A resolution completed at Grill on the Alley

Over the last few weeks, I finished Resolution No. 13 without really thinking about it. Though I like to cook at home - and I do often cook on weekends with my boyfriend - there are plenty of times when we find ourselves going out to eat spur of the moment. Since I found myself wanting to share with him lots of my favorite restaurants - like My Pizza, in Morgan Hill, or the 19th Hole, in Tres Pinos, it turns out it wasn't so hard after all. But it turns out we eat out enough that there has been a good mix of old and new.

A few weeks ago, after running a few miles at the track and running some errands, my boyfriend and I decided to check out the Campbell farmers market. I was on a hunt for Jerusalem artichokes (one of the new ingredients I cooked with for Resolution No. 12.) It was close to 2 p.m. and many of the vendors were closing down for the afternoon. We used the time to check out what types of vendors were there and I actually found the Jerusalem artichokes.

We had just a light breakfast so the smells of some of the food vendors, who were selling crepes, tacos and more, made my stomach growl. Since the vendors were in the process of shutting down, we decided to grab a bite at one of the restaurants. Downtown Campbell has a lot from which to choose. We decided to try out Sonoma Chicken Coop, since I'd never eaten there before. The restaurant is set up so that guests order off a menu at a cashier, choose a table and then pick up the meals. It has the atmosphere of a sit-down restaurant, but without the waiters or waitresses.

The restaurant shares a space with the Campbell Brewery and that side of the restaurant feels a lot like a sports bar. When we arrived at the restaurant on Sunday, the brunch menu was still in effect. It was great because I was able to order a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream while my boyfriend got a pesto chicken sandwich, mixing up the breakfast and lunch flavors. The chicken sandwich was my second choice, so I got to have a few bites of his sandwich, too. The waffle was good, but the whipped cream didn't taste like real whipped cream to me. The sandwich and french fries were tasty, however. If I went back, I would go for lunch or dinner.

Another Sunday afternoon, before I had to head home for the evening, my boyfriend and I decided to grab a quick bite to eat a little Taqueria near his house. I never even paid attention to the name of the place, but I drive passed it every time I visit him in Santa Clara. It is within walking distance of his house so it required only throwing on a pair of flip flops and we were ready for dinner out. The restaurant offers the typical taqueria offerings of burritos, tacos and quesadillas, but it also has dinner plates. He was able to get two tacos - one with carne asada and one of al pastor - and I was able to get a enchilada combination plate.

We sat outside on the patio since the weather was warm and snacked on the help-yourself-chips-and-salsa bar that is in the center of the restaurant. There are only a few seats inside, but while we were there a few people were eating inside and out. The rice was tasty as were the refried beans. The corn tortillas of the enchiladas were soft and I had enough left over to take home for lunch the next day. It was a nice two-for-one meal.

From a low-budget taqueria, I finished off my resolution at an upscale restaurant in downtown San Jose. When I signed up for memberships at the Tech Museum a few months ago, one of the perks was a coupon from the Convention and Visitor's Bureau to save $10 at each of 18 downtown restaurants. The coupon expires in August, so my boyfriend and I had plans to hit as many of these restaurants as we can - although I'd be happy if we skipped Scott's Seafood since I don't eat any fish.

So when I had a free Thursday evening this week, I decided to drive up to San Jose to meet the boyfriend for dinner. I suggested Grill on the Alley since it is one of the coupon restaurants and it has great happy hour specials. Grill on the Alley is an upscale bar and steakhouse. Most of the people in the restaurant looked like well-off young professionals. But even if they weren't the happy hour specials are set at a price to let people play the part.

While regular mixed drinks - like the blue and black mojito I had - are $13, during happy hour there are a few martinis set at $6 and well drinks are $5. A handful of beers are available on tap for $5. The best thing, however, is that they have food specials that beat the bar food I've had at any restaurant. The food specials range from $3, $5 or $6 for small plates such as onion rings, spinach and artichoke dip, or loaded mac and cheese, which we chose. There are also some meat and fish offerings for $10 and burgers for $8-9. I ordered a filet medallion that was served with a roquefort sauce and mushrooms. He ordered a lamb chop with a mint sauce and mint mashed potatoes. The amount of food turned out to be just right. We split the mac and cheese, and the filet was just the right size for me. I even tried a bit of his lamb chop, a food I've never eaten before. The loaded mac and cheese came with bacon and mushrooms mixed into the creamy sauce. The top had a bread crumb and Parmesan crust that gave it the perfect crunch.

I would definitely be back at Grill on the Alley - probably for Happy Hour, since the regular dinner menu prices are upwards of $30-40 per entree. Plus the drinks are great, if I have a designated driver with me.

This probably won't be the end of my eating out at new restaurants for this year, so I'll be sure to continue with the updates.

Photos by Melissa Flores

A filet medallion is served with roquefort sauce and mushrooms.

A lamb chop is served with mint mashed potatoes.

Loaded mac and cheese has bacon and mushrooms mixed into it.

A breakfast item from north of the border

After eating a whole pile of sweets - Valentine's day chocolates, cupcakes, homemade banana bread, lemon bars and slices of lemon tart - not to mention eating out twice in one day last weekend - I thought it might be a good idea to find some healthy recipes for the week.

I spent some time on the Food Network under the "heart healthy" link and found quite a few dinners that seemed appealing. But I also found one breakfast option that seemed perfect for a light morning meal and also offered a chance to try out another ingredient. The recipe, from Ellie Krieger, was for healthy breakfast sandwiches and the ingredient is Canadian bacon. Sure it's not really an exotic ingredient, but it is one I haven't used before so it counts toward Resolution No. 12. In fact, I rarely cook bacon at all unless you count tossing some bacon bits on a meal.

I don't really like the smell of bacon frying and the need to get rid of all the grease that is leftover after cooking it. But Canadian bacon offers a lighter option without all the messy clean up.

So Sunday morning I put the recipe to the test after my boyfriend and I went for a three-mile run in Campbell (despite the temptation to stop at a place called Psycho Donuts that is right down the black from the track.) The recipe is basically a healthy take on egg McMuffins. It called for one whole egg and one white egg per serving - I even used brown eggs that my boyfriend's mom gave us when we visited a couple weeks ago from her chickens (those eggs also went into some of the lemon desserts.) To give the eggs lots of flavor, I finely chopped fresh parsley, chives and basil, mixing the herbs into the eggs. I cooked the mixture in an omelet pan and then folded it over into quarters to fit on a toasted double fiber English muffin (Orowheat actually makes great double fiber wheat bread and muffins.)

To cook the Canadian bacon, all I had to do was add a little cooking spray to the pan and brown it up over medium heat. It was way easier than using regular bacon and I actually liked the way it added just enough saltiness to the meal. From there, the egg and Canadian bacon was topped with a slice of tomato.

