Why I Gave Up on New Year's Resolutions

We've all made them:
"I will lose weight."
"I will be organized."
"I will be a better, kinder, gentler person."
"I will be more thrifty."
And on and on and on it goes, ad infinitum, of things we will do, should do, and have the best intentions of doing and never do. I'm breaking up with you NYE resolution. It's not you, it's me. The minute I promise myself I'm going to do something to improve my life, the self-destruct sequence starts counting down in my head. I self-sabotage, avoid, procrastinate, and ignore the promises I made to myself.

Not this year! Because I refuse to fall prey to the resolutions ploys of "it will be different this time," and "I'm a changed person."  Lies, all of them.  This year, I have projects.  They have deadlines, but they are relatively relaxed, and if I don't complete something within the timeline, it's ok. I can't use them as excuses to beat upon myself because they have absolutely nothing to do with my health, my finances, or my attitude (well, sort of).  They're fun. They're satisfying. And I have chosen my projects because they will feed me in ways that I know I am lacking.  I am not feeding my little feathered thing that perches in my soul very well, and it has turned evil and is plotting revolutions and mutinies on my well-being. It also has a potty-mouth when it comes to my self-confidence. I am rising up and cramming art and writing and creating down it's crabby little beak.

My first project involves all of them and it is a project in itself. And it's this. My blog. I have another blog, Eatie Gourmet that I was faithful to for a while and then it fell by the wayside. Then, I created one specifically for a particular NYE resolution and it had one post on it. ONE. So, obviously, you can see how that went. This project is to just commit to one blog, and write about everything in this one blog. So, your going to see the progression of some of my other projects within this blog (how meta).  It's also designed to keep me honest, and keep me going on the rest of my endeavors.  There will be a little bit of everything here: art, food, writing, personal journey, and libraryland stuff. So, if one of those things doesn't interest you, just skip it. Note that I presume that there will be people that will want to read this blog. How vain of me. It matters not. What matters is I have a place to put down my thoughts and feelings, my frustrations, my triumphs and failures, and hope that somewhere, somehow along the way I learn something. And if you want to follow along in my journey, because face it, humans are naturally voyeuristic, then do so. I promise you will at least find a couple worthwhile recipes in the flotsam and jetsam.

So, my other two major projects are:
1. Each month, I choose an artist, and by the end of the month I have to have at least created one piece that is inspired by that artist. Be it technique, medium, subject matter, or outright emulation, it will correspond to the artist in some way.  I will probably do research about the artist, because it's what I do, and for my own guidelines I'm insisting that the final piece be larger than 8x12. I am notorious for working small, and need to expand my size and get out of my habit of tight, precise art that I end up overworking or hating. My friend Pamela is doing a similar project, in fact, it was her idea, so credit where credit is due.  It's a brilliant idea.

2. I have an unnatural addiction to amateur cookbooks. You know the ones I'm talking about - the St. James Lutheran Church, the Ladies Garden Society, the Lutheran Women's Aid Society, the First Baptist Koffee Klatch.  So, I want to start cooking my way through some of the cookbooks I own and collect the best of the best.  I also would love to try and find some of the ladies that might have contributed to these cookbooks. When I read their recipes, I can't help but think about their lives. Were they Depression babies? Were they children of Depression babies? Did they survive multiple wars? The Dust Bowl?  The Farm Crisis?  Why did they choose this recipe above all the others?  Did they think it was the best tasting? The easiest? Or were there fond memories attached to this recipe?  In the process, I want to collect recipes from my Facebook friends and make a FB Friend cookbook that everyone can receive digitally.  But I'm going to ask for the stories behind them. Food is a powerful memory trigger for many of us, and I want to dig deep in that phenomenon, and have a cookbook that I can treasure and pass down to nephews and nieces someday.

So here's to keeping me honest.  And my projects.  And burning all those love letters that Resolution sent me.

Foodie Friday: Allspice Culinarium

Photo by Holly McQueen - Des Moines Register

If you're ever in the Des Moines area, I urge you to make Allspice Culinarium one of your stops.  But don't expect to just spend a few minutes in this spice emporium.  I'd slot at least an hour.  Because you'll get lost in the massive array of spices, rubs, and kits.  And then you'll discover the olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bar, and lose another hour.


Allspice Culinarium offers over 350 spices that you can smell, sample and buy in multiple sizes.  They also do a very brisk business over the internet (thank goodness!) in case you can't get to their shop. But believe me, it is absolutely worth the trip.  In fact, Des Moines is worth a trip for the food alone.  It is a little known culinary gem of the Midwest.  I'm sure you'll see more blog posts about DSM restaurants, bars, and shops in the future. 

But let's return to the warm cayenne-colored interior of Allspice.  It is a cook's dream come true. Stacks and bags and boxes of spices arranged in aisles alphabetically in each aisle.  Cinnamon? Korintje, or Saigon?  Peppercorns? Pink, Black, Multi, Green, Smoked, Tellicherry?  Salt? Black Truffle, Fleur de Sel, or Lime Fresco (I highly recommend this one)? The list goes on and on, until it is a nearly overwhelming wall of tastes and smells. 

And then you round the corner, and see great silver urns, lined in ranks upon high white counters.  Filled with nothing but oils and vinegars.  You fall to your knees as if you were Columbus and had found the spice route to Asia after all.  You are overcome as you dip crusty sourdough bread into small cups filled with brilliant green Frantoio olive oil, or black and pungent 18-year balsamic vinegar.  Then you try the basil olive oil, or the red apple balsamic vinegar, or the Persian Lime olive oil and the Blackberry Ginger balsamic. On and on, until your head whirls in a Mediterranean muddle of the foodie high.  And then you proceed to fill a basket with harissa and Moroccan rub and oils and vinegars and Schezuan pepper and are prepared to take out a second mortgage to pay for your excesses whilst drunk on olive oil. But you don't have to.

Because that's the best thing about Allspice Culinarium.  It is affordable, it is accessible, it allows anyone who enjoys spices and flavors and delicious living, to do so without breaking the bank. And if you don't know what to do with all the spices you've just indulged in, there are delicious recipes on their website. And if you don't live near Des Moines, order from their online store. There is no excuse not to try some new spices or oils.   It's one of the best food discoveries I have had in Iowa...so far.

I'm having a love affair with Allspice. Don't tell.