It's 2011 and I've got one whole post ready to go. Hmmm.... In the past few weeks, I'd done so much cooking and baking that it was easy to find things to write about.

But now what?

Tom had the flu this past week, so I just made simple things to eat by myself; the thought of food might nearly have put my poor sweetie into a coma if he hadn't already been napping. I used up leftovers from Christmas weekend, but didn't want to do much cooking; not only would that likely have only left me with more leftovers, just variations on the original theme, but the aromas might have seemed more like a stench to someone whose stomach was in revolt.

I took no pictures and I took no notes; there's nothing particularly thrilling or photogenic about a roast beef sandwich after all, or about a clementine. I had a spinach salad, too — it was colorful. I like to offer a bit more than that for readers!

However, I did take some time to consider what plans I might have for this year. I've talked for a long time about doing a cupcake competition between the four primary purveyors in Ann Arbor: Decadent Delight, Cake Nouveau, Cupcake Station and Just Baked. But I need to have Jeremy back to eating carbs, Tom back to eating anything and time to set up a semi-scientific system for comparisons.

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

For Christmas, Tom gave me some fabulous and amazing Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar from Michigan-based Fustini's Oils and Vinegars at Kerrytown, and I need to play with that beyond just marinating chicken or making a dressing for my very pretty spinach salad. He also gave me some lovely applewood-smoked sea salt that he'd bought in Mason, which could make for some significant entertainment if I were to make my own bacon. I think Hiller's Market sells plain strips of pork that could accommodate this little experiment.

I'm planning an "International Week" on my blog, Food Floozie, with representation from Italy (a pasta dish with a surprise ingredient), Cuba, England, Poland (my beloved friend Connie's pickle soup, tweaked slightly) and even Mongolia.

I've also planned for ages and ages to make Spaghetti Tacos, after reading about the "iCarly" phenomenon in The New York Times several months ago. Of course, they sound disgusting in their original incarnation; but, what a novel concept! What a challenge, to see if they can actually be made edible for anyone over the age of 8! I have visions of using spaghetti squash instead of noodles, and tweaking it with some seasoning and fresh salsa and green onions. Oh, man, I'm getting hungry ... that's a significant problem when one happens to write a food blog!

I've got quite the collection of quirky cookbooks — some that are decades older than I am, some that are mysterious, some that are just laughable (like one "written" by Miss Piggy and other celebrities). I need to stop just collecting them and actually put them to use!

So, those are a few of the notions that have been spinning around in my head. Is there any particular path YOU'D like to see me meander down? Any food challenges or dares, or recommendations of places to eat or specific dishes to try? Any recipes you'd like to see if I can re-create (as a friend is hoping I can do with her late grandmother's pea soup which was kosher, and thus contained no salt pork)? Any other ideas of any kind? Just let me know. 'Cause I've got a lot more posts to write, and I'm open to suggestions!

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here. Check out her blog — Food Floozie — in which she cooks, reviews restaurants and generally enthuses and effuses over all things food-related. Or send an email to yentamary@gmail.com.