I thought it tasted great and it was filling even after a long workout. My boyfriend liked it, too, though he admitted that the few ways he thought to improve the dish (like adding cheese) would only make it unhealthy. In the future, I might compromise and add a little Parmesan cheese in with the egg mixture.

Photo by MelissaFlores

Healthy breakfast sandwiches include an herb omelet, Canadian bacon and tomato on a whole wheat muffin.

Hot stuff - trying out a new ingredient

In between all the eating out, I have been cooking at home but I haven't devoted much time to those five new ingredients (Resolution No.12) I want to try this year.

I actually bought a bag of sunchokes at the beginning of the year, but I didn't get to cooking it that week and by the time I got to them they just didn't look that appealing anymore. Sunchokes are not much like artichokes, but more of a root vegetable. The recipe I had for them also called for saffron, which turns out to be about $20 for a couple strands so if I see them in a grocery store I might buy the sunchokes but find a different recipe.

The one new ingredient I have cooked with so far this year is one that is quite familiar, but one that I usually avoid. Last month, when I was on a healthy cooking quick I decided to make some chicken and vegetable fajitas. The key to the recipe was to marinate the chicken and vegetables for a few hours with a strong mix of ingredients. The marinade included a mix of green onions, cilantro, spices and jalapeno. Now usually when a recipe calls for jalapenos, I just leave them out because the pepper is a little too hot for my palate. But this time since I was cooking for a couple people who like dishes that are a lot spicier, I decided to put in a little bit of it. After roasting the pepper over the flame on the gas burner, letting it sit in a plastic bag for a few minutes and peeling off the skin, I tossed in about one and a half peppers into the blender with the other ingredients. Perhaps it was the mix of other items, including honey and chicken broth, but the marinade had the slight flavor of the jalapeno without all the heat. Of course, I didn't actually use any of the seeds from the pepper.

For the same meal, I made a side dish of chile-cheese rice. The rice called for chunks of poblano peppers. I bought the largest peppers available in my grocery store, a couple of light green Anaheim chiles. Since I cooked a dish at a different kitchen than my own, I had to improvise on getting the skins off the without a gas flame. Instead I cooked the peppers in the oven for a few minutes, then slipped them into a plastic bag. When I pulled them out, the skin slipped off easily on one side of the pepper, but it wouldn't come off on the side that was face down on the cookie sheet in the oven. It seems it needs to get a little cooked on both sides so I had to put it back in the oven for a little more time.

The Anaheim chiles were mild enough for me and they packed in a lot of flavor into the rice dish. It was a perfect compliment to the chicken and vegetable fajitas. Since these ingredients are so similar, I'll count the jalapeno and Anaheim chiles as one so I've got four more to go before the end of the year.

Photos by MELISSA FLORES

Chicken fajitas with guacamole sauce and chile-cheese rice.

Another year, another round of resolutions

Until last year, I was never one for resolutions. But when I sent out a bunch of goals for myself last year - mostly ones that would be fun to complete - it was kind of cool to have something to work for all year outside of work stuff.

So this year, I wanted to set out to complete another batch of resolutions. Some of them are the ones I didn't get to last year, such as learning to make gnocchi or cleaning out the garage. Others are ones that I completed successfully last year, but that I'd like to try again such as cooking with new ingredients and eating out at new restaurants. It was a nice touch to get me to try new things, since I tend to be a creature of habit. The first part of the list are new things I'd like to do this year, and I am sure I will continue to add to it in the next few weeks. But for now here is the list as I start out with 2011.

1.) Take pilates.

This one should be easy enough to complete since my company's Christmas bonus to us is a membership to a yoga/pilates studio where I can take one class a week for a year. Plus, the instructor of a boot camp class I take at my gym, who happens to work at the pilates studio, is offering me a free session of pilates. I'm hoping to add pilates in as a regular part of my workout routine.

2.) Work up to a five-mile run.

I successfully completed a 5K run last year and went on to run in two more throughout the year. I love the challenge of trying to beat my time each time and I would eventually like to work up to a 10K. But for now, I will try to get past the 4-mile mark, which is the furthest distance I've ever run at one time.

3.) Plant a new type of vegetable in my garden.

I don't really have the greenest thumb, but I'd like to try growing something in addition to tomatoes and basil. I'm not sure what I'll put in, but when spring comes around I will check out what kind of transplants are available at local stores.

4.) Take a day trip to San Francisco.
I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, but I rarely make it up to San Francisco. There are things I've never done there, such as visiting Alcatraz Island or seeing the museums in Golden Gate Park so this year I'll make a point to get up to the city more often.


5.) Learn to make gnocchi from scratch.

This is a resolution left over from last year and hopefully I will complete it this year - as soon as my aunt is free to teach me how to make the potato gnocchi that is the family recipe. I'd also like to learn to make a basil potato gnocchi my cousin made for the holidays.

6.) Watch all the Academy Award best picture winners.

I didn't make any progress on this one because I was too busy watch old TV shows on DVD and Netflix instant play. I vow to start watching some of the best pictures this year - before another one is added to the list with the 2010 Academy Awards.

7.) Clean out the garage.
I didn't work on this because, well, cleaning out the garage is just not an attractive chore. But I would still like to make some progress on getting rid of some of the things in my parent's garage this year and de-clutter the house a little bit.

8.) Write a short story.
I wrote a few things that could count as short stories, but nothing really felt complete to me. I'd like to continue to write some fiction stories since it's something I really enjoyed when I was younger.

9.) Scan old photos of family and friends.
We have storage bins full of photos in my house and I'd like to scan them - not necessarily to post on Facebook. It just seems like a good idea to scan some of the old photos before the quality degrades anymore and it would make it easier to share them with people.

10.) Read 10 new books.
I finished off this resolution easily last year, but I did enjoy reading a lot of different things in 2010. I actually read two more books after completing the resolution. This year, I'd like to make a point to read some lighter fare since a lot of what I read last year seemed to be pretty serious and dark. Perhaps I'll try out some New York Times bestsellers.

11.) Take a class.
Last year I took a cupcake decorating class. This year I'd like to take something else, though I am not sure what. I might check out other cooking classes offered through the local community college or Sur La Table, which offers classes on the weekends.

12.) Cook with five new ingredients.
This resolution last year helped me discover a few things I really like, such as roasted root vegetables, and some things I really disliked, such as quinoa. But all in all, it was a great chance to try some new things and I'd like to do it again. I haven't identified what new ingredients I want to use, but I am sure I'll be able to find five things I haven't used before since I am such a picky eater.

