Progress on New Year Resolutions

So far my New Years resolutions are moving along nicely.

~I bought a month-long gym membership for $30 from Anytime Fitness through Group-on, just to test it out and see if I like it. I'm going there the first time on Monday.

~I just signed up to volunteer for an hour this week, and 3 hours next Wednesday, so there are my 4 minimum hours of volunteering for January. Plus I get to watch a movie in theaters for free, so it is saving me money, too.

~I went to the mall yesterday, and only used $2 beyond the gift cards I had from Christmas. That is pretty impressive to me, that I left with a bag full of kitchen swag, and only spent $2. Good job saving money!

So far, winning this year. I also had an awesome day at work, so that's pretty cool. It's an unofficial resolution is to do an exceedingly good job at work, but that isn't something new at all. I should always strive to exceed expectations at work.

A photo that I took in New Mexico, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

Resolution

I normally don't make New Year's resolutions, but now that I'm not in school, I actually have some time and mind to prioritize my own betterment.

Anyway, so I have a couple general goals, with some ideas of how to achieve those.

1) Get more physically fit

~Exercise regularly, likely by joining a gym and going at least 3 times a week

~Get some upper arm strength

~Push myself, even when I'm tired and all I want to do is lay down.

2) Get out more

~Volunteer at least 4 hours a month

~Have a social event at least once a week.

~Keep my house clean so I don't feel embarrassed to invite friends over.

3) Be responsible

~Keep my little obligations, even my little obligations to myself

~Save money! Don't drink at bars, don't buy dessert, stay in and cook!

~Make doctor/dentist/vet appointments promptly, instead of procrastinating like I normally do.

New Mexico

The reason I was delayed in a Holiday Post was because I went on vacation! Hurrah!

My mother and I road-tripped to New Mexico, Land of Enchantment.

It's a pretty nice state. It has a dry beauty, much like a person who spent their whole life working outside is beautiful. We were there in wintertime, but you can see color through the sepia brown of everywhere. I liked the landscape. The wildlife, while we mostly saw birds, was pretty cool. We saw so many sandhill cranes, and a roadrunner!

I also like the culture. I got the impression that the locals where the kind of crazy like Minnesotans are crazy. Not so much pride in and appreciation of the state as it is spite, because who else could survive there? Why do Minnesotans tough out -40 degree weather, or New Mexicans suffer through 120 degree weather? Because they can and they're not going to give in!

I also appreciate the prevalence of the Native American cultures in day-to-day life. While Minnesota has adopted some of the indigenous culture into mainstream, like wild rice and landmarks, New Mexico took it to a whole other level. The architectural style of the pueblos is extremely common in all sorts of buildings, and traditions such as a 4 day long Christmas celebration, or silver and turquoise jewelry are everyday sights.

We had a wonderful trip, and I'm glad we decided to explore the New Mexican corner of the US.

It's the Holiday Season

For most people, the holidays are pretty much over. I didn't have the opportunity to make a holiday post though, so now will have to do, while Kwanzaa and Hanukkah and New Years are still relevant.

I always say "Happy Holidays." A lot of Christian people don't like that. I am not Christian, so I really don't care that some people think I should put the "Christ in Christmas," or remember the "reason for the season" (although, really, the reason for the season is the tilt of the earth's axis causing the northern hemisphere to be at the farthest point away from the sun. Ergo, I think celebrating the winter solstice is most appropriate).

But I still celebrate Christmas. I like to celebrate the social reasons for a winter holiday: having a reason to gather with friends and family when the bitter chill of winter makes you want to be anti-social and never leave your bed; SAD prevention; the chance to eat really rich, heavy food at the best time of year to do so; being forced to acknowledge your appreciation and love for the people in your life at the time of year when you are probably crabby from the weather.

So, I celebrate with everyone, regardless of their celebration, or reasons for celebrating it. Why bicker about the details when we are all celebrating goodwill and peace? Will the card you receive in the mail be less meaningful if it's from a Mormon? Will the chocolate taste any less delicious if the chocolate-gifter is Jewish? Is the return to the daily grind after a long weekend any less painful for the atheist?

We're all children of the world, with stress and struggle. Why not wish each other well, even if we believe different things?

Cherry Blossoms, an original recipe.

So, I've been trying to be more creative in my cooking by inventing something different yet recreatable. Result? Unique Christmas cookies. My best idea (at least according to my super sweet tooth) is cherry blossoms.

For 2 dozen,
1/2c butter
3/4c sugar
1t vanilla extract
1 egg
1T cherry juice (from a jar of maraschino cherries)
1c flour
1/4t salt
1/4c cocoa
2 dozen maraschino cherries

Cream butter and sugar, with mix wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (except cherries). Add butter mix.
Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls, and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
When you remove them from oven, push 1 cherry into each cookie.

Enjoy. A lot.

My Creepy Basement

In the duplex where I live, I have only been to the basement twice. The first day I moved in to see what it was like, and earlier this week to see if I could store my bike in there for the winter.

The first time I went there, I couldn't find a light switch, so I brought a flashlight and used the light from the one window. It was creepy enough that I only walked about 5 feet into the basement before I left because I didn't really care to see the rest.

This time, I knew where the light switch was, so I turned it on, and climbed down the narrow, rickety stairs, instantly realizing that my bike would never fit down them. But, I decided to check out more of the basement. It's actually kind of cool, for the most part. The walls are stone and mortar and the floor is gravel. The furnace, water heater, washtub, etc split the basement in half, but there is a big empty space on the other side of those.

I was walking in the empty room, avoiding cobwebs, when I noticed another door. The light from the bulb didn't reach past the door at all. I started toward it, when I noticed a single, withered, white rose above the door frame. I decided I should leave. Quickly.

How creepy is that? I am really curious what is in there. Could be a fancy wine cellar, with hundred year old bottles of wine. Or a root cellar, with some ancient potatoes. Or it's a tomb, with a dead body! It's probably just an empty closet area, but I am not going down there alone, in any case.

Why am I such a good cook? Spinach Quiche Recipe

I amaze myself sometimes. My experiments do not always turn out. In fact, most people would probably not like it as much as I do, but tonight was a winner.

Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

~1 9inch pie crust

~4 eggs

~3/4 cup heavy cream (alternatives could be half and half, cottage cheese, cream cheese, etc)

~2 cups fresh spinach, torn

~1/2 onion, chopped

~2 cloves garlic, chopped

~A spot of oil to saute onion, garlic, spinach

~1 t garlic salt

~1 t pepper

~1 t paprika

~1 t nutmeg

~1 c feta

~1 c shredded Parmesan

Directions

1) Pre-bake pie crust (generously poke lots of holes in the crust, bake at 450 f for 10 minutes, allow to cool)

2) Saute onion and garlic. Add spinach until wilted. Remove from heat, allow to cool

3) Mix eggs, cream, spices in a bowl. Add spinach mixture and cheese.

4) Stir into pre-baked crust. Foil the edges to prevent the crust from burning

5) Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Very easy. I don't know how authentic to a typical recipe this quiche is, but it is tasty!