Many New Year's Resolutions center on giving up unhealthy habits or on getting in shape.  Those are great (particularly exercising more once you learn the wonders of gourmet cooking!), but another option is to take some time to learn a new skill, like cooking.  Here are several articles to give you some great ideas for New Year's resolutions this year, Knoxvillians!  Oh, and by the way, you don't have to wait until January 1 to start using them!

Every one of these ideas has been successfully employed, to great enjoyment, by some of your fellow Knoxvillians (including the one writing this article).  Get on board, Knoxville, and strengthen our city's notoriety as a foodie town!

• 
  Wine of the week -- this is a great way to learn about wine.  The article includes suggestions on how to approach the huge subject and some recommended activities and reading.  Take advantage of the wine expertise at local wine shops like Ashe's Wines and Spirits (where the advice seems to always be good) or at any of the Knoxville area's long list of great wine and spirits stores.
• 
  Cheeses of the week -- like wine, cheese is a huge and complex topic, and both the variety and the prices can be a bit intimidating.  This article includes suggestions on how to get started on learning about great gourmet cheeses (and a little about being adventurous!).  Pair these with your wines at your wine of the week get-togethers!  Great cheeses are available locally in the upscale grocery stores, like Earth Fare and The Fresh Market, as well as at The Gourmet Market on Kingston Pike.  Sweetwater, TN, just south of Knoxville, even has it's own artisianal cheese-makers -- Sweetwater Valley Farms.
• 
  Something new from the restaurant menu or a new restaurant altogether -- it's easy to get stuck in a rut when you go to your favorite restaurants or even just going to only your favorite restaurants.  This article talks about getting out of your shell a little and trying new things from the menus of your favorite restaurants until you've tried just about everything.  You'll never know what you like until you try it.  Knoxville has an incredibly high per-capita restaurant density featuring thousands of great menu options.  Get out and take advantage!
• 
  Learn to cook! -- Why not take a cooking course, or do like I did and learn from the television?  This article gives you some tips on how to get started into becoming the great cook you surely can be.  Knoxville has some culinary-education avenues, and this article talks about them as well as suggesting that you just get some great (local if you can) ingredients and get cooking.
• 
  Spend more time with your friends and get better at things at the same time -- this article encourages you to take advantage of your friendships in a mutually healthy way.  This article talks about why you should set aside time for getting together with friends or family for regular cooking or eating parties.  The Southeast is known for get-togethers with family and friends, and this article suggests some great ways to tie this to fantastic gourmet foods and experiences.

Have other great food or drink related New Year's Resolution ideas?  Leave them in the comments!  I'd love to hear them!

For more great recipes and cooking ideas, follow the Knoxville Gourmet Food Examiner by subcribing at the top of the page. You can also read more on his personal cooking blog: The Untrained Gourmet.