Dutch Baby For One: A February Recipe Swap

As we do almost every month, a group of us reinvented a vintage recipe. This month's inspiration is Stuffed French Pancakes, taken from an old book called The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places.

When necessary, I sulk in chocolate. And Dutch Baby pancakes don't like sulkers. My experiment with this month's recipe swap was a flop. Another way of looking at; it was an opportunity to learn how something does not work. As it turns out, this sulky little chocolate pancake is a metaphor for my resolution this year: Don't pack too much into the pan.

It's too much. 

This year, if it doesn't fit into a few buckets, it's out. I'm saying "no" to more projects, which means saying "yes" to more things I have made it a priority to work on this year. More travel. More motorcycling. More blogging. More friends. Less overcommitting, fewer overwhelming statements, ideas and goals.

The book list this year is pared down to something reasonable so at the end of the year a dozen leftover books aren't mocking me in an untouched pile. The goals have been broken up into bits that can be achieved. This act takes a village, no kidding. Just gaining clarity takes precision, expertise, and some not-so-comforting self-reflection, at times. Sabrina at The Tomato Tart is helping me clarify my mission and rebrand this blog, and Alissa Finerman is helping me break my professional goals into achievable chunks. With their help this year, perhaps the failed Dutch Baby pancake recipe will be the only thing I over-stuffed.

Just right.