New Year's Resolution

I'm horrible at setting and keeping New Year's resolutions - especially ones that involve watching my spending. However, I have made a major decision to quit my job as an engineer for Shell and commit to a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA for HandsOn New Orleans. So with that comes certain sacrifices which might improve my chances for success in 2011.

While I was home for Christmas a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Ten Thousand Villages store on Main St. in Ann Arbor and found this wonderful little cookbook, "Simply in Season", and... voila! My New Year's resolution was born. I'm going to commit at least half of my grocery expenses to "local" food for the whole year. Local meaning Gulf Coast (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, maybe Texas...) -- basically anything that comes from the geographic sources of the produce sold at Hollygrove Market and Farm.

Since my income will be about one-sixth of what it is today, my ability to afford to eating out 3-4 times a week will be severely limited. I figured that since I want to go to grad school to study agricultural economics and food security, I ought to start with my own (soon to be almost-diminished) purchasing power and buy mostly food that is in season and local.

So this blog will mainly consist of recipes sprinkled with my own reflections throughout the year and a glimpse now and then into my reading list.  Local foods used in each recipe will be listed with an asterisk.

Happy New Year and Happy Eating!