Foodie Goals for 2011

As another year begins-- time for some goals.  In the past these have been mostly academic (dissertation, publications,blah, blah) but I think this year will be the year of food.  In this current financial downturn academia has been less than kind to me.  Yes I still need to make a living, but cooking remains my creative outlet and passion.   So--2011 will be the year of me and the year of cooking.  Here are my goals (in no particular order)

1. Continue taking Culinary Arts classes at the local Community College.  This semester I'm signed up for "Soups and Sauces" and regardless of how crazy the work front is I'll be damned if I'm giving it up.  I've already secured the text and supplimented it on my own with James Peterson's "Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making."  If you aren't familiar with Peterson's books--- walk, don't run to your nearest bookseller.  I bought "Sauces" with an AP giftcard and received "Meat: A Kitchen Education" as a X-mas gift. Good times....
2. Participate in Charcutepalooza.   What you say?  A cooking challenge based on Charcuterie-- smoking, curing, and preserving meat. Click HERE for more details.  Those who know me-- already know of my bacon exploits-- this year I want to challenge myself even more.  This will also help with following two goals.
3. Sausage making--  I have the equipment-- know where to get the casings, I just need to start experimenting!!!
4. Build/obtain/put together with varous household items a curing chamber.  My basement is nasty.  The garage is too cold.  The attic is too cold.  My first post on charcutepalooza will probably be about this because I don't think I'll be able to solve the problem by the 15th. 
5. Find a butchery course.  (definitely hands on)
6. When spring arrives-- get to work on the garden.  Those who know me from facebook know the work we put into raised beds in the backyard in the fall.   More to come when the weather breaks!
7. Eat out at great places whenever I can and blog about it.  First up with be a detailed review of the Fleur meal in December and how incredibly cool Hubert Keller is to chat with... I mean dude...he was so cool. 

Bacon!

Yes, I know it is not the current project, but this is what I was working on tonight-- 30lbs-- usual cure plus rosemary, thyme, garlic and black pepper.  This batch will be savory. (the reality was I had no real maple syrup on hand in bulk)   Hopefully this will appease the charcuterie gods until I can find a duck breast!  More to come, backstory, more about me, random thoughts :)