No Spoilers, Please!

And I'm not just talking about the ladies' free skate result at the Olympics, either! Although I am trying my damnedest not to look at any media outlets online, but it really is sooooo hard.

But like a true friend, Tessa has tagged me for Five Food Challenges to keep me occupied for a little bit. This is actually kind of difficult because I do cook a lot. Like every day, or at least 6 days a week. But here it goes:

1. Learn how to make candy. I would really love this, but I know it's pretty exacting and precise. Then again, I seem to excel at things exacting and precise, so perhaps it's right up my alley, or grocery aisle. I think I'll try chocolates first, and if I can master that, I'll move on to taffies and hard candies. Put your orders in early for truffles.
2. Preserve the recipes for the foods that have become beloved family traditions. These include baked macaroni and cheese, apple cake, strawberry freezer jam, berry cobbler, pork roast with white beans (they might be navy beans, I forget), the coating for our fried oysters, cranberry and walnut salad, and lots more. These are all things that various family members are known for, but every time you ask for a recipe, they just spout off "Oh, you do this, then throw in some of that, and a little of this other . . ." because they've done it for years. But if no one actually pins them down on at least approximate amounts, temperatures and cook times, these could all be lost. And that would really be a culinary shame.
3. Grow my own herbs. We all know that fresh herbs can make a dish absolutely sublime. Surely they can't be that hard to grow? Even for someone like me with a black thumb. I'll at least try. Can you grow garlic bulbs in a window box? I love me some garlic!
4. Learn to cook some new ethnic recipes. I love Thai, Vietnamese and Indian foods, but I've never attempted cooking them. I think the unusual and exotic herbs intimidate me. Maybe I'll start with Tom Ka Gai. That seems simple enough.
5. Bake my own bread, and not with a breadmaker. I've never had a breadmaker, so that part's already accomplished, LOL! And as much as I love baking, I've never attempted my own bread. I think I'm intimidated by blooming the yeast, then proofing the dough, etc. But really, how much could it hurt to fail? Maybe $3 in ingredients and a few hours?

So there are my five food challenges for myself. And now I think I'm supposed to tag some more people? Okay, I think I'll tag Jo, Machiruda, Iggy, and Chimera. Cheers, ladies!