Okay, real talk. Looking at all of the social media posts of meals couples made on their Valentine's Day dates was barf-inducing. So finally after logging out when I just couldn't take anymore, I went browsing my bookmarks, Pinterest, and Tumblr to create a list of #GOALS for the year. Being single can suck when it comes to cooking because when it comes to purchasing ingredients you have to be really strategic. Most ingredients, if not all, aren't packaged for one so creating a menu of meals has to use whatever I've purchased so it doesn't go to waste. Good news is I learned how to cut the recipe for pancakes for a single serving. That's really all someone needs, right?

Fortunately, I sometimes can get people to try whatever I want to cook which makes things a lot easier. I get to try to make something I haven't made before, learn a new skill, and they get something (hopefully) delicious in return. It's a win/win. I have collected maybe hundreds of recipes in tons of places especially virtual places. It's still a pretty new year so I'm still pretty positive about trying new things so I thought why not choose 12 recipes I really want to try this year. Consider them my #goals for the year in the kitchen. Since it's February I should probably get started.

There's a variety of things including brownies that are claimed to be loved more than the recipe sharer loved Hanson in the 90s. There's plenty of pasta and some things I've never tried to make before (a chocolate tart). There's also a recipe featuring my arch nemesis, polenta, because the recipe looks way too delicious to pass up. I'm even giving a pass to rosé pasta sauce since everything should be tried at least once. Only time will tell if I end up making any of these during the next 10 months, but I'll be sure to keep the blog posted on any updates to this list. I'm talking about all the good experiences and the bad.

Below you'll find my kitchen #goals for the year. If you want more suggestions you can check out my food Pinterest board or the food tag on my Tumblr.