Last recipe for the month! Made it through month one with all 10 recipes. I’m really proud of myself for creating this new habit, especially since starting is always the hardest part. January down, 11 more months to go.

Expanding into a category beyond “meals”, I chose a rather simple dish to end the month: Popcorn. Don’t worry, I didn’t buy microwave popcorn and put stuff on it: I made the popcorn from scratch!

CACIO E PEPE POPCORN

From SMALL VICTORIES by Julia Turshen

Ingredients: Pretty minimal, and even less if you use microwave popcorn. I used a Whirlypop to make the popcorn, which means I added the corn kernels and oil to my ingredient list. And because I’m fancy, I grated my own Parmesan.

First is the obvious step: pop the corn. For me, that was put the corn and oil in the Whirlypop and heat it while stirring until the kernels stop popping.

Meanwhile, melt butter. She didn’t specify how much, and I think I underdid it, so maybe I’ll use more for next time.

Once the popcorn is popped, put it in a bowl. Assemble your ingredients.

Top with melted butter, grated Parmesan, and pepper, and you’re ready to serve! Julia recommends this recipe for guests as a fancy-but-casual hors d’ouvres.

It was super yummy, but I would have added more of all of the toppings. It needed more of everything to really make it special, but since we were just munching on this while watching a movie, it was a perfect light alternative snack to the traditional movie popcorn.

Final thoughts: This book and New Years resolution is doing exactly what I hoped it would. It’s pushing me to make more homemade dishes and perfect my cooking skills, forcing me outside my comfort zone, and encouraging me to keep trying new things. I’m so pleased with the results so far, and I can’t wait to continue the year’s journey!