Last year’s Dirty Gourmet successes:

• Hiked Mt. Baldy, which turned into attempting the 8K Challenge
• Got a mountain bike, which turned into a mountain bike race
• Took the babies on their first camping trip and to the beach
• Ran the Wild West 10 Mile Trail Run, where 2 out of 3 of us medalled in their categories

This Year’s Plans:

• Get married!!
• Have a new baby niece!!
• Climb 100 Routes
• Grow an awesome garden
• FOCUS more

I think I’ve finally realized that I’m not the type of person who can feel her way through a situation. If I want to be successful, I need to FOCUS. I need to stop, think, and act carefully. My brain works pretty well- I should use it! This is true when dealing with anything from directions to cooking to managing relationships. Some people are great at feeling their way through and being unprepared. I’ve spent a lot of time approaching situations with the idea that I actually am good at that. But I’m not. I wish I was, but I guess its finally time to admit that to myself.

We spent our New Year’s at Joshua Tree National Park again. It was a perfect trip. Lots of climbing, perfect weather. We got a good jump on the 100 routes, and I practiced focusing during climbing. We made these cheesy chicken potatoes over the campfire. They were simple, delicious, and healthy, just as a New Year’s meal should be.

Good luck with your resolutions, if you have any! If you don’t, good luck at being overall successful this year anyway.

Panamint Valley is a special place. There are endless old roads to explore with a four wheel drive vehicle, or on foot. My dad would take us into the old mines in the nearby canyons to find rocks. We used to drive up into one particular canyon and camp near a dilapidated old ranch. It was always really creepy and we later found out the creepiness wasn’t just in our heads. It turned out to be where Charles Manson was hiding out when he was finally arrested!

We’ve had countless friends who are lured in by our exciting stories of this annual trip, but very few are willing to go back a second year. The weather is usually harsh, there are no bathrooms, no water, and it’s a pretty barren desert. You’ve got to get past all that in order to appreciate the desert’s extreme beauty.

I first met Mai-yan on a New Year’s trip to Panamint Valley. I knew we’d be friends when she sat inside my tent with me sewing it up when the wind literally blew a hole through the seam. It was a brand new tent, too!

Sadly, I won’t be going again this year. We’ve got friends and family coming into town so we’ll be spending the New Year with them. I’m very much looking forward to their visit, but part of me will always wish I were sitting in the freezing cold desert, next to a roaring campfire, and eating a piping hot bowl of black eyed peas, greens and cornbread.

Eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring good luck in the coming year. It’s a Southern tradition, and everyone I know who follows this tradition makes a pot of black eyed peas flavored with a ham hock. I make mine without the ham, so to make up for that missing flavor, I turn to a rich tomato base and spices. I make it at home and freeze it, but if you use fresh or frozen peas, you could easily make this at camp. This Black Eyed Pea recipe has now become the go-to New Years recipe in my family. Even my Southern parents love it.

An important ingredient in this recipe is the tomato paste. I discovered tomato powder this year at Savory Spice Shop in Colorado. I love it because the flavor is fantastic and you don’t have to open a whole can of tomato paste when all you need is one tablespoon. Just mix the tomato powder with a little water and you’re good to go.

One of our favorite things about this salad is that it keeps for several days. We literally just finished the batch we made on Thursday at lunch today. So go ahead, toss that salad and have an even better version tomorrow.