In the paper today, there was a great article about food new year resolutions. The journalist interviewed chefs, food purveyors, bloggers, caterers and critics about their hopes for the upcoming year. I loved the ideas -- creating more " high impact, clean" food entrees for the menu, placing beehives on their Park City ranch, and visiting Sicily to connect their cooking to the deep roots of their geneology. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50948715-76/chef-eating-lake-salt.html.csp
It got me thinking about my own food resolutions, which made me excited because I love to eat! My husband and I cook nearly every single night at home and we enjoy the process. An engineer by day, Kevin cooks to release the pressures related to defense industry manufacturing. I like to cook because it is creative, it is satisfying and frankly, I get a kick out of it. Truth be told, I get a kick out of a lot of things. The resolution article jump-started an idea that has been swimming around in my heart and soul for a long time. Food strongly represents the idea to me and that is living abundantly.
This idea of abundance bubbles up as a theme for me over and over. I've decided that abundance is my life theme, my life credo. I'm not good at it all the time. But...some of the time, I can really make it work. My resolution for 2011 and beyond is to try to make abundance evident in the way that I live life most of the time. And well, I guess with this blog, you can see if I succeed.
So what does my new year resolution mean for the theme of this blog? I thought I could write about the things that make me happy, that are fulfilling and meaningful to me. The blog will help to keep me on track and focused on what's important. Ideas that come to mind:
- Food -- Yum!
- Gardening
- Travel
- Family
- Sports
- Learning
- Projects
- Work
- Challenges
- Growth
- News Commentary
- Construction
Anything that strikes my fancy. I hope you'll read every once and a while. I'll have fun sharing my adventures with you!
Good job Mom. But don't make me jealous by posting yummy foods too much! Love you
ReplyDeleteAndrea I love this! You did such a good job setting this up! I'm going to add you to my favorites so I can follow you and try all your yummy recipes. I hope you'll post your famous salsa recipe sometime.:) I received a subscription to "Clean Eating" mag for Christmas and my new year's goal is to branch out and try some new recipes that are still healthy and yummy. We'll see how it goes!! I'm excited to follow you on your blog!
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I am inspired by your inspiration and look forward to the results.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read more. I am copying & pasting my friend, Robin's facebook post about food. Sorry it is so long, but you will love it.
ReplyDeleteShe posts unbelievably good recipes on her facebook page as well.
Food as Nourishment: Beyond the Sum of Its Nutrientsby Robin Mann on Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 4:41pm
Having been raised by a French mother whose primary interest was cooking, I have been instilled with a love of great food. I can’t remember an event from my childhood, with family or friends, which was not centered on a meal. Bringing a group together was not an occasion to play games or watch TV or movies. The focus of every gathering was wonderful food – and lively conversation.
My mother loved to entertain. I remember her being asked to prepare and host – at the last minute – a dinner for a theatrical group that was in town. The organizer had forgotten to plan for an after theater dinner and reception – and he called my mother the morning of the show to see if she could bail him out. She delighted the crowd that evening with a superb gourmet dinner, served in our home. And the rest of the story? We had just moved into a new townhouse the day before!
Housekeeping was another story. We cleaned only when getting ready for company. Thankfully, since having people over occurred fairly regularly, we lived in an acceptably hygienic environment.
I did not learn to cook at my mother’s side. She did it all herself. As a newly married woman, who was the person in our household primarily responsible for putting meals on the table, I learned to cook over the phone! My husband never complained about the long-distance phone bill. He’d eaten at my mother’s table through most of the year we had dated. He never questioned the financial investment in my on-the-job training.
What I did learn while living in my mother’s household was that “it’s not bad” is not a recommendation. That good food – real food – made from quality ingredients, with care and skill, is worth the effort.
I cannot recall a single conversation with my mother, or around her table, about nutritional content. The freshness of the produce, the variety of textures and ingredients, as well as the range of dishes served spoke for themselves. What I learned – absolutely – is that real food nourishes. It indeed provides our bodies with the needed nutrients; but as importantly it nurtures our relationships with family and friends; a well prepared and thankfully received meal builds self worth and fosters a sense of well being; certain foods served regularly or for specific occasions establish family