13.) Eat at five new restaurants.
I really liked trying out new places last year and found some restaurants I really liked - though some are far-flung in Indiana or San Diego. I did find some new places nearby that I liked and I am hoping to visit a few new places in 2011.

14.) Keep up the gym routines.
I did really well with keeping up my gym routine -which included running, weight training and other exercise machines five or six days a week, yoga three times a week and walking the dog in the morning every day of the week. I even signed up for a boot camp class at my gym that meets twice a week and pretty much kicks my butt. For the last two months, I know I've gotten a little lax with my workouts because of the holidays, a prolonged cold and spending time with someone, so now that the holidays and the cold are gone, I'd like to refocus on the routine.

A year in the making - 19 resolutions set and 15 squared away

There are a couple years left of the year, but the truth is I know I won't complete any of the resolutions that aren't already done. And the great thing about a new year is that it offers 356 new days to tackle the items that are left and to add some new ones.

When I started this list of resolutions early this year I wanted to force myself out of my comfort zone a little bit as well as get back to some things I really enjoy, but for which I don't always make the time. The list was also sort of a back up plan in a ways because the one thing I really wanted last year was to get a fellowship to study at Stanford, which I knew was a long shot. I thought the list would be a way to distract myself if the fellowship didn't come through, which it didn't.

I finished a lot of the resolutions, such as eating at five new restaurants and cooking with five new ingredients, early on in the year. Others took a lot longer to accomplish, like going on a date. Still others have yet to come to fruition - like clean out the garage. For the resolutions I didn't complete, I'll carry them over to next year. And there are some I did complete that I'd like to keep as a reminder to try new things next year. In the next few weeks. I'll spend some time thinking about new things I might want to add to the list, just to keep things fresh next year. Look for an updated list soon after the New Year.

For now, here is a recap of how things went so far in 2010:

1.) Read 10 new books
I actually just finished an 11th book a couple days ago - an early work by the author of "Bridget Jones Diary," "Cause Celeb" just wasn't quite as endearing as the later works to come.

Some of the books were by authors I know well, such as Nick Hornby. Others were by people I'd heard of, but never read before such as Chuck Palahniuk. I found that I have a habit of picking books on the serious side, so maybe next year a resolution will be to find a little lighter reading through the year.

Other reads included:
Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang
Lullabye by Chuck Palahniuk
Click by multiple authors
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Passing for Thin by Francine Kuffel
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
A Version of the Truth by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

2.) Eat at five new restaurants - I ate at more than five new restaurants this year and I am proud of myself for getting out of the regular routines of going to the same, old restaurants. The list is longer than what I have below, and includes some places I tried while on vacation in San Diego as well as a great breakfast place in San Jose called Bill's Cafe that has eggs Benedict served up in unique ways. This is a resolution I'd like to carry over into next year, especially since I still haven't gone to the fancy Los Gatos restaurant that inspired the resolution in the first place.

Rosy's at the Beach -Morgan Hill
Pluto's - Santana Row
Village Bistro - Santana Row
Lizarran Tapas Selectas - Gilroy
Knife and Fork Cafe - Hollister
The Mucky Duck - Monterey
Brickhouse Burger Company - Indianapolis - okay, this place has a pretzel bun for their burgers - enough said.
Champp's - Indianapolis
Kona Jack's - Indianapolis
Aqui - Campbell
Satura Cakes - Campbell

3.) Make homemade ravioli
The homemade ravioli should have been simple - had the pasta maker I have at home not been broken. Pasta is not meant to be rolled out by hand with a rolling pin so my ravioli were a little bit thicker and tougher than they should have been. But they still tasted good, especially with the homemade sauce.

5.) Take a trip somewhere (other than Indiana)
Now I thought this resolution was going to be complete in May, when I booked a flight to Denver and made plans to stay with someone I knew there. But it didn't work out and I ended up cancelling that part of the trip. I did, however, make two trips to Indiana two months in a row. The first was to surprise a good friend at her bridal shower/bachelorette party. She was surprised when I showed up at her house in a rental car. It was a whirlwind trip, where I flew in on a redeye and back out early the next morning, without any time to sleep. It was exhausting, but worth it to be with my friend and the rest of the wedding party. I flew back for the wedding and it was worth it.

Now for my trip somewhere other than Indiana, I spent a few days in San Diego to see my cousin graduate from marine boot camp. The extra time was spent visiting the San Diego Zoo and scoping out Old Town San Diego. One of the great finds on the trip was some artisan olive oil and vinegars from Temecula Olive Oil Company. In fact, the stuff is so good, we hardly want to use it because we have such a limited supply. It can be ordered online, so I might have to order some more.

6.) Cook recipes with five ingredients I haven't used before
Hoisin sauce - This tangy sauce is perfect with chicken, though a friend of mine argued that it doesn't really count as an ingredient. I think it did.
Swiss chard - This vegetable can be sauteed and served alone, or added into pasta dishes. It has plenty of healthy ingredients, though I prefer the regular chard to rainbow chard, because the latter tastes a bit bitter to me.
Quinoa - This seed has is a complete protein, but it was something I couldn't stomach. I am not sure if it was just the way I prepared it or if I had a bad batch. Whatever it is, the experience turned my stomach and now just seeing photos of quinoa makes me queasy.
Celery root - This root vegetable is perfect roasted in the oven with a little bit of olive oil. It was one of several new root vegetables I tried this year, and it's about time to cook some up again.
Golden beets - Until shit year, I had never cooked beets at home. For people who have only had canned beets, the fresh variety roasted in the oven is an epiphany. The vegetables and sweet and complex, and so worth the time of making them oneself.

8.) Write a short story - I actually wrote a few things, though I am not sure if they are complete yet so I don't really know whether to call this one done. I plan to continue working on this pieces of started and try to find time to start some new ones.

9.) Go on a date - I actually end up going on more than one date, with more than one person, in addition to a few kinda, sort of date situations. But at least last month, I went out with someone when I knew for sure it was a date and had a good time.

10.) Apply for a fellowship - I applied for the Knight Fellowship early in the year, and was disappointed when I got the news early in February that I had not made it past the first round of the application process. It's one of those things I could apply for again, but part of me feels like I was applying because I felt really stuck where I was and I didn't know what else to do. I'd love an opportunity like this in the future, but for next year I'm happy with where I am with the paper for which I work.

11.) Quit farmville - I had to give it up cold turkey - though I still received requests from family and friends for quite sometime. No more FB games for me. I can't do it.

12.) Take a class - I took a cupcake decorating class and I wasn't very good at it. I don't think I will be decorating many cupcakes, and in fact, except for the plethora of baking around the holidays, I don't really like to bake all that much. I will be using one of the tips I got, however, of using an offset spatula when I bake a cake for Christmas. Hopefully I can get the cake to look decent since I have a bad history with them not turning out quite like I'd like them to.

