Step 1 — I joined the Anti-Resolution Revolution.

Step 2 — I pledged not to make vague resolutions and instead decided to take small actions in a few areas.

Step 3 — I targeted four of the five offered resolutions. (I don’t smoke.)

Step 4 — Instead of making a resolution to lose weight, I decided to put my fork down between bites. Most of us can eat a meal in under 10 minutes, and I usually eat one in less time than that, yet it takes our stomachs at least 20 minutes after we’re done eating to signal our brains that we’re no longer hungry. Slowing down my eating will give my stomach a chance to catch up to my brain. I don’t know how I got in the habit of eating so quickly, and I know I should savor each bite to mitigate overeating, but I struggle with slowing down. Setting down my fork should help. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Step 5 — Instead of making a resolution to reduce or manage stress, I decided to spend 10 minutes each day doing something creative. I know that expressing my creativity makes me forget about the voice in my head that reminds me of what I “should” be doing, what I could’ve done better that’s already done, other topics of worry, and that I’d rather be eating.  Turns out that creative expression also improves our overall sense of well-being and self-confidence, and  has a positive effect on the immune system too. Handy! I’m not sure what I’ll do (although I suspect I’ll over-think it, thereby negating some of the positive effects) but I look forward to it nonetheless. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Step 6 — Instead of making a resolution to save money, I decided to set a weekly spending limit on couple/family nice-to-haves. It’s far to easy for us to lose track of how much money we spend on events like dining out or going to the movies. By setting a limit on family entertainment, I expect us to become more aware of where that money goes and how much is spent. In addition, I hope this helps us to lead by example as parental role models for good financial habits. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Step 7 — Instead of making a resolution to spend more time with family, I decided to have us share what we’re looking forward to in the coming weekend at Monday’s or Tuesday’s dinner. The practice of looking forward to something helps create positive feelings about the future, and each person who shares at the table will benefit from thinking about it and saying it aloud. I have long been intrigued by the idea of a gratitude journal and the practice of talking about the best part of each day but never implemented either habit. This seems like a good way to ensure that we sit down to dinner, have something to talk about, and engender happy thoughts + togetherness. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Step 8 — I shared my list of small actions with you. Accountability, baby.

Pre-Wassail Preparation
The first thing I did was make a quadruple batch of roasted cranberry-clove mixer, most of it as a gift for Suzanne. That left me with about 3 cups of roasted, cloved, candied cranberries (or what was left of them after I squeezed as much simple syrup out of them as possible).

Wassail Preparation
Then I put the following ingredients into a slow cooker:

3 c. roasted, cloved, candied cranberries (squeezed)
1 gal. apple cider
2 c. orange juice
⅓ c. honey
3 sticks cinnamon
1½ Tbsp. crystallized ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger

I let the whole mixture simmer on high for a couple of hours and then strained it. I brought the strained mixture to the swap, put it back into the slow cooker to reheat, and floated some fruit on top—one sliced orange, one sliced lime, and a handful of fresh cranberries.

Wassail Enjoyment
We ladled it into mugs and drank it warm. A few people said, “What is wassail?” A few people said, “I love wassail!” One person said she liked it, and had two cups, even though she doesn’t like mulled cider. Many people said they liked this version, hence the published recipe.

Wassail Postscript
My husband dug this spicy holiday punch too—I saved some for him—and joked that it would be one of those recipes that I would never be able to duplicate. He calls those my Picasso recipes because they are one-of-a-kind masterpieces. I did write down what I did so that it could be duplicated but I don’t know when I’ll have roasted, cloved, candied cranberries on hand again.

If I were to make this in the future, I would probably make the following substitutions:

• Substitute 1 c. cranberry juice + ½ Tbsp. whole cloves for the roasted, cloved, candied cranberries, and increase the honey to ½ c.
• Omit the crystallized ginger and increase the ground ginger to 2 tsp.

Love and joy come to you, and to you your wassail too…

This is not my first go-’round with eggnog in the form of a frozen treat. If I had to guess—which is the only option I have at this point—I would say that I adapted the recipe below from my own recipe, using what I had on hand at the time. Bill says whipping things up from whatever’s in the fridge is one of my strengths.

********

Eggnog Ice Cream

4 egg yolks
⅓ c. brown sugar
¼ tsp. nutmeg
pinch salt
3 c. eggnog
1 c. heavy cream
4 tsp. corn starch
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp bourbon

1. Mix the eggnog & heavy cream in a bowl.

2. Whisk the egg yolks in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and nutmeg, then whisk the whole lot together. Add about half of the dairy mixture, the pinch of salt, and the corn starch, then whisk that whole lot together.

3. Warm the dairy and egg mixture on the stove over medium low heat and stir regularly; you are making a custard. You want it to be as thick as melted ice cream and leave a clear line when you drag your finger across the back of the spoon/spatula.

