January 1st, the first day of the new calendar year. It is a great time to evaluate where you are and make new goals. Make sure that you have both short and long term goals on the list, and don’t be afraid to edit them as needed. Life is a personal journey, and unfortunately we sometimes let other people decide what path we take. Me? I make goals, evaluate and update them on a regular basis, and keep trying to grow as a human.

The 2022 list will evolve just like those before it. Bake and cook as much as possible, try to remember to write the recipes down, craft like crazy, get the garden cleaned and planted in the spring, practice the contrabass clarinet more frequently, and eventually get all the cookbooks cataloged and listed. That last one would be easier if new (to me) cookbooks weren’t showing up in the mail now and then. I did achieve one of my 2021 projects of installing another bookcase and filling it with the stacks in the front room. Progress! It also helps to be able to poke fun at yourself now and then, and not take it seriously.

I wrapped up the first semester of the BA for an anthropology degree, and classes for the spring semester look to be very interesting. I will be doing an internship with the Central California Folklore Archives as one of the courses. The information that I was given about the project sounds very interesting, and I look forward to having a hands-on project.

Another project/goal on the horizon will be regular installments of the Adventurous Eating and mystery basket cooking. Some will be live and some uploaded onto YouTube, so watch the social feeds for updates. The first one next weekend will be full of new and different food/beverage items to try. I will only say that I know there is a durian pastry on the list for sure. The rest you’ll have to tune in to see. There are summer videos in planning for the Fresno County Library, and of course Worst Cooks In America Bingo.

The new season of Worst Cooks starts on a new night and with a new chef to try to beat Chef Anne. I think Cliff Crooks will have his hands full with the bootcamp rookies. This is a slightly different season in that some of the contestants know each other. At the end, there can be only one! It looks to be a frantic and hilarious good time, so make sure to print up bingo cards, grab a beverage and snack, and hang on for the ride! As in prior seasons, I’ll post new cards each week and add the prior week’s ones to the card archive for those that want to play the home game later.

I have a few other “goal” things to shoot for, so keep your fingers crossed for me. More info, pictures, directions, and other silliness will be posted as it becomes available.

Keep in mind that each day is a gift and a chance to try something new. Give yourself permission that things don’t have to be perfect. Stop and smell the roses, and enjoy something tasty along the way.

I must say that 2021 was a quirky year. The pandemic is still around, but the lockdowns in California went away as the vaccine became available. There were good things: I started back to school, made new friends in the culinary world, live concerts for the Wind Symphony of Clovis started up again (hence the need to practice more), I FINALLY won the baking sweepstakes at the Fresno Fair (I’ve been trying to get that for about ten years), and was able to get on stage with the irrepressible Alton Brown for a third time. I cannot express how amazingly fun it was, and seeing his wife, Elizabeth, play bass was a treat. Super couple, and I will keep watching to see if he is bringing the show to Fresno anytime soon.

Remember, life is too short for bad food.