I'd like to keep this resolution again for next year, even if it is just a cooking class.

14.) Keep up the gym routines - I've been to the gym once in the last week - due to a cold that morphed into a sinus infection - but I am proud to report that since January, with the exception of this week, I have been an avid gym-goer with a record of five to six trips a week. I run everyday I go, I weight train, I ride the bike and I use the elliptical. At the end of August, I even started taking a boot camp class twice a week and it really seemed to add intensity to my workout. When I first started, I would be sore for days after class, from the squats and lunges and crunches, but it all started to get a lot easier and I started to see the difference in myself.

It helps that I have family who go with me a few times a week to keep me motivated from skipping all the time. And I love having a nike sensor that tracks my mileage for me so I know how far I've gone - since July I've run or walked more than 300 miles! I feel healthier, less stressed out at work and just feel better overall. It's a resolution I definitely plan to continue over to next year.

15.) Decide on what kind of car I want - My parents bought a car and I got their old car so I didn't really have to decide what I wanted. It worked out pretty well for me.

16.) Enter (and complete) a 5K run/walk
I entered my first 5K in March and was glad just not to be the last one in. My time was a mediocre 41+ minutes. But I kept running at the gym and entered another 5K in May, and one in October. For my last 5K, I came in just over 34 minutes, a vast improvement from my original time. Now, with the exception of the last week or so when I've been pretty sick, I run 1.5 miles five days a week and tackle a longer 3.5 mile run once a week. It's something I hope to continue to do, with the goal of whittle my time down a little for each 5K I enter.

18.) Have tulips or lilies in my garden
I missed the winter planting time for tulips last year, but I did buy some transplants when they were available at a local hardware store in early spring. This year, I am hoping to get some bulbs in the ground early in the year in hopes that they might bloom on their own in spring. I haven't had much luck with bulbs in the past, but I can always try.

19.) Make homemade pasta sauce (entirely from scratch)
This resolution turned out to be a lot of work. With my mom's help, I roasted a bunch of tomatoes, only to get about 1/2 a cup of tomato sauce to use in the pasta sauce. It was tasty, but required a lot of work, especially since a glass pan exploded in the oven with the first batch of tomatoes, which then had to be thrown out.

To be continued next year:
4.) Learn my aunt's gnocchi recipe - My aunt has promised to show me the recipe early next year, so hopefully this will be in the bag soon enough. On the other hand, I did learn to make spinach gnocchi, which was a tasty and pretty easy meal to prepare.

7.) Watch all the Academy Award best picture winners - With this one, the truth is I was just watching too many movies in the theater and too many TV shows on DVD at home. I watched the complete series of Criminal Minds, the Gilmore Girls and Joan of Arcadia so that took up a lot of time. I rented "Hurt Locker" with someone once, but we didn't actually watch it so this is still one to work on next year, preferably before a new best picture is added to the list.

13.) Scan old photos of family and friends - I never got around to this one, but I'd still like to work on it for next year. I did print out some digital photos for my family, however, since my aunt wanted to know how to get "normal" pictures.

17.) Clean out the garage - My mom did some work on the garage on days when I wasn't home, but this one needs to get done but always ends up a last priority. So next year, I'll keep this on the list.

Resolutions No. 4 and 9 collide - gnocchi and a dinner date

When I started my resolutions last year, I thought some of them would be harder to complete than others. I thought making gnocchi (resolution No. 4) with my aunt would be easy enough. I told her I wanted to learn the recipe about six months ago and I mentioned it when I saw her for family gatherings throughout the year. But as the holidays rolled around, she has been busy with work and when she made gnocchi for a cousin who was home from marine boot camp, I happened to be out of town that day so I couldn't help. But she's promised to show me the recipe in January so I'll still get around to it.

But I did make gnocchi this year even though it wasn't my family's traditional gnocchi recipe. And strangely enough the gnocchi-making was tied to another resolution. I made a resolution to go on one date this year (No. 9.) And this is one of the resolutions I thought would be hardest to complete since it required someone else to make it happen.

I had a couple "was it or wasn't it a date" experiences earlier in the year and though my coworker insists that if the guy pays, its' a date, I didn't agree. The whole dating thing just seemed like a lot of work most of the year as I asked my friends to set me up on blind dates and tried other ways to meet people.

I needed something clear cut to clear the resolution. So when my sister's girlfriend asked if she could set me up on a blind date I agreed. I met the guy for coffee, and since it was a short 30 min. meeting at Starbucks, it didn't really feel like a date. But we followed up with dinner, so I figured that must count as a date. The thing is, when dinner was over after an hour, I was ready to go.

But a few weeks later, I made plans with another guy. We had lunch together, and when lunch was over, I wasn't ready to go. We walked around Santana Row. And when we'd walked around there for a while, he asked if I wanted to rent a movie and hang out some more. And I found I did want to spend more time with him. And after I left, I knew wanted to make plans with him again.

So a couple weeks later when he offered to make me dinner, I knew it was a date. And I really knew it was a date when I arrived and he was preparing to make homemade spinach gnocchi instead of pasta from a box with a jar of sauce (which is what I expected.) If he was trying to impress me, it worked. He did most of the work, though I offered to help. The gnocchi recipe is not much like the one my family makes which uses potatoes since it used spinach, parmesan cheese, flour and eggs to make the gnocchi. The only thing that was similar was the shape of the dumplings. I had a hand in putting in a few of the ingredients into the gnocchi mixture and I helped roll them into dumplings, though he did most of the work. I brought garlic bread and a bottle of my favorite wine. The recipes are definitely ones I would use again and it was nice to share a meal with someone else on what was clearly a date.

A few more resolutions complete

When it came to making my list of New Year's resolutions back in January, I didn't put a lot of thought into them. I just listed off some random things I wanted to do this year - and thought making it public might help keep the pressure on to actually do them.

As I wrote yesterday, some of these resolutions have been a little bit harder than others - like the date thing.

Since it is nearing the end of August - with really only four months left to complete the list of 19 items I made for myself - I thought it was time to check back in and see what I have left to accomplish. I have to admit, I didn't spend too much time thinking about these resolutions during the summer. There was just so much else to do - graduation parties, baby showers, weddings, watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of "The Gilmore Girls."

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have completed 8 of my 19 resolutions and that one of them is kind of obsolete now. One of those resolutions had been to decide what kind of car I wanted to buy, but since I sort of took over driving my mom's Saturn when she bought a new used Saturn I didn't really decide anything. Still, I think it should count as complete.