4. While the custard is thickening on the stove, add the vanilla extract to the remaining (cold) dairy mixture.

5. When the custard is ready, remove from heat and strain into the cold dairy mixture. Mix thoroughly. Now you have ice cream base.

6. Chill the ice cream base for several hours or overnight.

7. Immediately before churning, stir in the bourbon.

8. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Allow to further harden in the freezer after churning.

“Maybe chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and graham crackers. Or graham cracker ice cream with chocolate and marshmallows. Or marshmallow ice cream with chocolate and graham crackers. Or…”

Me: “Wait, wouldn’t graham cracker ice cream be gross? Anyway, let me look up some recipes.” [Translation: "I'm going to see what I can find that uses what we have on hand as much as possible."]

I’m not beyond making s’mores-themed ice cream. As a matter of fact, that sounds like something worth trying. But on this particular night, as on many nights in my probably-too-practical life, I was looking to make use of what I had in the fridge and pantry. And what I had were fresh cherries and part of a giant bar of dark chocolate. I remembered making Closet Cooking’s cherry and chocolate stracciatella ice cream before and thought I would give it another whirl.

Inspired by Kevin but not content to just leave well enough alone (mostly because I had an awfully messy time with the melted chocolate before), I ended up with this. I never had Cherry Garcia ice cream but this appears similar to the recipe for that, so I’m calling it something similar (and more relevant to my generation).

********

Cherry Seinfeld Ice Cream

1 lb. sweet cherries, pitted & quartered (or ~2 c., frozen is probably fine)
6 oz. dark chocolate, shaved or chopped fine
2 c. half-and-half
3 egg yolks
¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine the cherries & ½ c. sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain into separate containers, one with cooked cherries & one with cherry juice.

2. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with ¼ c. sugar.

3. Scald the half-and-half in a saucepan over medium heat; I used the same pan as for the cherries. Reduce heat to low.

4. Add some of the hot half-and-half to the beaten eggs a small amount at a time with stirring to temper them.

5. Add the slightly warmed egg mixture to the saucepan and return to low heat. Heat gently with constant stirring until thickened into a custard.

6. Strain the custard mixture into a bowl and stir in the cherry juice. Add the vanilla extract. You now have cherry ice cream base!

7. Chill the cherry ice cream base + cooked cherries in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

8. Freeze the base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Use this time to chop or shave your chocolate.

9. When the ice cream starts to hold its shape, add the cherries a little at a time. Allow to harden a bit longer after the cherries are incorporated and then add the chocolate bits. Continue churning until everything is worked in.

10. Harden in the freezer for several more hours.

NOTE: This ice cream is scoop-able consistency right out of the freezer.

I made two cards with different designs but the same photo of us and the same sentiments:

You are unique and wonderful.
You have gifts for this world that are special and only yours to share.
You may become anything you want to be — whatever you can dream, you can do.
You are making an impact.
Thank you for that.

Much love and best wishes,
William, Sacha, and Anna

These organizations are steeped in Christianity. I am not a person who follows the faith but I don’t see that as an obstacle to my participation. I just chose designs that weren’t particularly Jesus-y (or even Christmas-y) and words that convey encouragement regardless of religion.

Pop over to Studio DaySpring, add a card to Compassion’s basket, and let (in)courage deliver it this holiday season.

This past week the co-founder of the Indiana Tree Alliance, Charles Goodman, was honored to participate as one of seven panelists invited to Washington, D.C., by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review vegetation management practices (tree trimming) across America.

It was made clear in this review that FERC regulations apply to only a very small number of utility lines in the state of Indiana, and unfortunately, Indiana lacks any uniform utility vegetation management policies and practices for lines not regulated by FERC.  Instead, Indiana allows its utilities to set their own policies, some of which violate the state’s Constitution and the rights of private property owners when takings occur without due process, consent, or compensation.  Furthermore, some Indiana utilities defend their practices by incorrectly claiming that FERC not only authorizes but requires such takings.

The potentially improper influence of some utilities on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) remains a concern and was highlighted when the governor was forced to demand the resignation of the chairman of IURC.

Basic property rights, common sense, and even simple courtesy are the issues at stake. Most Indiana utilities are vigorously fighting to maintain the status quo, spending your money to influence candidates and elected officials, while property owners  place their hopes on those in our state legislature who have  been leading the fight for utility reform.

The upcoming election could determine the future of policies and practices for utility vegetation management in the state of Indiana.

With this in mind, the Indiana Tree Alliance strongly urges you to vote on November 2nd to retain our friends and allies on these issues in the Indiana state legislature, State Senators Jim Merritt, Mike Delph, Jean Breaux, Sue Errington, Pat Miller, and State Representatives Cindy Noe, Phil Hinkle, Cherrish Pryor, and Dennis Tyler.

