Happy 2024!
Welcome to Chouquette Kitchen's Substack! I'm excited to share more with you.
Most of the family (and dogs!) have left by now. The joy and chaos of the holidays is mostly behind us and I can take a breather. My husband is in France caring for his ailing father, the girls are back in their respective homes, only the youngest, Will, is here for a few more days before returning to college. The Christmas tree and lights have been taken down and put away and the interior spaces look bright and inviting, ready for the events and gatherings of a new year.
I love January, because it means the start of the professional tennis season, beginning with the Australian Open, the first major of the year. As an avid club player myself, I look forward to watching the AO, and some year soon I hope to spectate in person. The tennis-watching season begins in January and culminates with the US Open in Flushing Meadows, NY in early September, which I do plan to attend.
Even though I confess to be a little burned out from all the holiday cooking, I’m still thinking about food and what to cook next. Can’t stop, won’t stop. At this time of year, black eyed peas come to mind. I’m from the south, and we eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, to ensure good luck, or at least ensure that no calamities befall us in the coming year. I grew up eating them stewed mostly with a ham hock, but these days I prefer a fresh-tasting salsa (or salad) scooped with pita or tortilla chips. See my recipe below and watch it on Instagram.
Black Eyed Pea Salsa/Salad
Vinaigrette
½ c extra virgin olive oil
3 T cider vinegar
2 T lime juice and zest from half the lime
1 T honey
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t celery seed
½ t kosher salt
¼ t smoked paprika
¼ t ground black pepper
Salsa
2 stalks celery, diced
3 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ bag of frozen fire-roasted corn kernels (Trader Joe’s), rinsed to thaw
½ a jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, cubed
½ c chopped cilantro leaves
Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Taste for salt, adding more if needed. Set aside.
Combine all salsa ingredients except the cilantro and gently stir. Pour vinaigrette over salsa. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Top with cilantro and serve with tortilla or pita chips. Can also be served as a salad. Serves 6.
I don’t make formal resolutions each year, too constricting, but I do reflect on what I’d like to achieve and what I can improve upon. I do like the clean-slate feeling of January 1, and just imagine, anything can happen! There’s a fresh, new, wonderful year ahead of us all. Firstly for me, is volunteering some of my time to an animal rescue, specifically for horses. It’s not glamorous and mucking stalls is involved, but I want to be around the equine species. If you’re perusing Instagram or Tiktok, check out @ohkaytacos and learn about Allison Smith’s great work through Colby’s Crew Rescue. Her team saves horses from slaughter, and I honestly don't know how she can go to the kill pens over and over again, but she does, and I thank her for it. They take donations and sponsorships and every dollar helps.
In terms of health and keeping active, I am committed to getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. I used to think sleep was for wimps, but have since changed my tune. That means limiting the TV and NYTimes games at night. Instead of too much TV, I would like to finish a book every 2 months (starting with attainable goals, ha ha); there are currently 3 languishing on my nightstand.
I have been learning how women my age generally don't eat enough protein. My understanding is that as we age and hormone levels change, protein absorption suffers, therefore we need more in our diets. That’s a very simplified explanation but I’m still aiming for 100g per day, which for me means eating breakfast and no meal-skipping. To go along with that higher protein consumption, I am lifting weights 3 times per week to maintain and build muscle. Some midlife women who inspire me: @californiaistoocasual @drvondawright @cheryl.c.coulombe @melissau @functionalhealthcoachchris2.0
As I read this over, these are probably some of the same thoughts I had last year at this time. Maybe putting them in writing will help me with accountability. Thanks for reading along as I wish you a happy new year, full of luck!