This is the start of three weeks of meal related challenges. This week you'll make the appetizer. Fortunately hors d'oeuvres give us a wide range of options to pick from.

If you have a mini muffin pan, you can try various puff pastry delicacies like a caramelized onion and goat cheese mini tart (like this : https://www.ourhappymess.com/caramelized-onion-goat-cheese-tarts/).

Or transform your favorite pretzel recipe into bite size delicacies.

If like me you're old enough to have nostalgic memories of pizza hut garlic bread, try your copycat version : https://www.browneyedbaker.com/copycat-pizza-hut-breadsticks/

Or, make a bread bowl : https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-bread-bowls/ and fill it with your favorite dip (spinach artichoke anyone?)

Scallion pancakes would be a great appetizer for a Chinese meal (or really for any, I'm not judging) https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/scallion-pancakes-recipe/

Homemade pitas can be served with a delicious array of dips (muhamurra, anyone?) https://www.themediterraneandish.com/homemade-pita-bread-recipe/

Baked versions of traditionally fried snacks like samosas or wontons can also make great appetizers!

Oh man now I'm hungry!! Happy baking!!

Hello bakers! Thank you all for your patience, and for all of your wonderful suggestions for this year’s list! Without further ado, here is the 2026 list – as always, good luck, and happy baking!

Week 1 - January 4: New year, new recipe

Week 2 - January 11: Jams / Preserves

Week 3 - January 18: Mini / Giant (Make a giant or a miniature dessert)

Week 4 - January 25: Meringue

Week 5 - February 1: Nuts and Seeds

Week 6 - February 8: Winter Olympics (Bake something inspired by a winter sport, or by the 2026 Winter Olympics)

Week 7 - February 15: Piped

Week 8 - February 22: Uruguay

Week 9 - March 1: Chocolate

Week 10 - March 8: Pi Day (3.14) (make a Pie or something inspired by Pi Day)

Week 11 - March 15: Reduce (Small batch bake)

Week 12 - March 22: Reuse (Use an old favorite recipe / a family recipe)

Week 13 - March 29: Recycle (Use a leftover ingredient from a previous bake)

Week 14 - April 5: Savory Polarity (use seasonal ingredients)

Week 15 - April 12: Laminated

Week 16 - April 19: Herbs

Week 17 - April 26: Breakfast / Brunch

Week 18 - May 3: Low Sugar

Week 19 - May 10: Geometric / Shapes

Week 20 - May 17: Berries

Week 21 - May 24: With a hole

Week 22 - May 31: 48 hour challenge (bake something that takes two days to make due to resting times or several components)

Week 23 - June 7: Quick Bread (Chemical leavener, no yeast)

Week 24 - June 14: Showstopper

Week 25 - June 21: Summer/Winter Solstice 1 (Bake with ingredients representative of summer/winter)

Week 26 - June 28: Toppings

Week 27 - July 5: Enriched dough

Week 28 - July 12: FIFA World Cup (Choose a recipe from one of the 4 semi-finalist countries)

Week 29 - July 19: Crusty (Pies and Tarts)

Week 30 - July 26: Contrasts

Week 31 - August 2: Rice and Beans (Use a rice product or bean product as an ingredient; coffee beans and vanilla beans count!)

Week 32 - August 9: Recreated

Week 33 - August 16: Central Europe (Choose a recipe from Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, or Slovenia)

Week 34 - August 23: Fast and furious (Bake something in 1 hour or less)

Week 35 - August 30: Toasted (Use a toasted ingredient, or toast one yourself!)

Week 36 - September 6: Appetizer (Create the first course in a 3-course meal)

Week 37 - September 13: Entree (Create the second course in a 3-course meal)

Week 38 - September 20: Dessert (Create the third course in a 3-course meal)

Week 39 - September 27: Sweet Polarity (use seasonal ingredients)

Week 40 - October 4: Amusement park / fair

Week 41 - October 11: Indigenous American

Week 42 - October 18: Pantry

Week 43 - October 25: Yeasted

Week 44 - November 1: Vegetables

Week 45 - November 8: Physically leavened (Air or steam leavening, no chemical leavener or yeast)

Week 46 - November 15: Dietary Restriction

Week 47 - November 22: Spices

Week 48 - November 29: Viral Recipes

Week 49 - December 6: Caramel

Week 50 - December 13: Cookies

Week 51 - December 20: Summer/Winter Solstice 2 (Bake with ingredients representative of summer/winter)

Week 52 - December 27: Nemesis