Saver challenge, self imposed

I live in a 1200 square foot house with 3 other people, 2 of whom are growing rapidly and seem to be acquiring their own belongings.  Needless to say, I’ve become aware of the shrinking space around me and have started to give thought to what things might be destined for a new home or to the sweet thereafter also known as the Salt Lake County Landfill.  I’ve decided not to dispose with any of the persons for the time being.  Now you expect me to launch into my own Marie Kondo inspired story here, and I’m sure that’s she’s great, but I have neither read her books or watched her Netflix series.  There are finite hours in my day and Mrs. Maisel and the Derry Girls swear like sailors.   That my friends, is what I really need at the end of a day.  Now lucky for me, everyone else has been talking about Kondo for a while (Thanks Melody!) and I have extrapolated the heart of her message I think.  I just need to figure out if the space-consuming thing in question brings be some sort of joy. 

However to know me is to know that I have lots of sentimental attachments to things for all kinds of reasons and I sort of interpret that as joy.  Like the tiny plastic toy baby that I once extracted from a King Cake that I swear still brings me luck or envelopes of photo prints that I know can be scanned and turned digital (but then I can’t hold my old friends in my hands).  This consternation has brought me to the literal center of my house, my kitchen.  I spend more waking hours in this room of my house then anywhere else.  I like to cook and to eat and the kitchen window is where I start seedlings every year.  Really I do most everything when I’m in the house except for sleeping or watching shows where funny women swear here. You get where I’m going.  I’ve taken a good look around.  I’ve cleaned out the pantry and the fridge.  That was satisfying.  I haven’t yet approached glassware, but I’ll get there.  So many receptacles for alcohol…

So, I’m standing in the kitchen looking at that wonderful south facing window and looking at 10 years of Saveur magazines neatly arranged on the lower shelves at the back of my kitchen.  I hear that Kondo disapproves of old magazines, so… I’ve been giving it some thought.  The question is, do these old cooking magazines bring me joy?  I’m not sure.  I’m going to find out.  I’ve set myself a task.  I’m going to read through and cook something out of an old issue weekly for the next little while.  Notice the vague timeline, its purposeful.  No pressure here because, really, of all things?   I’m going to catalog my efforts in the electronic abyss like this blog and my Instagram account where I don’t follow the rules of topic adherence but I don’t really care because I’m practically family to all of the people following me.  (Hi Mom, you are really the only one reading this so I hope that you enjoy.) 

Oh it gets better, its my writing task too.  Write every week, maybe more than once.  Because if you have known me for a while, you know that this is a thing.  I really want to write, but never really apply myself in this regard and so I continually fail to do it. 

So today, January 20, 2019.  I’m cooking Saucisses aux Lentilles du Puy and a salad with Dijon Vinegrette.  Go big or go home, right.  Maybe I’ll speak more French this year too.

Saveur Issue 115 November 2008.  This issue is mostly about Thanksgiving, however it includes this beautiful article about Auvergne, France.  The article describes Auvergne as, "an often overlooked land of remote farm villages tucked amid the extinct volcanoes of the Massif Central mountain range."  I've never been to this part of France, but after reading about it and then cooking this recipe I feel like I should have a list of travel wishes that this gets added to.

The ingredients for the meal were mostly easy to track down at my local grocery shop, although I did need to obtain the lentils from a specialty shop.  The cooking instructions were really straightforward and the meal came together easily, although from start to finish took a couple of hours. 

I'm not a food photographer so unlike the pic in the magazine, the lighting isn't perfect.  However, it was such a delicious meal!

Also, the smaller humans ate with enthusiasm.

In conclusion, this brings me joy.  I set this issue back on the shelf.