Goal Update

A few months ago I listed a some goals I wanted to accomplish. The hope was that writing them here would make me do them. I'd consider it so-so. Here's how I done so far:

1. Finish the damn kitchen. Grout, tape, molding, prime, paint, caulk.
This is mostly done. Grouting is done, taping is done, priming is done and the kitchen is fully operational. I still have to run one bead of caulk and paint the molding (it needs 5 minutes of sanding first). I was unhappy with one outlet, but I bought a new one I have it here in the house so that could actually get installed happen any day now. I even know which breaker I have to flip to do it. This will all be done prior to Thanksgiving. That is a hard deadline.

2. Weigh less than 200 pounds. I don't remember the last time the first number of my weight was a 1.
I don't think this is going to happen. I've kind of plateaued. Haven't gained any back, but haven't lost any either. I've been having some knee and shoulder problems so that has really impacted the amount I workout. A better measure of progress might actually be redoing the fit test I too back in August. I was planning to do that in January anyhow. Between the holidays and a few other things including two toxic friend weekends in the very near future...I might be closer to 200 than I am now, but I don't think the first number will be a 1 on January 1st. Someday, just not the 1st.

3. Run a 5k. Without slowing down to a walk.
This one is a toss up. I haven't done it in an actual race, but I can run (jog is probably a more appropriate word) 5k without slowing down to a walk. If I can make it, I'm going to try and run in the Last Run on December 15th. I should just register for it and then be obligated to go.

4. Make another batch of Modernist inspired bacon.
Done and it came out pretty good. The latest use is a bacon and cheese frittata. 

5. Participate in one of the local food swaps. I'm thinking of trading Italian style sausage or pancetta.
I had it all planned out. I was going to make a chicken, sundried tomato and basil sausage almost entirely sourced from Trader Joe's. I was going to go to the October 21st swap in Troy. While I was making sure I could go, a swap in Saratoga got cancelled, the October Troy swap moved to November 4 and promptly sold out. This pretty much happened over a weekend. So food swappers, you won't have Trader Joe's sourced chicken sausage this Sunday. If they have a December swap, maybe I can go. I consider this one a toss up too. I had every intention of going.


6. Cure something out of the new book Salumi which comes out at the end of August.
I'm not sure this is going to happen. There is still time, but in my defense, I made the goal before I saw the book. Not that the book's formulations are difficult, it's just the more I read the book, the less inclined I am to make something out of it. The book's recipes look OK, but I think I would follow similar formulations from other, more advanced/technical sources. Plus, there is now a monstrous dehumidifier in the basement. The old tarp chamber would be defenseless against this beast. If I hang something in the basement now, the cases would harden in less then a week. Not good. I either need to come up with a new system or convert an old freezer or fridge into a chamber.

7. Make pizza. I have sooo many recipes to try. Plus I've got to light up that Firedome.
Done. Also made the homemade pizza steel. I'm also watching the Firedome creator's tweaks to the original. Maybe I'll be able to update the one I have. But as the temperatures drop, I'll be able to keep warm playinig in the kitchen with the pizza steel.

8. Clean up the basement. It is currently a pit of despair. But just clean, not refinish.
I swear, you wouldn't recognize it now. New shelves, clean floor, stuff put away. It's like it is someone else's basement.

Not too bad. I've still got 2 months...

Modernist-ish Bacon

This writing goals down thing might actually work. Since I wrote down some goals last week I've:
- worked out 3 times including a 5k almost all the way run
- got some information on upcoming 5k races (Thanks DelSo)
- got the kitchen molding primed and installed (I'm going to fill in the nail holes tonight)

 

- most of the joint compound kitchen work is done, just a little touching up left in two spots but I have to keep waiting for it to dry
- and tonight I am also beginning a batch of Moderinst inspired bacon.

Adventures In Food has begun selling a bunch of locally made/grown products.  The list is here. One of the items they are carrying are pork bellies from Stillwater Farms. The 7.4 pound belly cost $5.50 a pound.  Can't beat the price for a pork belly that looks this good.

I took a closer look at the salt and sugar proportions from the Modernist and Charcuterie recipes. They are pretty similar. The Modernist recipe uses a little more sugar, but the Charcuterie recipe suggests adding other sweet ingredients (brown sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar) to taste. So, pretty similar. In addition to the basic cure of salt, sugar, and cure#1, the Modernist recipe included  Fermento, coriander, pepper, mace, star anise, and sodium erythorbate. I decided to break down the Modernist recipe and drop coriander, pepper, mace and star anise. I almost swapped out some sugar with brown sugar but the opted against it. We'll see how this batch comes out and then I'll start tinkering. Here' the belly covered in cure.

Once the cure is on, the belly gets vacuum packed and put in the fridge for a week, turned daily.

Off to touch up the molding...

Goals

I've been listening to a bunch of podcasts while typing away or driving at work. In a conversation about goals, it was suggested that one's goals should get written down. If they are written down, they are not just a bunch of "wouldn't it be nice" ideas floating around in your head. So as we enter the second half of 2012, these are the things (in no particular order) that I want to accomplish before the end of December.

1. Finish the damn kitchen. Grout, tape, molding, prime, paint, caulk.
2. Weigh less than 200 pounds. I don't remember the last time the first number of my weight was a 1.
3. Run a 5k. Without slowing down to a walk.
4. Make another batch of Modernist inspired bacon.
5. Participate in one of the local food swaps. I'm thinking of trading Italian style sausage or pancetta.
6. Cure something out of the new book Salumi which comes out at the end of August.
7. Make pizza. I have sooo many recipes to try. Plus I've got to light up that Firedome.
8. Clean up the basement. It is currently a pit of despair. But just clean, not refinish.

I could probably come up with two more but this isn't a Top Ten list. Hopefully there are at least 8 future posts about reaching each of these goals.