2010, the year of the cookbook?

I’m looking at 2010 to be a year of exploration of the things I already love. I’m trying my best to cross pollinate my hobbies of running, traveling, cooking and the internet. (I also love legos and science fiction, but I’m realistically ignoring their ability to fit with the others although road trip to ComicCon might qualify!). The mingling of running and traveling has been very straight forward, I’m a member of a club called Half2run; the goal of which is to run a half marathon in half the states in the U.S. with no time limit. I’m looking now at cooking. I will undoubtedly find the perfect pre-race meal during my culinary adventures this year. I certainly plan on mixing cooking with the internet, hence the reason I’m writing a blog.
I’m putting out a full APB for your favorite recipes. I’m going to do some serious cooking at least once per month. I’d love nothing more than to try a recipe, write about it and the experience of making it. At least one of my cooking frenzies will include my friends and families favorites.
Most of my current cooking includes recipes that would be categorized as foods of Italian, Mexican and Americanized Asian food as well as American foods. I do love the cuisine of these regions, but I think exploring the world through my kitchen has a great appeal. I know I have friends from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and would LOVE to learn about the foods of this blue marble we ride on.
I’ve always had interest in learning more about Asian foods outside of China and Japan. I have no quarrel with these two countries but they’re the majority of the Asian food I’m familiar with. Asia, if I recall high school geography correctly, includes nations like Russia, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and you can even argue for some of the Pacific Island nations like the Philippines. If you know a great recipe or even the name of a food that I should explore, please pass it on.
Seeing that I’m German myself, I should probably try some German food. I remember my Grandmother stinking the house up with Liver when I was a kid…it’s still one of the foods that I just cannot eat. If anyone knows of any lighter or less stinky German food, let me know. I’ve never actually made anything German, I’m not even sure I can name any German foods outside of Sauerkraut and Weinershitzel.
I have a nice collection of cooking tools so don’t hold back a suggestion based on the tools needed. I own a wok and deep fryer…and I’m not afraid to use them! I don’t bake as much as I cook, but I do love homemade bakery, so feel free to send baking suggestions as well. Last but not least, feel free to use me as an your own personal experimenter, unless your recipe has Liver in it!
If all my running or triathlon or biking friends would let me know what they like a pre-race meal, that could be fun too.
I’ll be cooking this weekend so we’ll see what we get to start with! I’ll be sure to share whatever I end up making.