My resolution for 2025 is to be more embarrassing and less embarrassed. So what a better way to start the year than letting myself be perceived on the internet *GASP*

As many of you know, and some of you may not, I spent the last 4 months in my first semester of grad school, beginning my Food Studies Master’s journey. I learned a LOT these last few months, not just about all things food, but myself as well. One of my main takeaways of the semester was sometimes, you just have to do it. You need to post the picture, build the website, write the newsletter, and alas, here we are.

You and I can only guess what this newsletter will become, but what a better place to start then the feast to kick off the new year! I woke up at 9am on December 31st with nothing prepped, a messy Google Doc “plan”, new over the ear headphones and a vision. With the help of Brat, the Las Culturistas iconic 400, and pure Aries will power, a feast prevailed.

By 745pm, the table was set, the wine was in hand, the film selfies secured and the farewell to 2024, the most challenging, silly, whirlwind of a year was upon us!

Pictured above is the spread, and listed below are all the items and their beautiful, stunning, genius creators.

She goes by many names. THE Spin Dip, otherwise known as Nicole’s Spin Dip or lovingly as “my best friend’s mom’s best friend’s spinach dip”. A staple dish at nearly every gathering I have hosted in 2024, in this home and will continue to do so for years to come. The best news about this dish is due to the ingredients, it is quite literally impossible to mess it up or for it to not taste good, so chefs at any level can depend on her.

A big year of fangirling and following Justine Snacks absolute breakout year called for a triple Justine Doiron feature, all from Justine Cooks. Parmesan crusted beans (have gotten so many compliments on these and have come to describe them as “adult Cheese It’s”), salmon dip and salty tiramisu cookies (which I unfortunately burnt half the bottoms of the cookies of though the unburnt ones were a hit!). I saw Justine speak at the beginning of her book tour at The Bell House in NYC and she is just such a wonderful, lovely creator who has inspired me a ton at finding my own personal voice in the food space.

Pictured in the spread though not solo

Duncan Hines double batch box brownies that were unfortunately a bit overcooked (this is what happens when you give your boyfriend *one* job when you have to run out on a grocery trip)

Lace Bakes on TikTok easy same day focaccia recipe. Has been a HOLY GRAIL in my recipes of 2024 and beginning of my bread journey. My biggest advice would be get a 9x12 pan initially because it makes fluffier but also crispier focaccia than a larger pan which is still fine, but a much thinner, chewier texture. My favorite topping combinations of the year were olive and garlic, garlic and parmesan and a special shoutout the the sweet apple pie one I made for Halloween.

A take on the Nutrition by Kylie “My favorite Autumn Salad”. Great use of a variety of ingredients and the dressing has quickly become a favorite.

Hawaiian rolls toasted with butter with slow roasted Coke pulled pork. My first time making pulled pork and I felt eh about the outcome but got many compliments on it. I mostly followed Ask Chef Dennis cook temperatures and times, though not explicitly. The difficulty in roasting the pork was I needed the oven for other various things and temperatures throughout the day, so I kept raising the temperature, pulling out the pork and repeating, so think that may have affected the texture. I marinated the pork over night in a mix of yellow mustard and dijon mustard (it’s what I had), paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Next time, I would also finish with a bbq sauce to add more flavor.

Feels important to note my biggest flop of the night… the Fishwife Kristiana Noel crispy mashed potato balls WITH CAVIAR WE BOUGHT SPECIFICALLY TO HAVE WITH THEM. I couldn’t get them to work, they weren’t crisping, and I ended up just abandoning them :( I think I did not use enough cornstarch, but I would so sad because the pictures on the website were so beautiful. We ended up using Club crackers for our caviar, but I feel determined to revisit these in the future as an avid potato lover.

and finally - the last dish I created/first dish I am claiming in 2025 - the Pan Con Tomate crostini.

Pan Con Tomate Crostini

A few notes:

• I invented this dish amid a fury of cooking for NYE 2025. I have had a mental fixation on crostinis for the past few months, but have yet to execute on them, so I am happy with this first execution and excited to build upon my crostinis in the coming year.

• (After I realized I had the ingredients) the dish became inspired by the classic Spanish Pan Con Tomate. The nice thing I found is this dish can be made anytime of year because the act of slow stewing the tomatoes brings out their flavor (or at least can confirm that the one time I made it in December it was delicious)

• The key to really enhancing the tomato flavor is using the olive oil the tomatoes are slow cooked in to coat the bread before toasting. The rich, salty but also distinctly tomato flavor in the toasting adds to the overall flavor.

• For the goat cheese, I used an immersion blender and added two 4 oz containers of goat cheese, a large spoonful of sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic. I would use less garlic next time and perhaps add olive oil. The texture was a bit runnier than I would’ve liked, so I would like to find a way to make it firmer in the future.

• Before serving (I finished plating these about 20 mins before people came over because I had other things to prep) I toasted up the little breads topped with the tomato olive oil, piped on a dollop of the goat cheese, then topped each with a cherry tomato. Next time I would finish with some fresh herbs and some nice olive oil.

• While I’m realizing this isn’t quite a fully fleshed recipe, if this caught your eye I hope these instructions give you enough guard rails for concocting on your own!

2024 was a very crazy year for me. I had a flight pass for 6 months that allowed me to fly stand by anywhere in the world for free, I got laid off from a job for the first time, I turned 25, I started grad school AND finished my first semester of grad school, I spent SO much time laughing with my friends, I had a brat summer and I feel ready to tackle 2025. I am excited to write more, put myself out there more and most of all, be more embarrassing and less embarrassed!

Here’s to Being Frank in 2025 and beyond

Xo Frank