2025 Looks Good on You

2025 Looks Good on You

Kicking off the first full week of the year with a few inches of snow and a loooong braise for some beef tacos at night. A damn good way to start a week (that may or may not be full of scaries still getting back to reality).

As we wrap up 1/52 of the year tomorrow, we can still set the goal of making one saved recipe a week. 50 new recipes in an entire year? That’s a lot when you put it that way! Skip out a week? So what, make up for it another week. Miss the make-up meal? You’ve got all the time in the world the rest of the year.

As the legendary Jordin Sparks says, “One step at a time. There’s no need to rush." (Bet you didn’t expect that reference when you came here.)

But really, a goal like that is very achievable and adds up over time. This is a great year to take on some challenges or dive into what you love already. That may be in the kitchen or outside. Either way, 2025 looks good on you.

What’s Cookin’

It’s amazing what planning meals can do for you. The cold weather brings a lot of time inside, and I love a good trip to the grocery store. Hand up, I organize my list ahead of time to get in and out as quick as possible. (I still get distracted if I go in hungry. How’d those Splits pretzels AND Dot’s pretzels get in the cart?)

The past week may have also been stretching the winter / holidays meals with the warm, filling vibes.

Chicken Cutlets and Caesar Salad

This was a request, to which I happily obliged. No recipe for the cutlet – just the simple flour mixture, egg mixture, breadcrumbs into the olive oil. And as mentioned before, I’m a die hard for the die-hard Cae Sal enthusiast, Molly Baz. It’s THE go-to Caesar salad recipe.

Detroit-Style Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza

There’s a reason this style pizza has been the talk of the town these past few years. And I know focaccia’s not the same, but I think focaccia will have a break out year this year, going beyond the regular table bread. The light dough of both makes it easy to woof down at least a few slices. Nobody’s judging, right? Right.

Here’s the combo that I’ve found that works well: dough from King Arthur and the sauce from Serious Eats as well as the cheese recommendation of 12 oz total: cheddar + low-moisture mozzarella. Admittedly, I had to do some digging to find my notes on this, so here’s my note for later memory. Notes are important when cooking!

Also ~shout out to all the pear~ salad that went alongside this to balance out the meal: Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts.

Lemon Butter Scallops with Greens & Walnuts + Cauliflower and Farro

A light meal to break up the heartier ones. The swiss chard was an adventurous choice, but I think the lemons made it a bit more bitter than expected. Some changes to note for next time, but a great starting point with this scallops recipe. Still recommend giving it a go. Big fan of the walnuts actually.

Plus, it worked well with the sides of a simple seasoned, roasted cauliflower “steaks” and some farro with a light dressing.

Citrus Braised Beef Tacos

This is the winner of 2025’s Week 1. It’s not the first time I’ve made it, but it’s the first time I’ve shared it, and safe to say it did NOT disappoint. Everybody went back for seconds. That’s the work of a warm, long-braised dinner that fills the house all day with The Smells worth waiting for. Molly Baz strikes again with this one. It may have “spicy” in its recipe name, but I can promise it’s a perfect mix and the long cook helps tame the heat. (And a quick Google search does wonders for the full recipe. Great journalism.)

Safe to say I’m sharing this with a full stomach going into the rest of the week. And added onto some planned meals are some planned workouts. That’s the cycle of a new year.

Take on your week ✌️