More of, Less of...

I have been writing in my head for over a week now and finally get the chance to put it down on "paper." I know it will not be what I have been writing in my head, but close.

I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, and don't intend to start now. I have decided that this is a good time to try to implement some changes in my life. I have been thinking about things that I need to do more and less of and this is where it started. Since I am going to be here for a while, until somethings happen or don't, I need to work on being more of the person I am and not who I think others want me to be so here are a few things I am going to do to help that along:

1. Cook more at home. I actually really like to cook at home for the family. It is a chance to try out new ideas and recipes that seem interesting. I went to culinary school to learn how to be the best I could be in the restaurant business and just happened to find out that cooking is something I really enjoy, esp on a small scale. I am a big fan of the magazine and especially the website of Cook's Illustrated. When I am looking for a new food idea or just an old favorite this is my first, and usually last, stop. I would venture to say that 99% of everything I have ever tried from them was really good if not great. I would be that the other 1% would have been the same if I has actually followed the recipe a little closer. That is the chef part of me, I usually take a recipe, unless I am baking something, and use it as a reference or starting point. I am not afraid to improvise and give the recipe what I think it might need more or or less of, especially when I come to spicy (my wife doesn't have a high tolerance for Scoville units). One other source I trust for the most part is Alton Brown, although some of his stuff needs some serious tweaking. I really like both of these source because they each take the time to figure out the science of the food and tell you why they came to the conclusion. I appreciate that.

2. Exercise more. For a long time in my life I exercised and enjoyed it. When I was younger I was involved in numerous sports and never really thought of it as exercise. The older I got the less sports I played and the more beer I drank. I have never really felt like I was totally out of shape, but there have been times when I just needed to get out and do something, anything. I really enjoy being outside and especially working in my yard and garden or helping my Dad at his farm. It is not only a source of stress relief , but good exercise. I love feeling like I accomplished something good and also got some exercise. Last year I even joined the gym at work and had someone help me get a "program" program going with some weight lifting and lots of cardio. I was really getting into it and feeling like I was getting somewhere and then we got the call to move with the adoption, and that was the last time I set foot in the gym. No big deal. Well that was in April of last year and a lot has changed in my life since then and I have now officially felt like the beer and inactivity has caught up to me. I have been contemplating yoga for sometime now and so has the wife. I like the fact that you can get a great workout for the body and the mind. Jenn bought a cheap DVD and we are doing it together to see if this is something we might want to pursue a little more seriously. So far, so good.

3. I want to do more things that I want to do. This year Jenn is planning a great garden. It has been the joke around our house that Jenn is filled with great ideas and plans and I am the one who generally carries them out. Well this year we are going to garden together. She is getting it going and I will help with getting it in the ground and laid out. Should be a great experiment. We have had a small garden in the past few years and have already started to see what worked and what didn't. I figure we really don't have much to lose and a lot to gain from the whole project, seeds are relatively cheap and I have the time (for ow). I also want to try home brewing. I really enjoy a good micro brewed beer and have always been fascinated with the brewing process. One of My best friends from college was a brewer and quite a good one at that and he showed me alot about the process. I used to hang out the in the brew house at the brewery he worked at in Durango, CO (Steamworks) and just watch and ask questions. He always amazed me in the fact that he just learned it from doing it. He started out as a helper and keg filler and then moved his way up to head of brewing operations. He brewed beers that won Gold medals at the GABF. He created new beers by taking a recipe and making it his own. Good beer is just as complex as a good wine and can be matched with foods just like wine. Now unfortunately this is also a subject that I need to d a little less of. Beer drinking. I don't drink alot by any means, I am not 25 any more, thank goodness! I tend to have 2-3 beers a night, sometime a bit more if the mood strikes, but I don't get drunk or crazy. The biggest reason I need to cut back is financially. This stuff ain't cheap. So, I am going to cut back and see how it goes and then if I can save enough money by cutting back I might be able to just buy my own home brewing kit and then make my own beer saving even more money! It is a master plan that sounds great, but we shall see.

The list is short, but it is a good start. I would hate to put a whole bunch of things and then feel like it is too much to deal with, so smaller is better. I have already been working on all of the things and feel good about the changes. I am really feeling good about the cooking more at home because we have pretty much decided that all the food here in the this town sucks and we can make anything we want here at home and make it the way we want and even better!