I’ve been slacking so much on this blog. I’ve no reason to be behind; I just haven’t felt like I’ve had anything to write about. But now, it’s a new year, a chance to start over and do what I set out to do last year.

I’m far from perfect (surprise!), but I have very specific, solid goals for this upcoming year. The first is to post to this blog at least twice a week in January and February, and then three times a week March and April. Depending upon how interesting my writing is by then will determine my writing schedule for May and beyond.

Writing is easy. I have always loved it. I love words, grammar and the way sentences form over the course of a pot of coffee, or a glass or two of wine. Sometimes it’s hard to find the time to write. Or to find the time to cook. I find it’s even more difficult to find the time to do both, one right after another.

It is necessary to give credit where credit it due. My dear friend, Erin Keefer, started a blog recently. Today she posted about setting 11 Goals for 2011. As I read her post, I remembered how excited I was to start this blog, and my desire to truly be dedicated to my favorite things: writing and cooking. So, Erin, thank you for being the impetus to my newfound focus. You can find Erin’s blog at http://erinmoncheree.blogspot.com/.

Here’s the good news. Christmas was very good to me. My older sister, Molly, gave me Mark Bittman’s new and revised “How to Cook Everything” (which, incidentally, I gave to her for Christmas about 8 years ago). My dear friend, Stephanie, gave me the revised “Joy of Cooking”, which I am so excited to familiarize myself with.

I’ve gotten better about planning this year, already. I know what I want to write about for both official posts this week. Eggs and Whiskey…not together, mind you. Tomorrow, I will make coffee and eggs. It’s a simple breakfast, and ridiculously easy, but I have to start somewhere. I am sure by the end of the year I’ll be making Beef Wellington. (Just kidding.)

Chew on this: The shell of an egg is mostly calcium carbonate and weights only 9-12% of the total weight of an egg. (Source: http://www.aeb.org/egg-industry/egg-facts-101)