I also quit Farmville months ago. I was torn because so many of my relatives and friends were playing it - so for weeks I would still log on to send supplies and gifts to all the people I knew who were playing it. The game was never fun. I mean, it consists of clicking on squares to "sow, seed and harvest" plants. It's much more exciting to pick real vegetables in my backyard. Finally I realized I just had to give it up cold turkey. It has been months since I've started up the Facebook game and I no longer feel bad for ignoring all those requests I get from other people. It was just too much of a time suck. Now when I see all those please for help, I just ignore them.

I also feel like I should be able to claim No. 14 on the list - keep up the gym routines. Since January, I've been going to the gym an average of six days a week. I run about 10 miles a week. I've completed two 5Ks and have plans to do another one next month. I even signed up for a boot camp class at my gym that has been kicking my butt twice a week and have a gift certificate for one-on-one sessions with the same trainer. Though it's not the end of the year quite yet, I feel confident that I will continue with my rigorous routine. The benefits of it have been too great to ignore - sleeping better, getting down to the same size I was when I was 23, not feeling super stressed at work and having visible muscle mass - so the routines came with a lot of motivation.

I've read a couple books I haven't reported on yet and I am nearly complete with another one. The sad thing is I have only really enjoyed a couple of the books I've read and a lot of them just haven't been that interesting. More on this resolution when the next book is complete.

Some of the other resolutions haven't really gone quite as well. I have yet to watch any of the Academy Award best picture winners - aside from ones I've watched in the past. I guess I just got too wrapped up in getting "The Gilmore Girls" from Netflix, and a few other TV series, so I haven't put much effort into it. As soon as I finish with "The Gilmore Girls" and perhaps the last season of "Criminal Minds," I promise to add a few movies to the queue.

I have not learned the family recipe for gnocchi though I made it known to my aunt that I want her to make them with me. I am sure it will happen before the end of the year. I also have not made ravioli from scratch or pasta sauce from scratch. The goal was to use tomatoes from my garden to make the sauce and then make the raviolis. Unfortunately, of the two roma tomato plants I put in the ground, one died of and the other has just now begun to produce ripe tomatoes. The weather has just been off so much this year we only have cherry tomatoes in abundance and those wouldn't really work well for sauce I have in mind. I still haven't decided exactly what I will do about the sauce since even tomatoes at the farmers markets haven't been that good this year.


But I still have four more months to make some progress so here's to hoping I can finish up the last 11 resolutions.

Navigating the world of (not) dating

When I made a list of 19 New Year's Resolutions, I'm not sure exactly what prompted me to go on one date on the list. The truth is I've never really dated much. I generally hang out with guys as friends, have crushes from a distance and on rare occasions it turns into more.

So perhaps this resolution was influenced by the three weddings I had to attend this year or all the unsolicited advice I've been getting about dating in the last few years. Mostly I think it was just an opportunity to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone, like a lot of my other resolutions.

But this resolution has been a little harder to complete than any of the eight I've crossed off the list. It seems like a simple enough resolution, one date, but it really hasn't been. I have to admit that I am not the most social person. I spend a lot of time at work and a lot of time at the gym and a lot of time at movie theaters, so I probably don't open myself up to many opportunities to meet people. But I swear, I have been making an effort.

First, I started telling friends about my resolution in hopes they might set me up on a blind date. All of them seemed to think it was a good idea, but most of them said the only guys they know who are single are jerks. So that avenue hasn't been very fruitful.

Early in the year I created a profile on okcupid.com, a website a friend recommended since he knew someone who met a girlfriend on the site. It's basically the same as any other dating site - except its free and the creators maintain an interesting blog that mines data from the site.

The free thing seemed like a plus to me since I would have to shell out $30 or more a month for a dating site that probably wouldn't work. But as it turns out, the free site is also a bastion of men who are in the middle of a career change, figuring out what to study in school or taking a break (all those things translate to unemployed.) I haven't had much luck on the site, whether it be because of my photos, my master's degree or my reporter's salary, but I have gotten a few laughs out of it.

I got a message from one guy who in the first correspondence asked if I wanted to be friends with benefits. A quick look at his profile revealed he was unemployed, living with his parents and unattractive. So yeah, it was easy to pass on that one. There was also a guy who e-mailed me multiple times in between each message I sent him, and within the first week of communicating with me told me about his very ill mother. I had images of him being frantic to get married so dear old mom could be there for the wedding. His over eagerness was just too much for me.

There was one guy I actually considered meeting in person - he was funny over e-mail, well-educated and cute in his picture, even though his listed height was a bit on the short side for me. We actually got to the point of talking about getting together. I mentioned we could see a movie together - so I could get a resolution and a movie column out of the way at the same time, even if the date was a bust. He said it would be fun and he was available in a couple weeks. And then when I wrote him back to confirm a date, he went silent. There was no response back - ever. Guess he changed his mind.


Personally, I haven't been a fan of my online interactions so last month I decided to try something different. I saw a posting from Solis Winery on Facebook about an "It's Just Lunch" singles event. It was only $15 and it was in Gilroy so I wouldn't have to drive far on a weeknight. The cover included wine tasting, appetizers and a chance to meet new people. I figured I would go and check it out. My one hesitation was that I worried it might be just a long pitch for the "It's Just Lunch" dating service, which sets up busy professionals on lunch dates.


When I arrived at Solis Winery, it wasn't a long pitch at all. It was a strange crowd, however. When I walked into the tasting room, most of the people there were at least 20 years older than I am. Some of the women came across as very much on the prowl. And with some of the others, I could see why they were single. One talked about how many dating services she has joined through the years and another talked about her divorce - 13 years ago. Really didn't seem like first meeting topics to me, but what do I know as I can't even get one date.


I was getting ready to make an early exit when two guys who looked more around my age walked in. I noticed them because they seemed so out of place. They were both kinda cute, but I probably would never have walked up to them on my own. One of the guys came over to the group of women I was talking with and introduced himself. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get to know him better - but one of the women would not stop talking. Basically no one else could get a word in. I was again thinking about making an exit again. But then the group I was stuck in decided to buy a bottle of wine and take the conversation outside. I thought it might be a chance to get to know the only guys there around my age a little bit.


Unfortunately, I had consumed only a little wine so all the other women, who were still drinking, were a lot more talkative and flirtatious than I was. They were, perhaps, also a little charmed by the fact that they had the younger guys at their table. I talked a bit, but didn't add much to the conversation. I did, however, find out that the two guys, who were friends did not really belong. They had been invited to the event by a friend who worked for "It's Just Lunch" who wanted to increase the male-to-female ratio.


At the end of the night, the one guy asked to exchange business cards with me for a potential story for my newspaper. The other guy exchanged numbers with all the women at the table, programmed the numbers in and then called so we would all have his number, too. A week after the event, I texted him and asked if he wanted to hang out some time. He said sure. We exchanged a couple more texts - and then he went silent. I guess I could have followed up with him again, or suggested a specific date, but I think I read too much of the book "He's Just Not That Into You" because he seemed clear to me he wasn't that into me. And maybe that's one of my problems with dating - I just don't want to waste too much time on people who aren't interested in me.


