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Just before the end of the year, I put up a post about eleven things that I could do without in 2011.

It was an exercise that I read about on the blog the little red house and I found it a tremendously helpful one as it made me really sit and think about my year and what I envisioned for 2011.

In light of that exercise, I thought I’d come up with a list of the 11 things that I want more of in my life in 2011 or that I want to accomplish in 2011.

Here’s my list:

1. No more food magazines (except for the ones that I receive by suscription).
2. Can only buy one cookbook/month.
3. For every cookbook that comes in, one goes out.
4. Swim more.
5. Pay credit card bill every month.
6. Make fresh pasta, at least once a month.
7. Walk every day, rain or shine, for at least half an hour.
8. Read more.
9. Take at least one course that’s not work-related. Any course.
10. Use sunscreen every day.
11. One Saturday lunch or dinner date per month with Mamma Cream Puff.

I’ll let you know at the end of the year how I did! If you feel like it, why not come up with your own list and let us all know about it!

In the meantime, one thing that isn’t on this list is baking more because that’s not necessarily something I need to motivate myself to do.

However, the fact is that in 2010, I didn’t bake nearly as much as I did in previous years.

In an effort to refocus my energies on the things I enjoy, I decided to bake a cake for New Year’s Day dessert. I baked a Chocolate Pistachio Orange Cake from Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking by Nick Malgieri.

It was just a lovely old-school type of cake with a delicious pistachio-flecked sponge (soaked in a Grand Marnier syrup), ganache and whipped cream.

And this leads me quite nicely into some great news for the new year. I am so proud to be a finalist in the Best Baking and Dessert Blog category for the 2010 Canadian Food Blog Awards! You can check out all the categories and nominees here. I am so proud to see how many incredible Canadian blogs there are out there and I’m just honoured to be considered among them!

Have a great 2011 everyone!

Ciao!