Happy January, Reader!

If you have a resolution to try a new type of recipe this year, I would love to help you check it off your list!

That's the whole reason I share my beginner-friendly recipes with video tutorials and cleanup ratings: So you know exactly what to expect the entire time!

Here are my favorite recipes for growing your skills in the kitchen:

Want to make homemade bread?

The easiest bread recipe I know is my small batch focaccia. I make it all the time to serve alongside soup—partially because my husband requests it any time I tell him I'm making soup lol. There's no kneading involved, and it makes just 2-4 servings!

And if you've already mastered no-knead dough, my twisted garlic breadsticks let you try kneading and shaping dough! They got the kindest review earlier this month, too 🥹

Want to make macarons?

I highly recommend my vanilla macarons. I have a full-length YouTube video walking you through the entire process, and I go into even more detail in the blog post if you want to feel especially prepared.

Want to make homemade jam?

I love making homemade jam, both with fresh seasonal fruit and frozen out-of-season fruits! My small batch cherry jam is my favorite recipe for jam newbies. A few reviewers even went so far to call it foolproof ;)

Want to make cheesecake?

If you want to try making homemade cheesecake, mini cheesecakes are the way to go. I'm still kinda scared to make full-size cheesecakes (they use so much cream cheese 😅), but I make cheesecakes in a muffin pan all the time!

They don't require a water bath, they bake up in 15-20 minutes, and they're pre-portioned for easy serving. I've developed a handful of flavors, but I think the chocolate ones are my favorite.

Want to make homemade ice cream?

There's nothing quite like homemade custard-based ice cream. I do recommend investing in an ice cream maker so that you can properly churn the custard as it freezes, but the one I have (affiliate link) works great, and it's fairly inexpensive.

My favorite ice cream is classic French vanilla. It goes with everything, so you can add your own mix-ins, like chocolate candies, bits of brownies, sprinkles, and more!

Behind the Scenes

• It may not look like much right now, but all the ranunculu corms I planted in November are starting to leaf out! I'm hoping to have lots of ranunculus in the space until zinnia season :)
• One of the camellia bushes I planted in my backyard last year has the most beautiful blooms right now!
• Last year, Austin and I consumed 21.5 pounds of spinach! We just finished off our first pound of the year earlier this week.
• My mom and I went to a cat café!! One opened up about 45 minutes from my parents' house, so we just had to go when we were visiting at Christmastime 😺

May you be resolute in your recipe resolutions this year 🍪

Happy baking!
Alyssa

P.S. If you've made any of my recipes, it would mean the world if you leave a review of how the recipe turned out! It goes a long way to let others know it's a tried and trusted recipe 💛