2016: Goals

This year, we’re going into the fourth year of The Pancake Princess.

YEAR 4.

It’s amazing to think about the different mindset and life space I occupy now compared to the starting line. In mid-2012, I was freshly graduated: in the slightly isolating post-college world with friends dispersed to all corners of the globe, a full-time corporate job that wasn’t quite fulfilling, and more free time outside of work than I knew what to do with, I turned to over-exercising to the point of a long-term knee injury and experimenting in the kitchen, which eventually led to documenting my results in a very humble wordpress.org blog.*

Over time, thanks to the incredible support of you, both new and long-time readers, this blog has evolved into a portfolio I’ve been able to use to launch freelance writing gigs with the Houston Press and Urban Swank, my ticket into the newly formed Houston Food Blogger’s Collective (founded only this past January by the stunningly awesome Claire of The Petite Professional), and most importantly, continued to be a haven to share food and recipes I love with the incredibly supportive online food community. For all of this, THANK YOU.

Over time, however, I’ve also realized that my priorities and preferences have shifted. While my main interests when I started this blog were creating healthy desserts and pursuing my ideal pancake recipe, I’m no longer as interested in creating droopy, low-cal chia seed muffins as I am in creating beautiful loaves of mostly indulgent pumpkin bread that deeply satisfy with one slice instead of three half-sweet slices. I’m more interested in finding meals that keep me excited about eating healthy when I’m not eating out OR tackling difficult recipes for the technique. I’m more interested in food that will delight and bring people together. I’m gaining more interest in refining my cooking skills and techniques through learning from others rather than struggling to create my own hackneyed recipes. And possibly most importantly, I recently developed a dairy allergy, which means there will be a significant shift in focus to dairy-free recipes from here on out (sob, goodbye cheese).

To focus on these new preferences and to help you know what to expect in this space, here are some posting goals I’m setting for 2016:

• Monthly Houston Restaurants Round Ups: Between my extraordinary fortune of joining the Houston Food Blogger’s Collective and freelancing, I’ve had excuses to try more restaurants than ever before. I’ve been wanting to share my (very unscientific, vegetarian-biased) perspective on my favorite finds of Houston’s food scene. My hope is that whether you’re based in Houston or not, these will inspire you to come explore Houston’s phenomenal food scene at one point or another! I plan to do round ups at the end of each month.
• Kitchen Lessons: Every month this year, I want to try a new recipe that either a) expands my technique, b) is something I’ve never made before or c) I’ve had my eye on forever. I’ll share the results with you in step-by-step photos, videos, or just a (typically lengthy) review.
• Insta-recipes: I’ve been really enjoying Izy’s insta-recipes, and I’d like to do a similar series that features quick and easy recipes that I incorporate in my daily life at least once a month.
• Family Classics: The longer I blog, the more incomplete my blog feels without documenting some of the family recipes I grew up with, no matter how overdone they are in the blog world (banana bread, wine cake). This will also be a monthly series.

I think that should keep us busy for 2016, don’t you? Tell me about your goals (if you have some in your back pocket) that you’ve set for this coming year? I’m still mulling over my personal goals. Goals or not, I’m feeling like we can make this year a great one.

*But my 2016 self has made it three-quarters of the way through business school with the prospect of entering a potentially exciting post-graduation and is feeling closer to figuring out what long-term goals and has gotten into a groove with a highly likeable workout routine and has encountered too many great people to name them all in the past year. #thedarkdaysareover