What I love about a new year is it’s full of promise. It’s a chance to let go of the past — after all, who cares what you did last year — and reinvent yourself. Today.

You can let go of your fears.  You can let go of your failures.  You can start to believe you can cook.  Better than Bon Appetit.

You see where I’m going with this?

‘Cause she does.

Tonight, I tried out an appetizer recipe from Bon Appetit for our Turn the Tub Around viewing party at Hot Mama.

(Despite the photograph, I swear I did not stop halfway through the shoot to eat some butter straight from the bucket.  Not that I’m above that. It’s just our tub was empty. I know. I checked.)

Only I didn’t have sesame seeds, but found Panko bread crumbs in my pantry. Nor did I have pancetta, what I’ve come to think of as fancy, overpriced bacon (not that I’ve ever bought it; is it expensive?).

And so rather than following their Pancetta-and-Seasame-Coated Turnip recipe, I came up with my own:  Panko-and-Bacon-Coated Turnips:

• 16 slices bacon
• 2 large turnips
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup panko
• vegetable oil

Looks yummy, right? Well, it was. But Bon Appetit knows two things I do not:

First, there is a reason you use a deep-fry thermometer. Although, I must say, our fire alarm works just as well, if you hold your hands over your ears. And second, thinly-sliced pancetta sticks to the turnips, unlike my fat slabs of Lorentz bacon, which unraveled.

We ended up with Panko-and-Bacon-Coated Turnip Kabobs. Which were clumsy, but surprisingly tasty.

Next time, I’d still use Panko.  Only I’d invest in pancetta, too.

Directions: Wrap a slab of bacon around each turnip chunk. Then, dip in egg. Coat with Panko. Deep fry in vegetable oil until Panko lightly browns, about one minute. Then bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Today I informed our 4.5-year-old he could now shower alone. In our spare bathroom. He beamed. “Can I make my own rules in there?” he asked, and I laughed. Because I know whose kid he is.

“This is where you put your clothes! This is where you put your towels! This is where you put your toothbrush!” he instructed, rushing around the bathroom. And I thought of my mother, who, on her last visit, asked, “How did you end up in this family?” Because nothing I own has a place. Unless you count the floor.

My husband loves rules. His rules drive me crazy. And my not adhering to any rules drives him crazy. But what I’ve learned from watching our son grow is you can’t change temperament.

So how do you deal with it?

What is nice, though, is that we share our parenting philosophy. We agree our children will eat what is served at the dinner table. We probably do it for different reasons: for him, it is a rule he grew up with, but for me, cooking more than one dish is too much work. But at least we come to the same place.

I have found pasta is an easy dish to get everyone to eat. Tonight, I am making simple buttered noodles, with enough flair to appeal to the adults as well.

Buttered noodles, adapted from Kate in the Kitchen:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, optional
• 1 teaspoon dry basil

While our noodles boiled, I sauteed the breadcrumbs in two tablespoons of butter.  When they crisped, I added the garlic and mixed in the brown sugar as well as soy sauce.  I didn’t grind up flaxseed, as Kate suggested, but will next time.

I strained the pasta.  Before I poured the breadcrumbs over it, I added an additional tablespoon of butter to the noodles and sprinkled them with basil.

You can also add parmesan, but we didn’t have any.