A belated happy new year to all of you reading this. I don’t know about you, but I was more than happy to say goodbye to 2011 – it was not a stellar year. That being said, there were some good things (successful tomato season; getting involved with the Traditional Community Kitchen; finding Linus) amongst the bad (losing my job; my beloved cat Marina passed on December 28; the general bad economy). A new start is definitely welcome.
As I mentioned on my Facebook page, we ate Hoppin John – or at least a variant on it – on New Year’s Day. Hoppin John is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day, and is essentially rice and beans – black eyed peas and rice in most parts of the US. I mixed it up a bit by using red field peas and grits. The Sea Island Red Peas and Carolina Quick Grits were both from Anson Mills. I’d actually had them on hand for a long time, stored in the freezer, but they turned out great!
The red peas are smaller than black eyed peas, and have an earthier taste. Apparently it’s common to use these peas in Hoppin John in the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia. I loved the grits, which I soaked during the day in water and raw vinegar, were creamy and delicious, no doubt enhanced by the big knob of pasture butter I added at the end.
The photo above I took with my brand spankin’ new iPhone and the awesome Instagram app. I look forward to taking lots of pictures with this camera, so expect to see more pictures from that device (which has a fantastic little camera in it).
As far as looking forward into 2012, I have a number of things I’d like to accomplish. I strayed a bit this year with my eating and aim to get back to eating NT-style as the norm. I’d like to learn to make marmalade. Soak and dehydrate my nuts, something I’ve always been lax on. I’d also like to get back to planning out my meals in advance.
I want to eat or drink something fermented every day.
I also want to post here more often.
I have deeper goals, including honoring myself and my needs more often, standing up for myself, and limiting my exposure to the negative people and mindsets out there. Life is too short to be around people who don’t respect or value you.
Here’s to a beautiful, happy, and invigorating 2012!
I SO want an iphone and a huge part of it is that I HATE the camera on my phone, and have the last several phones I’ve had after being spoiled years ago with a Toshiba phone.
One of my goals for 2012, inspired in part by you and in part by wanting to stop feeling so addicted to unhealthy foods is to work on educating myself about NT ways with a goal of incorporating it in some small ways by the 2nd half of the year.
Here’s to a better 2012!
The iPhone is pretty nice – a serious tiny computer in a fun package. I love the Instagram app so much. I think you would love the iPhone.
I’m happy to know I have inspired you! It’s really a challenge getting away from the unhealthy foods, as the manufacturers of them make them so appealing to the tongue. Even if you know they are bad for you, it’s hard to resist sometimes. It could be wrapped up in nostalgia, or familiarity, or low blood sugar cravings. Baby steps are sometimes the only ones to take. I do find the 80/20 rule appealing – I think it’s realistic.
As far as getting more comfortable with NT, there are lots of ways. If you have questions, you can always send me a note about it and I’ll do my best to respond. Best way to start, though, is to just read the first section of NT and leave the recipes for another time. It’s a big book. The WAPF people in your area can also help.