Please do not mistake this post as my personal endorsement for any particular candidate.

First, I thought I would just swap the yogurt for sour cream. Then I planned to swap the milk for half-and-half (since I had some in the fridge left over from making dulce de leche ice cream). Then I thought, You know, I’d like to add some eggs. I started looking up other recipes for guidance and found several with promise. I jotted down the ingredients and got to cookin’.

This ice cream tastes just like cheesecake. JUST LIKE IT. We ate it with the spiced chocolate syrup and decided that wasn’t a good combination. Bill said, “I like the chocolate sauce and I like the ice cream but I don’t like them together.” Yep, that’s how I felt too. I might try it with some Trader Joe’s lemon curd but, quite honestly, I like it plain just like I like my cheesecake.

********

Cheesecake Ice Cream

8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (or cream cheese, I suppose)
16 oz. light sour cream (or regular sour cream, I suppose)
1 c. half-and-half
3 egg yolks
1¼ c. sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Scald the half-and-half in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Beat together thoroughly the Neufchâtel cheese, egg yolks, and sugar.

3. Add some of the hot half-and-half to the Neufchâtel mixture a small amount at a time with stirring to temper the eggs. Reduce heat to low.

4. Add the slightly warmed Neufchâtel mixture to the saucepan and return to low heat. Heat gently with constant stirring for ~10 minutes. Delight in the smell of cheesecake-y custard but resist the urge to dip your finger in — it’s HOT!

5. Strain the custard mixture into a bowl and stir in the sour cream. Once incorporated, mix in the vanilla extract.

6. Chill in the fridge for several hours. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Harden in the freezer for several more hours. Serve with your choice of topping.

NOTE: This ice cream is scoop-able consistency right out of the freezer.

SPACE

*I decided not to swirl in anything after all. I wanted to give plain cheesecake ice cream a go at least once, plus each member of the household could customize his/her serving with a desired amount of chocolate sauce.

The original mortgage was for $146,000 @ 6% APR for 30 years. I had been paying $100-200 extra each month toward principal, plus putting annual bonus money toward the loan, and had managed to get it down to a balance of under $120,000 in five years. Not bad for a single gal, right?

Monthly Payment: $874.41
Total Interest Paid Over Life of Loan: $169,130.33 (in 30 years)
Extra Toward Principal: $100-200/month
Total Interest Paid with Extra Payment Toward Principal: $98,902.50 (in 19 years)

Now, these numbers aren’t watertight. I didn’t pay the same amount extra for the life of the loan, which is what the calculation takes into account. But you get the idea. Paying extra toward the principal knocked a significant amount of interest and time off the mortgage overall — something like $70 grand + 11 years off the loan. Not bad.

The refinanced mortgage is for $114,400 @ 4.375% APR for 15 years. We did have to put several thousand dollars down to get the principal amount that low because the house appraised much lower than expected* and I didn’t want the loan-to-value ratio over 80%. I despise PMI and would rather put the money down up front than give it to the bank for no good reason — it’s a matter of principle (no pun intended).

Monthly Payment: $867.86
Total Interest Paid Over Life of Loan: $41,818.29 (in 15 years)
Extra Toward Principal: $250-260/month
Total Interest Paid with Extra Payment Toward Principal: $28,699.53 (in 10 years, 7 months)

Are you paying attention here? The monthly payment is lower than it was before and the term of the loan is half as long. That’s 15 years of interest KNOCKED OFF, right off the bat. Just the thought of it makes me giddy. Our monthly payment (mortgage, interest, escrow) stays the same but we only have to make the payments for another 15 years instead of 25 more. We are able to put more toward the extra payment each month because (1) property taxes went down a little, freeing up some funds to put toward the mortgage, and (2) we have two incomes paying the bills; this means even more interest + time saved.

Let’s do some math, folks. This is the part that drives it all home. The original loan + interest total, assuming extra payments made toward principal on a monthly basis as described above, would’ve been ~$245,000 over the course of 19 years. (Without extra payments, the loan + interest total would’ve been ~$315,000 over 30 years. Just the sight of that number makes me slightly queasy.) The new loan + interest total, assuming extra payments made toward principal on a monthly basis as described above, is ~$143,000 over the course of less than 11 years. (Without extra payments, the loan + interest total would be ~$156,000 over 15 years.) We should also include the downpayment and closing costs in the refinancing total to be fair, so let’s add another $8400. And let’s not forget that I already paid about $70,000** over 5 1/2 years on the original mortgage already. That means that, if all goes as planned re: extra payments and whatnot, we stand to save over twenty grand:

$146,000 + $98,902.50 = $244,902.50
$114,400 + $28,699.53 + $8424.45 + $70,000 = $221,523.98
Amount Saved = $23,378.52

In addition, we will be mortgage-free much sooner. The original loan may have been paid off in another 14 years. Now we have the potential to pay off our home in a little over 10 years. While I was drooling over the amount of money saved and the concept off eliminating 15 years of interest, Bill was marveling at the idea of owning a home in such a short period of time. “It took me five years to own the car,” he said. “We could own this home in 10 years! That’s amazing.”

