The 2006 Resolution List

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone had a fabulous evening on New Year's, and you spent it exactly how you wanted to, and that the long weekend has been unprofitably spent. I know mine was!

So, I was pressed New Year's Day for my resolutions. I'll admit that I hadn't given it a ton of thought when asked, and threw out about six things, at which time I was told that I had choose two, because I'll never keep all of them. There is truth to that. Which is why I've never really done formal New Year's resolutions. However, I do have several sort of broad goals, though, that I'd like to work through this year.

THE LIST
1. Vary my exercise more by starting to swim again and getting outside more.
2. Get my meal planning in hand
3. Get my career under control
4. Revise the novel

Of course, what my list should look like is:
1. Continue to hone self-taught bartending skills
2. Get the cushion on the couch in front of the TV just right

Because it seems that those are the two things I spend way too much time on right now.

However, because I'm blogging without much of a point, I thought I would go ahead and give you a couple of recipes that I made on New Year's Eve. For the martini recipes I used Absolut vodka simply because I like the flavor better, but feel free to use whatever you like best.

Orange Martini
2 shots orange vodka
1 shot Cointreau
1 shot Rosa's Lime Juice

Combine in a martini shaker with ice and shake well till combined. Pour into glass and garish with maraschino cherry.

Key Lime Martini
2 shots vanilla vodka
1 shot Rosa's Lime Juice
1 shot half and half (either regular or fat free is fine)

Combine in a martini shaker with ice and shake well. The cream will curdle a little bit, but the shake smooths it out, so don't be alarmed. Pour into glass. If you're foward thinking, garnish with a lime rind.

Vietnamese Stir-Fry (roughly based on the Washington Post recipe from 12/29/05)
3 Tbs. dried lemon peel
1/3 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp. chili pepper or hot pepper flakes (or less or more to taste)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
2 Tbs. peanut oil
2 pork tenderloin chops sliced thinly
1/4 cup brown sugar
Sesame seeds
Chopped mint for garnish
1 package flat rice noodles

Combine lemon peel, fish sauce, chili pepper, and garlic and set aside. Now, the original recipe called for fresh lemon grass, which I could not find, so I should have added extra liquid to this mixture before adding it to the meat stir fry.

Sprinkle the brown sugar on the pork and turn to coat it. Heat the peanut oil in the frying pan. When hot, add the shallots and cook until the scent releases, and then add the pork. Saute the pork until cooked through, add the sauce and toss to combine.

Cook the noodles as instructed on the package, and toss the pork and sauce with the noodles, and garnish with the mint and sesame seeds.

Eat immediately. Serves three or four really polite people who have been eating appetizers and drinking for several hours and is totally delicious.