I’m all about lists. To-do lists. Shopping lists. Naughty and Nice lists. So obviously I have an ongoing and never ending list of goals I would like to accomplish in my life. A ‘bucket list’ of sorts. When I realized that my bucket list had approximately a million food related items on it I decided I had better start a new bucket list with just those items. So here it is in all it’s glory along with notes and links to those items I have fulfilled. This is an on going list that I have had for years that keeps growing. I have actually had several ‘lists’ and have lost them over the years. So what a more perfect place to document these ‘bucket’ adventures than on this cooking blog! I hope you don’t mind and you’ll follow along!
Kitchen Concoctions’ ‘Kickin’ the Bucket’ List:
1. Eat crepes in Paris, France.
2. Learn to make macarons.
3. Have a cooking blog. (And I am loving every minute of blogging!)
4. Write and publish a cookbook.
5. Take all 4 Wilton cake decorating classes. (2 down 2 to go! Still need to share my master pieces!)
6. Cover and decorate a cake using fondant. (Did as part of the Wilton classes I took but didn’t take pictures… boo.)
7. Be a professional food writer, recipe developer, chef consultant. (following these dreams and working at this since (November 2010))
8. Make homemade bagels.
9. Meet a famous chef.
10. Cook with a famous chef.
11. Go to a cookbook signing. (WhooHoo! Meeting the Pioneer Woman was so much fun (12/3/2009)) (Also went to Bakerella’s cookbook signing.)
12. Own a Kitchen Aid Mixer. (Thanks to Eric for my birthday surprise! (11/19/2009))
13. Visit a winery.
14. Enter a recipe/cooking contest. (I entered. Didn’t win. But was featured in the Betty Crocker Magazine. (May 2010))
15. Win a recipe/cooking contest.
16. Own a mandolin.
17. Own an ice cream maker. (Eric also got me this for my birthday one year (11/19/2009). I have made this, this and oh yeah this with it!)
18. Visit a strawberry patch and pick strawberries.
19. Own a food processor. (Another surprise from Eric (10/18/2009). It gets the most use from us constantly making our favorite hummus. But we also like this variety too!)
20. Own a deep fryer. (I now do!)
21. Enter a chili cook-off.
22. Learn to eat with chopsticks.
23. Visit an apple orchard and pick apples.
24. Own a microplane. (Another gift from Eric!)
25. Visit Hershey, Pennsylvania and eat a Hershey bar.
26. Visit a pumpkin patch and go pumpkin hunting.
27. Go on a cupcake ‘crawl’.
28. Make baked Alaska.
29. Eat dinner on the beach.
30. Compete in a cooking competition.
31. Preform a cooking demo. (I preformed demos at the “Austin Home and Garden Show” (3/3/12-3/4/12) and was also featured on the local talk show, “We Are Austin Live.”)
32. Tour a candy factory. (Did this March 2011, when I went on a trip with my Mom and sis to Denver. Click here to read all about our visit to Hammond’s Candy Factory.)
33. Make my own cheese. (I have done this but want to learn to make several different types since I love cheese!)
34. Eat at Medieval Times restaurant.
35. Eat gelato in Italy.
36. Be on TV for food/cooking. (Well here was my first TV debut! (4/1/2011). (And here I am again on a different talk show!)
37. Try Mexican Mango: mango covered in chili powder and lime juice.
38. Eat authentic clam chowder in New England.
39. Attend a food and wine festival.
40. Attend a food blogging conference.
41. Design and make a personalized chef’s coat.
42. Learn to make pickles or pickle something. (I have done this but need to document.)
43. Bake and decorate a wedding cake. (I recently made the wedding cakes and groom’s cakes for my sister and dear friend’s weddings. Here is my friend’s Groom’s cake (with recipe) and hopefully I will post the wedding cakes soon!)
44. Make homemade dog treats. (Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats (10/14/11))
45. Have a fruit and veggie garden.
46. Make homemade graham crackers.
47. Make homemade marshmallows.
48. Attend a cake decorating convention.
49. Attend dinner theatre.
50. Get lost in a corn maze.
51. Make donuts. (I have made a wide assortment of baked donuts: Caramel Apple Donuts and S’mores Donuts. Now to attempt deep fried doughnuts.)
52. Learn to make sushi rolls.
53. Teach a cooking class. (I started teaching kids cooking classes August 2011 and continue this work currently.)
54. Eat Hawaiian shaved ice in Hawaii.
55. Get invited to tour a company test kitchen.
56. Make tomatillo sauce.
57. Make crème freche.
58. Learn to decorate sugar cookies with royal icing.
59. Eat at a famous chef’s restaurant.
60. Make homemade fondant. (Made some but haven’t had time to blog about it yet. BTW WAY better than store bought).
61. Eat food from a food truck. (I have done this at festivals but want to go to a food truck park and document it.)
62. Visit a brewery.
63. Make homemade caramels.
64. Make cake pops worthy of Bakerella.
65. Cook/bake with fresh flowers.
66. Volunteer at a food bank.
67. Own my own full size grill.
68. Make homemade pita bread.
69. Make and use my own cupcake stand.
70. Drink frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in New York City.
71. Eat a Philly cheesesteak sandwich in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
72. Make my own frilly 1950’s style apron.
73. Organize and host a cookie exchange.
74. Host one themed dinner party a month for one year.
75. Plan, execute and document weekly menu plans for one year.
76. Eat beignets at Café du Monde. (Eric and I went to NOLA for 4th of July 2006 but I don’t know if I have any pictures to document it!)
77. Make a homemade face mask. (Wow! I have now done this several times! Check out these recipes: Chocolate Martini Face Mask and Heavenly Honey Oatmeal Mask)
78. Make tiramisu.
79. Stay at a bed and breakfast.
80. Join a cooking/recipe challenge club (like Daring Bakers).
81. Join
a cooking/baking group.
82. Eat fish and chips in England.
83. Eat a ‘perfect’ meal at a restaurant: appetizer, salads, entrees, dessert, drinks.
84. Be taught by my grandmother how to make seafood gumbo.
85. Learn to make authentic crepes.
86. Eat at the ‘crock’ restaurant in Louisiana.
87. Be a judge of a cook-off/cooking competition.
88. Try ‘butter beer’ (hehe).
89. Make homemade baby food.
90. Make matzo ball soup.
91. Eat buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.
92. Eat a vegetarian diet for 21 days straight.
93. Own my dream house with my dream kitchen.
94. Make farfalle.
95. Own a Bundt pan.
96. Host a bake sale for charity.
97. Own a trifle bowl.
98. Eat at Fogo de Chao.
99. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
100. Be an extreme couponer. (This is a skill I am greatly improving and will share my tips soon!)
101. Pick peaches at a peach orchard.
102. Go deep sea fishing.
103. Take food photography class.
104. Get a blog ‘makeover.’
105. Join a ‘food club’ of the month for a year.
106. Put together a family cookbook.
107. Drink hot chocolate on a carriage ride through snowy mountains.
108. Eat Chicago style deep dish pizza in Chicago.
109. Continue to build my collection of cookbooks from all around the world, different decades and fellow food bloggers.
110. Own a set of good quality popsicle molds.
111. Get into the Rachael Ray SXSW event.