With a little research + aggressive negotiation, I secured us a pretty sweet refinancing deal.*** In sum, our monthly payments stay the same, we pay off the mortgage in about a decade, and we save over twenty thousand dollars. And that’s having started with a responsible, money-saving approach to the original loan. If we had gone from a loan with a ridiculous rate, or a let’s-pay-the-minimum philosophy, then our savings would have been greater in the end…but I wouldn’t be as impressed because it’s not so hard to improve on something foolish. We were behaving so responsibly already that we didn’t think there was much room for improvement, but the data proved us wrong. So wrong. So wonderfully wrong. Thanks, data.

SPACE

*The house appraised at $143,000. When I had it appraised in 2005 to get a home equity loan, it was valued at $165,000. My ex-husband and I bought it in 2003 for $145,500.  I’m happy my livelihood doesn’t depend on the roller-coaster real estate market because this kind of thing makes me ill.

**Totally ball-parking this number. May be more, may be less. This is an educated guess based on the mortgage calculator.

***I had several mortgage brokers actively vying for our business and trying to underbid one another, mostly because I studied the rules ahead of time and knew what I was talking about. Being an educated consumer has its perks. Mortgage rates dropped even lower over the course of 2010 but the rate we got at the time was very competitive, especially in a market where banks were hesitant to hand out loans to just anybody.

I grilled some corn-on-the-cob similar to this method…except I did it by memory and therefore not at all like this really. I removed the tough outer husks and the silk ahead of time, plus I cooked the corn on low instead of high. I thought It goes on a high flame, doesn’t it? but I was too chicken to scorch it. It did get a smoky, grilled flavor that everyone enjoyed but I bet it would’ve been juicier had I the cojones to cook it hot and fast.

I served the corn with a compound butter that I winged based on inspiration from the spices in this rib rub recipe. I wanted it to have a lot of flavor but not too much heat, plus some saltiness since people like that with sweet corn. It was a big hit.

********

Patio Party Compound Butter

1 stick unsalted butter @ room temperature (8 Tbsp., 1/4 lb.)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground Ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Mix the salt and spices into the soft butter. Transfer to a container appropriate for serving. Serve with grilled corn-on-the-cob.

I also contemplated sweet paprika + chipotle chili powder in place of the smoked paprika + Ancho chili powder. I bet that would be good, too. I chose Ancho chili powder instead of ground Cayenne pepper because I didn’t want too much heat, but I think that would be a suitable substitute if heat is what you’re after.

Inspired by two recipes I found online, I came up with a version of dulce de leche ice cream using my standard half-and-half + egg yolks method. Then, at the last minute, I decided to make a chocolate sauce from the Spiced Dreams cookbook (with a slight modification). We ate scoops of ice cream with the chocolate sauced drizzled on top and it was wonderful — the dark chocolate is a nice match for the sweet ice cream and the spices are just enough. You could hear people making the yummy sound over and over.

********

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

3 c. half & half
15 oz. dulce de leche (AKA milk caramel spread)
1/4 c. sugar
5 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Warm 2 cups of the half & half in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Whisk eggs yolks and sugar together.

3. Temper the egg yolks with some of the the warmed half & half. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the tempered egg yolks back to the warmed half & half while whisking, and decrease the heat to low.

4. Return the saucepan to low heat and stir the mixture continuously until you get a smooth custard.

5. Strain the hot custard into a bowl that is set in an ice bath. Stir to facilitate cooling.

6. Mix remaining 1 cup half & half, dulce de leche, and vanilla extract in the blender.

7. Add the not-super-hot custard to the blender and mix it into the dulce de leche mixture.

8. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Return it to the freezer for several more hours to harden.

********

Spiced Dark Chocolate Sauce

1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbsp., 1/4 lb.)
1 c. sugar
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

2. Add the sugar and whisk until the sugar starts to dissolve.

3. Add the cocoa powder, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until smooth.

4. Increase the heat to medium and add the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a rolling boil.

5. Decrease the heat to low and allow to cook for two minutes without stirring. Try not to stare at the mesmerizing bubbles while you should be chopping chocolate.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth. Notice how “sexy” is not an inappropriate adjective for how the sauce looks now.

7. Stir in the vanilla.

Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature over ice cream.