And as it turns out, the hard sell for "It's Just Lunch" came a couple weeks later when the cute guy's friend called me five days in a row when I was busy at work to talk about my interest in a membership. Seems the woman who barely talked to me at Solis except to mark me off as present had told the sales girl I was "really interested" in learning more about the membership. I finally called the woman back and said I might be up to more pay-as-you-go events, but the special $200 off membership just wasn't for me. And three days later she called me again to say she remembered we had a conversation, but couldn't remember exactly what we talked about. I reminded her that, no, I did not want to join. Solis and "It's Just Lunch" paired up for another event last week, but I skipped it.


As it turns out, I am beginning to think this might be the one resolution I don't resolve this year. And to be honest, that's just fine by me, since all this not even really dating stuff is kind of a roller coaster ride in itself. I'd rather just stick to having a crush from afar, say on the cute guy I see a couple times a week at the gym. I don't know his name. I don't know what he does for a living. But he smiles at me and says hi when I see him.

The definition of a date

So a friend of a friend writes this blog "50dates50countries" where she is chronicling her ambition of going on 50 dates total with men from 50 different countries. She plays a little fast and loose with her definition of a date - after all one of her posts was about meeting a guy randomly at a bookstore and having coffee after and then getting stuck with the bill. I would never have classified the perchance meeting with someone I wasn't really interested in as a date, but she did. Reading her blog, which is updated sporadically, has made me rethink some of my past encounters and whether or not they might have been dates.

Like the time a guy from work invited me to dinner and a concert for some band I'd never heard of before. I can't remember exactly why I agreed to go because I didn't really like him, but I just assumed it wasn't a date because I wasn't really interested in it being a date.

And there was the time when I guy I knew casually from the gym invited me to see a movie after work one day and when I declined because I had to catch the train home, he offered to drive me home if I would go to the movie. It was an hour drive round trip. It was some depressing Scottish film, certainly not a good date movie. But after the movie, he asked if I wanted to grab something to eat and then proceeded to walk to my favorite restaurant in downtown San Jose, which I had casually mentioned a few weeks before. I'm pretty sure it was a date, even though a few years later he denied it.

Or there was the time in grad school when I invited the guy I liked to a movie screening with me and we made reservations at my favorite Italian restaurant beforehand. The fact that he showed up in a coffee-stained shirt and paid just for his share of the meal made me certain it was not a date.

I don't really know what my definition of a date is, but I guess if no one in the equation utters the word I assume it's not a date. A friend insists it's a date if the guy pays. A coworker said if afterwards you are still not sure if it was a date, it was probably a date, though I am not quite sure on the reasoning of that.

I hung out with someone I like in a date-like situation recently, but the jury is still out on whether it was actually a date. Good conversation, check. Plenty of eye contact and laughing, check. Him picking up the tab even though I offered to split it, check. But I don't really know what he thought of the whole thing so I am going to hold off on saying I've completed New Year's Resolution No. 9 to go on one date this year. I am hoping that instead I will be able to report that I've been on two or more dates with the same person.

And if it turns out not to have been a date, I've got someone who asked if he could set me up a blind date. At least then I will know for sure it is a date.

Resolution quarterly report

It's been just about three months since I made my list of 19 resolutions. I've added four to the completed list (cook with five new ingredients; enter and complete a 5K; have tulips or lilies in my garden and apply for a fellowship.) The 5K was fun and I can't wait to do another one. The tulips were short lived, but I have the bulbs drying outside with hopes that I will be able to plant them for next year. I cooked with five different ingredients with Swiss chard being on of the best of the bunch and quinoa being the worst. And I got the news about a month ago that I didn't get the fellowship, but at least I tried.

As for the rest of the resolutions, I have started on some of them, such as eating at five new restaurants this year. I tried Rosy's at the Beach, Pluto's and Village Bistro, so I just have two more to go. I've also read three books, including Alice Munro's "Too Much Happiness," Audrey Niffenegger's "Her Fearful Symmetry," and Nick Hornby's "Juliet, Naked." I've got a few other books on the to-read list, including one by an author I met last week, Tim Z. Hernandez.

For some resolutions, I've started to lay the groundwork. Two weekends ago, I planted basil and a variety of tomatoes that will be used this summer to make my homemade pasta sauce. Unfortunately, a recent storm may have hurt the young transplants so I may need to replace them this weekend. I am determined to use as many of my homegrown tomatoes in the sauce as I can.

I have also booked a flight to somewhere other than Indianapolis for a short vacation. I will be stopping in Denver for a few days on my way home Indianapolis and it costs the same as flying straight home. Some people have asked me why Denver and all I can say is maple bacon cupcakes. Or at least that is the reason a friend told me to go there. Also, I know someone who lives there who has offered me a place to crash and to be my tour guide for a few days.

And with some of the resolutions, I have to admit, I haven't started at all. I keep meaning to add a few Oscar best picture winners to the netflix queue, but I'm on a "Criminal Minds" kick and trying to catch up on all the old episodes. I'm still on season one. I have also not started working on a short story since spending most of my week reporting and writing (and blogging) makes me not really want to write in my spare time. I've got some ideas kicking around in my mind, but just need to find the time.

I just keep reminding myself I still have nine months to go, plenty of time to finish the other 15 resolutions.

Pluto's - good food, bad design

Okay, I really don't hang out at Santana Row all that often, but I found myself there again last weekend after a shopping trip to Valley Fair, which is right across Steven's Creek Boulevard. Since my mom and I had to be in San Jose anyway, we figured we'd grab lunch and a movie at Santana row.

It seemed a good chance to continue on with Resolution No. 2 and try another new restaurant. The restaurant I really wanted to try was the gourmet burger place, The Counter. But instead, keeping in line with my healthy eating kick, I opted for Pluto's a few storefronts down. As it turns out, Pluto's is one of the more affordable options at Santana Row (aside from perhaps Subway) and the food is quiet tasty. They offer large salads with all the fixings, sandwiches and sides. I opted for a green salad with my choice of dressing and toppings. You can pick up to seven, plus a meat. I went with tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, eggs, croutons, grilled chicken and corn.

The only problem with Pluto's is the system set up for ordering. The best way to describe it is a really busy college dining hall, where every one queues up and waits for their turn to go through the line and select what items they want - only it's really noisy and hard to hear what the servers are saying and there is not a whole lot of space as three or four servers try to help three or four customers at a time. When I was waiting in line, I got a dirty look from the guy behind me for not hearing the server call for the next person. Apparently he was really anxious to get his salad.

