One week in.

It was a beautiful day for a ride, so I met a longtime friend at a halfway point, the Book Barn in Niantic.

Miraculously, we each managed to go away without anything new other than items we exchanged.  One of my gifts was a jar of bit congee, because I'd gotten a packet of it at a local farmstand and the recent cold and rainy weather seemed a good time to simmer things.

 

I used a quart of vegetable broth, a can of cocoanut milk, and a quart of water.  The end result looks unimpressive but tastes quite good - and made over a half gallon.  Hence the jar given to my friend.  I forgot to take a picture of the result; it's not very photogenic.  However, it is quite delicious.

Last night I made a recipe from To the Queen's Taste as a way to use up the last portion of a pound of ground lamb from the local farm.  I usually just do lamburgers but felt like eating something else.

Given that I had about a third of a pound of meat, I reduced quantities accordingly.

Broth with turnips and carrots added, because.

 

Meat with chopped dates and spices, before mixing.

  

Meatballs simmering in the broth.

Ready to eat!  A pretty Larsware bowl seemed appropriate.

I let the meatballs simmer a bit too long, but they were tasty.  I may try this again and watch the time more carefully.

Resolutions Report

I finished the second sock!

They are definitely not this pink in real life!

I also finished a blanket block for Warm Up America! and one of the UFO baby blankets that was in a bin in my stash:

The block for Warm Up, America!

I read The Game of Life and How to Play It, and while it is a bit "woo" for me, it has a lot about how to do more positive thinking.  I mentioned it in a discussion group at work, and a couple people said they read it every year, so at least one other is going to look for a copy.