Ready or not, 2012 has arrived!

This article was originally published in January 2012

So make the most of a fresh, bright new year: Resolve to nourish your body with the very best, to never stop learning, to embrace the darkness of winter that is ever-so-slowly inching toward spring. Enjoy what is as you strive toward what will be.

coffee and muffin

Wintertime fun

As you head for the hills along I-90 for snowshoeing, skiing, sledding and so much more winter fun, remember that Issaquah PCC is a convenient stop for early-morning coffee and a snack en route to the mountains or for hot pizza, sandwiches and satisfying, made-from-scratch soups and cookies on the way home.

Resolve: Try a new food, ingredient or technique each week

Tired of the same old whole grains? Always make the same salad? Need a new go-to potluck dish? Want to change up your baking game? There’s no time like the present. Set a goal for 52 new culinary adventures in 2012, from the small (trying a new type of fruit, like kumquats) to the large (mastering a new technique, such as pressure cooking). The best part? You get to truly savor the fruits of your labor.

sweaters

Help keep others cozy

As you clean out your closet to make room for new sweaters and coats, don’t forget how easy it is to help others in need. Donate that warmth at any PCC location January 9 through February 12 as part of the annual Mister Rogers’ Sweater Drive.

Coming into season

Get ready for citrus madness: lemons, limes, navel oranges, sweet Meyer lemons, tangerines, tangelos, kumquats, Royal Mandarins and gorgeous blood oranges. Add sections of fruit to salads, fill your juicer, bake up a storm, make lemon curd. Or try Chef Lynne Vea’s recipe for bubbling citrus on a frosty morning: Broiled Grapefruit.

carrots

Last chance for

Organic Satsuma Mandarin oranges from Johansen Ranch in Northern California and carrots from Nash’s Organic Produce in Sequim, Wash. Both orange, organic gems are wintertime treats that shouldn’t be missed.

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