The servers basically toss up the lettuce, toppings and dressing in a big metal bowl and then dump it onto a plate. It turned out to be pretty heavy for a salad. Once I had it, my mom was still in line for a turkey sandwich - the line hadn't moved yet. So I stood holding my very heavy salad while I waited in line. There were a lot of people waiting in a small space for their sandwiches and sides before they moved on to pay.

The only plus of the whole, weird ordering process was that a lot of the tables were empty because so many people were still waiting for their food. I decided to grab a table - and put down the huge salad while my mom waited for her sandwich.

Once we got the food, it was quite tasty. Unlike other salad bars, the veggies were cooked a little so the broccoli wasn't as tough as it can be raw and the mushrooms were sauteed up nicely. The turkey sandwich used freshly carved turkey - we know because the bird was sitting on a counter under a heat lamp. For a large salad, a sandwich, a side of onion rings and two drinks, it was $20, which anyone who has eaten at Santana Row knows is comparably cheap. I definitely would eat at Pluto's again - and next time I'll listen more closely for the server to call on the next customer in line.

Swiss chard hits the spot

After my bad experience with quinoa a few weeks ago, I thought the best way to move on with Resolution No. 6 was to pick out some new ingredient to make up for it.

I've been craving a nice, hearty pasta dish, but I've also been on kind of a healthy eating kick so I thought I would look through a low-fat pasta cookbook I have. Before you diss it, two of my favorite dishes are from this cookbook. I love the baked ziti recipe which uses tomato sauce and nonfat milk instead of a bechamel sauce as well as a pesto made with basil, garlic, chicken broth and cream cheese and just a touch of olive oil.

This week I chose an orecchiette pasta dish that mixes sundried tomatoes, bell peppers and the ingredient I've never used before, Swiss chard. It was easy enough to find Swiss chard in the grocery store, unlike the kohlrabi I tired to use a few weeks ago. It is a big leafy green vegetable with a thick stem up the middle. For this meal, we cut out the stem/vein from the middle, then thinly chopped the rest of it. The chard was added to a saute pan with the tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic. It wilts down like spinach so a lot was needed to fill out the dish. But on the plus, a cup of Swiss chard has only 7 calories so eat up.

The meal was filling and the chard had a somewhat peppery taste to it. It is definitely a vegetable I will try to incorporate into more meals.

Photo by Melissa Flores
Swiss chard is cooked up in a pasta dish that mixes bell peppers, sundried tomatoes and chicken.

The root of the problem - Resolution No. 6

This morning when I sat down to work on a shopping list for the week's menus (after a nice trip to the gym and yoga - Resolution No. 14), I thought I would start to tackle some of Resolution No. 6.

I chatted with a friend the other day who gave me some suggestions for ingredients he thought I should use. Of course, some of them were clearly just meant to poke fun at my picky eating habits - like black squid ink, which I will never eat willingly. He also nixed my idea to use saffron or other herbs and seasonings as ingredients. He said they didn't count.

But there were a few items he mentioned that were already on my tentative list, such as quinoa.

I found a quinoa recipe I will use later this week, but a lazy Sunday afternoon seemed like the perfect time to roast up some root vegetables I've never tried before. The first on my list was kohlrabi, but unfortunately I couldn't find it anywhere in my grocery store. Perhaps it was listed under another name - like how fennel is sometimes called anise. I realized that using some out of the ordinary ingredients may require a little bit of shopping around.

Luckily, Nob Hill had all the other root vegetables I wanted. The medley included veggies I've used plenty of times such as onions, carrots, parsnips and turnips. The ones I haven't cooked before included celery root and beets, red and golden. I've eaten beets plenty of times, but usually just out of a can on top of a salad.

Despite some time spent washing and peeling the vegetables, the prep time was pretty quick. I bought a mandolin slicer before the holidays and it worked out well to slice up the round vegetables into 1/4" thick slices. The vegetables were tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, with sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage thrown on top.

The vegetables were served with a pot roast. The celery root has a slight celery flavor and came out of the oven with a smooth texture. The red beets had an earthy flavor and the golden beets were sweet.

One ingredient down, four to go. So far this resolution has been tasty.

Photo by Melissa Flores

Roasted root vegetables include carrots, parsnips, red and golden beets, onion and celery root.

The resolve continues to evolve

I've already got some feedback from some friends about my list of resolutions for 2010. I have a must-try restaurant added to my list (resolution #2,) though I'm told the going rate is $95 a person so maybe I can combine my resolution of going on a date (resolution #9) with that one and get someone else to pay for it. The same friend who suggested the very expensive Los Gatos restaurant (it's Los Gatos, of course it's expensive) also wants to suggest some new ingredients (resolution #6) for me to use in 2010. I am sure he just wants to drink me into eating seafood or something spicy, which has been a goal for about the last decade.

The only resolution I have actually gotten started on is No. 10 since the application for the fellowship for which I would like to apply is due Feb. 1. I wrote out rough drafts of two of the required essays and have coworkers reading them offer for advice. It's one of the benefits of working with a bunch of writers and journalist - they all have a critical eye and good grammar.

Though I did spend a lot of time ruminating about my list of resolutions before I posted it over the weekend, there are a few things I meant to add to the list that slipped my mind. So here is an addendum to the original listing.

16.) Enter (and complete) a 5K run/walk

Okay so some of my friends have lofty goals of running marathons, but I'd like to keep my goal a little bit more realistic since I am never going to have the time or motivation to train for something like that.

I've been volunteering for the last couple of years at a summer 5K walk/run and this year I think I'd like to participate in it rather than sitting on the sidelines. I used to run two miles a day back when I worked at San Jose State (and was in my early 20s) and this goal will help keep me motivated at the gym.

17.) Clean out the garage

My family moved into our house going on three years now...there are still boxes packed up in the garage from when we moved in. I am pretty sure at least 75 percent of the items in the garage (with the exception of Christmas decorations, photo albums and the extra refrigerator) can probably go straight to charity or the dumps. It's time to get this cleaned up.

18.) Have tulips or lilies in my garden

The best thing about the house I moved into three years ago is the eight hours of sunlight in the backyard for the vegetable garden. I've had basil and tomatoes that have thrived, but every time I plant flowers nothing much seems to happen.

For the last three years I have tried to plant tulips and/or lilies in the garden. I chilled the bulbs, planted them in winter and waited for spring each year. And waited and waited and waited. This year, I will have tulips and lilies in my garden, even if I have to buy transplants from the garden center.

