I wonder if the way you view the new year has any relationship to whether you are a pessimist or optimist? Whether you tend to look forward in life, or tend to look back? Whether you like to minimize your “weight”, or hang onto “stuff”? Do you view it as the close of a year, or as the beginning of a new one?

Until this year, I have only ever looked forward…mostly. I generally make resolutions that I don’t usually keep, and vow to be better at *insert whatever here*. I read through my resolutions post from last year and was not surprised that the number of resolutions I made was very close to the number of resolutions I did not achieve. Ah well…there’s always next year!

J asked me what my resolutions were this year, and I decided I don’t really have any. That is, I don’t have any that I would like to call a New Year’s Resolution. I think I am tired of giving credence to resolutions for the new year. I would rather just have some goals that I can set at any old time, and adjust as they need adjusted. So no resolutions post this year!

This isn’t really what I wanted to write this post about either. It’s a testament to how I think, I think. I get distracted by a thought and I follow the thread to the end!  What I wanted to write about was a post from one of the food-bloggers I follow. She is going to do some back to basics posts and asked us readers what we would like to learn. I was shocked at the results!

How to boil an egg. How to scramble an egg. Which pan and what heat to use. How to NOT burn a chicken breast. How to chop, dice, mince, etc. Knife skills. Which utensils to use on which pans. And the list goes on…

Now I am not a professional by any means, but these are all things that I consider to be common knowledge stuff! Ok, I’ll try to be more sensitive….these are all things that, to me, I assume that every cook would know. I assume that you all know how to roast some asparagus, because it is very basic information to me. I assume that everyone knows how much oil to put in a pan because I don’t even measure it. I just pour until it’s enough!

So this post really got me thinking, is cooking really that mysterious and baffling to some people? Maybe it is. Maybe not everyone grew up cooking with their parents or taking a home-economics class in high school. Perhaps cooking just comes easier to some people.

There have been many directions that I haven’t posted because I just assume that y’all already know how to do it. Like make mashed potatoes. Easy stuff right? Well, not so apparently. So from now on, I am going to try to throw my assumptions out the window, and post all those cooking directions that I would normally not include. Like how to perfectly fry potatoes, roast vegetables, and cook eggs. I’ll add in cooking instructions and tutorials, kitchen tips, basics that I think everyone should know….it will all get included form now on! So please don’t think I am insulting your intelligence when I post some of these things. Apparently, there is a need. And if there is anything specific you want me to post about, please let me know! Whatever it is! I’ll post it if I know it!

So here’s your first tip: metal utensils should never be inserted into a teflon (non-stick) or enamel (the white ceramic coated) pan or pot! Metal will tear away at the surface, and ruin it. If you want your pots and pans to last, you should only use wood or plastic spatulas, spoons, whisks, etc. Metal utensils should only be used with metal bottomed pans.

Now, lest you go away from here without a photo, here are a few from today! I just love when a golden sun meets a storm cloud sky! 🙂