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5 New Year’s Food Resolutions

And so it has come to pass. The earth has completed yet another revolution around a gigantic flaming ball. It’s quite persistent, you know. After four billion times doing the same exact thing, you’d think it would try something new.

Just because the earth is as annoyingly predictable as Jay Cutler choking on his own hairballs (sorry, had to) doesn’t mean you have to be. New Year’s resolutions are all the rage—they’re a chance to change, to improve, and to be a better person.

So, now that you’ve set your sights high with those ambitious fitness, health, and diet goals, let’s talk about eating. Here’s a few New Year’s resolutions courtesy of Dishin’ It Out.

Cocktail

Step up your cocktail game.

Let’s be honest. Ordering a rum-and-Coke is the equivalent of ordering a lettuce sandwich on white bread. Make it a goal to be slightly braver, a tad edgier, and a bit more adventurous in 2014. Find a cocktail that you’re comfortable ordering but isn’t in everyone else’s hands, too. For those of you who like rum-and-Coke, try a “Dark and Stormy”—dark rum, ginger ale, and a splash of lime juice. You are what you drink, after all.

Cake

Bake a cake. From scratch.

Pull out that dusty bag of flour from your pantry and make a cake from scratch this year. There’s no greater feeling of accomplishment than that which you feel upon pulling a homemade cake out the oven. And it’s about more than just the finished product; it’s about the experience. Find a friend or make it a date. Duncan and Betty will always be there to lend a hand if you fail.

Special

Make a specials calendar.

Compile a calendar of all the best bar and restaurant specials in your area. Many cities and neighborhoods have their own mobile apps (or at least websites) for this sort of thing already. Having a go-to specials guide allows you to spread your wealth around and visit more places. Those prohibitively expensive fancy restaurants often have late night menus with smaller portions.

Grocery Store

Go down that one aisle at the grocery store.

We all have one. For me, it’s the Asian food aisle. Don’t get me wrong—I love the flavors from that part of the world, but when it comes to buying ingredients in an attempt to replicate those flavors myself, I’m completely lost. Each of us has that one (or two, or five) aisle at the supermarket that we’re just so afraid of that, if it was the only aisle in existence, we’d probably go hungry. In the new year, go down that aisle at least once and buy something.

Chopped

Play your own version of “Chopped.”

Find three close friends and set aside a few hours to play your own game of the TV show “Chopped.” Have each person bring four or five food items and arbitrarily combine them to create “mystery baskets.” Then pretend you’re all world-class chefs. It’s unbelievably fun (I know, I’ve done it). While we can’t all have Geoffrey Zakarian in our kitchen to point out our culinary flaws, I’m sure you have a pompous foodie friend who will make a fine substitute.

2014 is here. Eat up!