19.) Make homemade pasta sauce (entirely from scratch)

Speaking of the home-grown tomatoes, this year I would really like to make homemade tomato sauce entirely from scratch. I wanted to do it last season, but our tomato crop was less abundant than usual due to the cold spring weather. And then it was really hot and I couldn't see putting the oven on for hours to roast tomatoes for the sauce. But perhaps I can come up with a way to roast the tomatoes on an outdoor grill to keep the heat out of the house. I already have plans to plant some Roma tomatoes, the perfect variety for a pasta sauce.

I am sure the list of resolutions will continue to evolve, and once again, advice and suggestions are welcome.

With great resolve

In this week's edition of the Weekend Pinnacle, we reviewed the happenings of San Benito County in 2009. My co-worker went through our online archive month by month to pick out the top stories of the year - and based on his news judgement there were a lot of them. A review of the year revealed a lot of budget cuts, a lot of furloughs and a lot of unemployment. But it also revealed some progress, such as the opening of the Hwy. 25 bypass, which has been a decade in the making, the first condors nesting in San Benito in 70 years and plenty of people who are doing good deeds.

On a personal level, 2009 had its rough spots, but I'd like to look at things with a glass half full attitude. I took a pay cut, but I still have a job in the news industry, something that seems to be more and more rare. I was healthy all year except for a little cold and allergies, as were most of my friends and family. Work got really hard when people were laid off, but I learned new skills and was able to adapt. All in all, I had a decent year.

Now that 2010 is started, I thought it was time to think about what I want from the next year. I don't usually make resolutions, but I was inspired by a blog I discovered a couple months ago where a woman posted her own bucket list and writes about accomplishing the items. Most of the things on her list are things that would never make my list, but it got me thinking about how to change things up in my life a little. So here is my list of things I'd like to do in 2009 - or at least start on. Feel free to offer input and anyone who wants to help is welcome to.

1.) Read at least 10 books

This might seem like an easy one since I am an avid reader, but I have a bad habit of reading "The New Yorker" cover to cover. It's not like reading "People" magazine, with all the pictures and such. I have a stack of "New Yorkers" on my nightstand about a foot deep and they keep piling up every time I take a break to read something else.

But I do enjoy reading a book once in a while - and I have a box full from Christmas, my birthday last July and possibly from the Christmas before that I'd like to tackle this year.

2.) Eat at five new restaurants

I am a creature of habit, and a picky eater, so when I do eat out I almost always go with the same, old stuff I know. My favorite restaurants tend to be hole-in-the-wall places in Hollister and Gilroy, or chain restaurants I know well.

So this year, I'd like to try a few new places and get out of my comfort zone - though that doesn't mean I will be trying any fish dishes or anything else too exotic. Anyone with restaurant suggestions around the Bay Area, please let me know and friends are welcome to dine out with me.

3.) Make homemade ravioli

I made egg pasta from scratch for the first time two years ago when I took a cooking class. I was surprised at how easy it was, but I've never tackled anything more than fettuccine or spaghetti. I bought my sister a pasta maker for her birthday last year and it has been used once. I'd like to put it to use more often and come up with a tasty ravioli filling sometime this year.

4.) Learn my aunt's gnocchi recipe

For anyone who doesn't know, gnocchi are a kind of Italian potato dumplings. My aunt and her daughter are the only ones in the family who know the recipe so I think it's time someone else learned, to carry on the family tradition.

5.) Take a trip somewhere other than Indiana
No offense to my very good friend from the Midwest, but the only vacation I've taken in the last two years has been to visit Indianapolis for some face time with her. I have another trip planned for May when she gets married, but I'd like to get out of town and somewhere else.

I'm not thinking a long tour of Europe or anything, even just a weekend trip out of town would be nice.

6.) Cook recipes with five ingredients I haven't used before

For the weekly food column I write, I am always trying out new recipes and last summer I challenged myself to find meals that used some of the ingredients at a local farmers' market. That's how I discovered leeks, fennel and bok choy, all delicious vegetables. I'd like to expand the family favorites with a few new ingredients.

7.) Watch all the Academy Award best picture winners

I've probably seen about a quarter of the movies already, including most of the winners for the last decade but I'd like to see some of the older films, too.

This is probably one goal I will not be able to achieve in one year, given there are more than 80 movies on the list.

8.) Write a short story

I've been kicking around the idea of writing a novel for a couple years now, but with work responsibilities I just never have to time to get down in word the ideas that are in my head. I thought a good way to kick start it might be to try writing a short story first and see where things go from there.

9.) Go on a date

This also might seem like an easy one but I'm not sure I've been on a real bonafide date in years. When I mentioned to my friends I hadn't dated in a while and I'd like to start I got two responses - the first was that they'd love to fix me up with someone but all the single men they know are single for a reason and the second was that they'd tried online dating and I should, too, because they met a lot of...interesting people. I'm not quite sure how I'll tackle this one, but perhaps I will ask my friends for some more advice.

10.) Apply for a fellowship

I've got a journalism fellowship already selected - the application is due Feb. 1. I printed the application requirements in October. Now to actually start working on it. My actually getting accepted to the fellowship program might be a long shot, but as my coworker keeps reminding me I really have nothing to lose.

11.) Quit farmville

I only started playing farmville because a couple of my friends were playing it. I nearly stopped playing it a while ago when I realized my farm was so big it was taking me 20 minutes to harvest, plow and plant my fields every time I logged in. But then a bunch more friends signed on and I felt kind of bad if I quite I would be helping them along with their farms. Perhaps I could just scale back on the times a week I log into farmville and slowly wean myself off it.

12.) Take a class

I don't really have a class in mind, but I'd like to use a class as a way to learn something new. I always look at the community classes offered at Gavilan College, but never actually since up for them. And there are weekend cooking classes offered through sources such as Sur La Table.

13.) Scan old photos of family and friends

I've got photo albums from college and high school, as well as the old family photos that are just sitting in the garage. I'd like to start scanning them and burning them onto cds where we will have copies in case anything ever happens to the albums. It would also be great to share the photos of family with my younger cousins who haven't seen them.

14.) Keep up the gym routine

I was going to the gym regularly for nearly a year when I got a little overwhelmed with work and honestly was just a bit too tired to get up and go. But I've gotten back to the gym for the last six weeks with a commitment of going four days a week. It means getting up at 6:30 a.m. on weekends and earlier on the weekdays I go. But it means I feel less stressed out at work, I eat better and I feel better so its worth it.

15.) Decide on what kind of car I want

I have plans to get a new care in 2010, but I am torn about what I want. I once said I would never get an SUV, but I really kind of like the Honda CR-V. The idealist in my thinks I should get a hybrid, but those are all expensive. In the end, I'll probably just buy whatever is the most affordable and gets decent gas mileage.

So here are a few things to start off the New Year. I may add more as time goes on, and I will certainly post updates on how things are going, especially when I complete one of the goals. As I said before, input, advice and dinner company are welcome.