2010 [Twelve in Ten] was a mishmash of sorts—restaurants I wanted to try and kitchen “challenges” I wanted to achieve.

2011 [Best of 2011] was all about the “Best Of”, using St. Louis Magazine’s list of best STL restaurants and the 12 Best Foods cookbook to guide where we ate and what I made.

2012 [Eat and Repeat] was a lot of fun; using the list of Best New Restaurants in St. Louis, the second half of the challenge required me to remake something we’d enjoyed. I’ll be recapping this more fully in Sunday’s post.

I struggled to come up with something for 2013 and even considered dropping the challenge altogether. I’m not quite ready to do that though, so I settled for a happy compromise. 2013’s challenge will be similar to the way I started things in 2010, but with even fewer “rules” or guidance. I’m calling the challenge “Finding Time in 2013” because so often I find myself with ideas about things to make or places to try, but opt out because we too often feel overwhelmingly busy. This year I refuse to use lack of time as an excuse. I’m going to take on some of the recipes I’ve been wanting to try and, similarly, we’re going to finally try some of those restaurants we’ve been eyeing, regardless of where they rank on any lists.

The lack of boundaries on this challenge will hopefully eliminate unnecessary stress while still allowing me the chance to try new things. What I insist on finding time for in 2013 may be laughable to you, but I’m eager for an excuse to finally make homemade pasta and éclairs and whatever else makes the list. I’m not going to predefine a list, but will instead develop a plan each month. Again, maximum flexibility, minimum stress.

Here’s to another year of adventures in eating and cooking on The Sweets Life!