it’s hard to get inspired. So I have a tendency to cook the same few things over and over again until I force myself to mix it up a bit.

This year, I’m determined to use my imagine, cookbooks, magazines and the web a little more. And not only do I want to try new recipes, but I also want to make things I’ve never made before.

So here are some of the things I want to try. Please send any suggestions or ideas of things for me to try.

1. Bread: I’m not much of a baker, but I really love fresh bread and have never made it before (outside of a bread machine). I know it’s not that complicated and I’m determined to tackle it. I want to make a regular bread, and homemade foccacia.

2. More soup: Fall and winter are meant for soup, but I end up eating way more soup from a can than I’d like to admit. I made a few in roads last year with a great Italian Wedding Soup and a decent Butternut Squash, but I want to add a little more variety to my soup selection and my freezer.

3. Indian food: I have tackled a few “Indian-inspired” recipes over the years, but have never made “real” Indian food (not counting the time I folded samosas). It takes a long time to make, and often requires hard-to-find ingredients, but cold weather is great for slow-cooked meals. The first thing I want to try is Saag/Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese) and  maybe some Dal/Daal (lentils) or Chana Masala (chick peas).

4. More interesting lunches: I really fall into a sad desk lunch (and sometimes dinner) rut in the winter. Canned soup or leftovers, blah, blah, blah. Because produce isn’t at its best, a traditional salad isn’t a great option, so I’m going to hunt down different salad recipes, make interesting sandwiches and hopefully have some yummy new soups to bring.

5. Cast iron pan: I’ve always been a little scared of the cast iron pan, not so much cooking with it, but cleaning and seasoning one. I know how great it is for cooking so many things that I am hell bent on getting over this fear.

Post any suggestions below and I’ll keep you posted on how these goals go.