Say “Hey Neighbor!” with homemade. Nothing says “Hey! I like who you are. I’m glad we’re in the world together” like homemade chocolate chip cookies. Nothing helps makes the world a better place like letting people know they’re appreciated. See how that works? Spread the good.
Whole Wheat, if not little by little then lot by lot. Sure, whole wheat flour has been all the rage for years now, but it hasn’t really touched my heart. This year, approach whole wheat little by little. Your belly might just welcome a whole wheat triple chocolate cake, emphasis on the triple chocolate.
Vegan time? A few less sticks of butter and eggs and milk might just do a body good. Those Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies I made with Jill treated me right. There should be more vegan baking in our futures.
Play. Commit to playing in your kitchen. Visit to one of those fancy food shops and buy yourself a treat. Maybe something that you never played with in the kitchen before. Get it home and get crackin’. There’s something fundamentally awesome about playing with new ingredients in the kitchen. It’s like getting that new color of Play-Doh for Christmas, and just about losing your mind.
Give. The best part of baking, aside from eating a brownie fresh from the oven, is being able to share your treats with others. You might even consider contacting a shelter that might be able to take your goods. That’s thinkin’.
Get you hands on a new cookbook or two. New cookbooks are full of new tricks and new stories. Dive in!
Celebrate the season. I know, sounds totally cheesy, right? Here’s the thing about celebrating the season… it’s all about enjoying where you are when you’re there. My favorite way to do this is to head out to the farmer’s markets for some seasonal shopping. Early morning, fresh produce and hot coffee. It’s one fine day.
Make a pizza. If you haven’t made a homemade pizza yet, you really shouldn’t waste any more time. It’s good for the soul.
Do it with love. Whatever you do this year, if you do it with love. It feels super awesome crazy great! I promise.
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lovely list, indeed. now i want cookies!
Hooray! Most of these are things I’ve been doing or have been meaning to do. I’m on the right track! I like buying little baskets at Goodwill or the Salvation Army and using those to transport baked goods to friends…it just *looks* to much more loving than tupperware! Not that my parents ever complain when I sneak a small tupperware of cookies into their mailbox…
Oooooooh…I like your list. :) I was thinking about experimenting with whole wheat this year….new cookbooks are ALWAYS welcome in my hands…and I do agree 100000000000%…baking is better when it is shared. :)
Happy New Year!!!
Such fantastic ideas! I’m definitely going to experiment more with whole wheat flour as well but hadn’t thought about trying some vegan recipes…’til now!
Ditto on the comments of loving your list! I just received a new bundt cake pan and will get right to work on your “play” rule. We definitely need to incorporate that into our daily lives! Thanks for the great blog!
Great advice for a success 2009 baking year!
Happy New Year to you, Joy!
~ingrid
Whole Wheat and new cookbooks? You should get your hands on a copy of the King Arthur Whole Grain cookbook — it combines two of your baking for 2009 rules :) Plus, whole grain chocolate cookies are healthy, so you can eat twice as many, right? ;)
How about a homemade pizza made with a whole wheat (or a partial-whole wheat) crust and good, local veg from the farmer’s market? Great ideas…
I am playing with sourdough starter from King Arthur. I mix bread flour and whole wheat to feed it.
I made pancakes–did not find the waffle iron in time, and they were so good. The left overs were packed between wax paper and refrig. I heated one in the MW and it was very good.
I bought an 11 cup Cuisinart food processor as my Christmas present. It has directions for pizza crust, pie crust, and bread. I am eager to go page by page through the recipe booklet. I can not find an up to date recipe book though for a food processor.
Those are some great ideas for the new year! Have a fabulous 2009!
I love it! Your list is all about happiness in the largest of portions. I love it and I’m excited to say “I like who you are” with chocolate chip cookies.
Also the farmer’s market is going to be my husband’s and my new Saturday morning routine.
You’re so speaking my language. — Happy New Year Joy!
Great ideas, Joy! I especially love the idea of donating baked goods to local food pantry or shelter. I’m going to have to look into doing that.
Nice way to start off 2009! Although I am a bit skeptical of the whole wheat one… :)
Great ideas ..Happy New Year!
Thanks for the tips – we are trying to incorporate more “healthy” into our kitchen over the coming months – I’ll keep coming back!
I’m good about some of those things (whole wheat flour, trying new cookbooks), but I could definitely use a little more playfulness and a little less intensity in the kitchen. Good tips all. And your style is very uplifting!
I love to give my baked goods away. Oh the smiles I get are just priceless….
happy new year to you as well!
I look forward to following along. I have a new pasta machine that needs a little more play-dough!
What a great list! Happy new year!
a lovely list which makes me want to get in my kitchen right now!
Fab list Joy! A great way to start and live in ’09! Happy New Year.
Lovely list, Joy! I’m so with you on the “give” part, I really love sharing my baked goods with others. Have a great year!
Nice list. I’m in.
Thanks for the list! I love the sharing and love! If you’re interested here is my list of 8 Green New Years Resolutions – http://www.greenglancy.com/green-new-years-resolutions/
I’m so excited to share more and start a community garden. And then I will try the homemade pizza. :)
What an excellent list of things for the next year! (And as it sits… two down, seven to go! Though I’m sure there will be repeats.)
I used your pizza recipe last night and it was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.You have such a delightful inspiring blog!
Yay for more vegan baking :)
I love the first three. They are definitely on my list.
This is a great list, Joy ~ very inspiring!!
I love your list! I’ll have to try the vegan cookies. I love tofu and those just sound great. I know all about how great it is to give away what you make. That’s the best part of baking for me. =) Whenever we have a bake sale at work, I take what’s left (we ALWAYS make too much) down to the local shelter. The look on the faces of the people down there is great. Now, I want to go and buy a new toy! hehe! I still have to try the stuff in my King Arthur Cookie Companion! Have a great year!
Joy-
I came across your site today, and I have to say I’m in LOVE :D Not only do I love to bake, but i love feeding my friends and family what I bake.
I’m a single mom and college student, so money is always tight…so at Christmas my huge family gets baked goods and you’ve given me soo many new ideas for holiday treats for everyone.
Thank you sooo much for your site…and your humor!!
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