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52 Meals: A Year of New Recipes Weekly / January

February 9, 2022 Crystal // Dreams, etc. Post a comment
52 Meals: A Year of New Recipes Weekly / January

A few months into the pandemic, when we realized we weren’t going to see each other in person soon, my writing buddy and I hopped on FaceTime to chat. “Have you tried any new recipes?” he asked me. Like a lot of people, he and his partner started to try new recipes at the start of the pandemic, but I hadn’t. Pouring over food blogs and trying new recipes used to be a hobby of mine, but in recent years that interest has fizzled out.

Last year the interest sparked again. As 2021 came to an end I created a “goal” for 2022: try a new recipe each week.

I say this knowing it won’t happen weekly. Next week I have two days in town before I fly out for a conference. I probably won’t try anything new that week. But I’d like it to be more than monthly and if I make it a bi-weekly goal I know I won’t stay on top of looking for new recipes. I’ll scramble at the last minute and eventually give up. So the goal is 52 new recipes this year. If I don’t quite make it, I’ll still consider it a success.

Please note: I’m not going for food blogger photos here… these were all snapped after making them, before eating, so there are some photos that don’t have the best lighting since I primarily cook in the evening. These photos represent real life, not blogger perfection. 🙂

Here’s a recap of the recipes I tried in January.

Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup from Half Baked Harvest.

I’m not actually including this in the count because I made it on the last day of 2021, but I wanted to include it here because when I shared this on Instagram there was some interest in it. I made this on the stove, not in a slow cooker. It was delicious and my family enjoyed it. I’ll definitely make this again sometime.


01 / Creamy Corn, Zucchini, and Bacon Chowder from Half Baked Harvest.

We entered 2022 with sub-zero temperatures in Minnesota. In the past I had a tradition for our frigid days: whip up a pot of chowder and read one of my childhood favorites, Look for Me By Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn. The main character Cynda moves to Maine to live with her dad, stepmom, and stepbrother when her mom and stepdad move to Italy. At the start of the book, Cynda’s dad picks her up from the airport and the weather is brutal. They stop at a cafe on their way back to the inn that her dad and stepmom own and live in so that her dad can have a break, and they eat a bowl of chowder. So obviously you have to have chowder for dinner as you start this book and then curl up with warm beverages for a cozy night in as you finish it.

Life got busy and I haven’t done this for years so I knew I wanted to reread this book again this year and I grabbed the first opportunity to do so. I’m so glad it’s the book I started the year with. And this chowder was fantastic. My family also enjoyed this one and I’ll make it again sometime. We served it with a good bread topped with butter and honey and with an orange marmalade and both were nice on the side.


02 / One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta by Budget Bytes.

This was a super easy one pot meal and now I’m kind of obsessed with the idea of them. We added andouille sausage to it and my household still would have liked more meat for a better meat-to-pasta ratio. (I was fine with it as-is but I don’t like meat as much as other people do. More thoughts on that below.) I forgot to take a picture of this one, but it was delicious and I will definitely make it again in the future.

Oh! I also used a cajun spice mix because I have a mix, but if you don’t the recipe does give you ratios to make your own.


03 / Creamy Tomato Chicken from Salt and Lavender.

This is not a meal you’d anticipate from me if you know me and what I cook. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m also not a fan of preparing meat unless it’s ground or something like bacon or sausage. I also usually make dishes where the meat is mixed in and not the star of the show. But this looked good and I thought people in my household would like it so I went with it. Spoiler alert: it was a hit!

I made it a little saucier so I added extra cream, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. I can’t tell you how much because I just started throwing extras in the pan. I know I wondered if I added too much seasoning, but it was perfecft! I learned how to use a meat thermometer so that I didn’t overcook the chicken (which I typically do … you know, to avoid food poisoning). We had pasta and spinach to serve it over, so some of chose pasta, some chose spinach, some chose a mix. It had a nice, fresh taste and I’ll definitely make this again. Next time I’ll make it with the same amount of sauce that I did this time and I’ll probably buy chicken tenders instead of cutting chicken breasts in half.


04 / Easy Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Chipotle Sauce from My Dominican Kitchen.

This is by far my favorite of the recipes I tried in January, It was so fresh and tasty and I have thought about it every week since I made it. I also made a reel of the prep. I highly recommend this one and I will make it again.

I’m not into cole slaw but I love broccoli slaw. Unfortunately, every store I looked at didn’t have any. I ended up just using shaved brussels sprouts because I knew the leftovers could be used in a brussels sprouts salad or in a veggie mix with eggs for breakfast. I’d use them again for this, but would like to try it with broccoli slaw sometime.


05 / Pad See Ew from Cooking Professionally.

This was also really good! It was easy to make and was a hit with my household. I served it with potstickers. I had a mix of a brand that I will not purchase again because they don’t cook as well as others, and potstickers from Trader Joe’s, which are a great go-to for frozen potstickers. Since I was having trouble with the one brand of potstickers, I think I overcooked the Pad See Ew a little bit, but it was still delicious and I don’t think anyone could tell.


Other Things I Tried This Month:

Since these aren’t recipes I’m not going to include them above, but I thought I’d share some items I tried that made for quick meals.

🍴 Gnocchi Stuffed with Marinara and Mozarella from Trader Joes: They were okay, but a little on the doughy side, which made them a little overwhelming to eat after the first few bites. I had them once on their own and once with meatballs (also frozen) and a little marinara sauce to see if that balanced out the doughy-ness and it didn’t. I would pass on these.

🍴 Red Curry Sauce from Trader Joes: They had a bunch of baby veggies that I thought would be great for a stir fry with rice noodles so I picked them up and as I continued to go through the store I saw jars of curry and decided to try one. Since I already had rice noodles in mind, that’s what I served it with, and it was delicious! I’ve already picked up more jars of the red curry sauce as well as a jar of the yellow curry to try and now I’m wondering why I haven’t looked at TJ sauces before.

🍴 Tomato Soup from Trader Joes: I always used to make tomato soup from scratch. It was a therapeutic thing as I mourned a friendship that I thought was over and I loved the process of making tomato soup. However, that friendship has since mended, and while I still do like the idea of making tomato soup from scratch, it really does take a lot of tomatoes and a lot of time, especially when you compare it with a $3 carton of soup that you can just put on the stove to heat up. I’ve already purchased more of this.

What recipes have you tried recently?
What recipes should I try?

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily “I love you’s” are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. 💙
Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. “The water looks cold,” I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. 😂)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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