New Year's Resolutions

My new year’s resolutions are a little different this year.  Before, I was focused on graduation or losing weight, but I feel like I’ve got a handle on those things.  This year, it’s all about making my life balanced in ways that graduate school seemed to strip me of, but that I miss terribly. So without further explanation, here we go.

1.  Hike with dogs.

2.  Sleep in tents.  In all four seasons.

3.  Downhill ski.

4.  Exercise until it becomes a habit.

5.  Track food until it becomes a habit.

6.  Identify and focus on what’s important to me.  I suppose this demands I get serious about identifying my goals, figuring out what it will take to achieve them, planning and scheduling steps to get from point A to B, and not just depending on the universe to bring success to my doorstep.  In other words, live purposefully!

7.  Reconnect with friends.

8.  Date.  If anyone would like to volunteer to date me, I’m wide open here.

9.  Travel.  My ultimate travel goal this year would be a trip to South America in December to climb a mountain.  We’ll see.  I imagine money will be more of the issue rather than lack of interest or ability to make time.  See #6.

10. Read for pleasure.  At this point, I’d settle on a comic book.

Now, because this is supposed to be a food blog, I thought I'd give at least 10 cooking goals I have for the year.

1.  Popovers

2.  Corn tortillas.

3.  Home-brewed beer.

4.  Southeast asian foods.

5.  Home.  Made.  Pizza. 

6.  Curry!

7.  Gourmet/specialty desserts.  I have found a couple of really interesting sweets shops and bakeries in my travels and I'd like to try making some interesting things I have found in them. Think fig and walnut "fruit cake" or curry cashew brittle.

8.  vanilla extract and infused oils.  I want to make my own from ingredients out of my own garden.  With any hope, I WILL have a garden this year.

9.  Speaking of which, a kitchen garden that includes some exotic spice plants.  Fresh curry leaves, anyone?

10.  Overcome the obstacle that my sister's kitchen presents and actually cook.