Weekend update Febrary 2, 2104

 I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.” 

Andrew Wyeth

This morning at 7:30, a rodent got out of bed, brewed a cup of dandelion tea, checked his supplies in the root cellar and popped up for a prediction-

and you have six more weeks of winter.
Which is great news, if you and the kids weren't
really looking forward to finding out what
snowmen do in summer.

This morning Punxsutawney Phil, who has an 80 percent accuracy rate in the weather forecasting biz, predicted another 6 weeks of the gray and gloomy. But what if Phil doesn't just predict the length of winter? What if Phil is in charge? What if we runny-nosed topsiders are sentenced to another 6 weeks not because of shifts in global weather patterns but because Phil 

needs another 4 weeks to finish that scarf
and then wants 2 weeks to wear it?

Well, that's okay.

because

I have a scarf or three of my
own to finish.

Besides, 6 more weeks of winter means another 6 weeks before we have to 

come out from under all these layers

and start 

working off that hibernation insulation.

Like Andrew Wyeth, many of us sort of like winter- the bare bones beauty of the earth, the hundred different grays of the sky, and the story of coming change that lies under the bare earth. Here in Texas this week, the story of the spring below got a teaser trailer- a couple of brilliant blue sky days- followed by a return of the cold and wet. Fortunately, Phil's not the only one with a winter-ready pantry.

Here's how we ate our way through a week that turned out to be a stew of weathers:

First up, this yummy kale and beet salad, which reminded me of how fantastic and versatile roasted beets can be:

The only deviation in from the recipe was the use of red beets instead of gold- if you're serving a salad like this to people you care about impressing and those people are the sort who are unimpressed by goat cheese that has been tinted pink by beet proximity, then use yellow beets. Otherwise, my advice is to use the just as delicious and easier to find red version. No, I take that back. My first advice is to ask yourself why you are cooking for these people. 

My second advice is to cook only
for people who are easy to impress.

Honestly- this is a really nice salad; absolutely worth the time and effort.

Next up was Paula Deen's gumbo (yummy enough to convert a former gumbo avoider like me) and salmon, soaked in this honey-lime marinade and pan fried. Scrumptious.

Then Jaime Deen's chili 

I know, we could fight all day about whether or not
any self respecting bowl of chili would make room
for bell peppers and beans.
Still, this is a mighty fine chili recipe.

and this exciting spin on a slaw, the Mexican slaw with a honey-lime vinaigrette:

The usual salad dressing suspects around here are relatively simple, so I wondered a little about this recipe, but the cumin and paprika in this dressing not only knock the slaw out of the proverbial park, but give it a smokey warm flavor that turns it into a perfect winter side dish. 

Then, what was for me the happiest discovery of the week happened today, as prognosticating groundhogs were curling  up in bed, and the Broncos were curling up to die.

Cheeseburger Salad!!!

Here it is with gluten free chips instead of croutons,
and a sliced avocado.

This is SO fun!!! It's a salad! But it tastes sort of like a cheeseburger! Add to that just enough of a sloppy joe tang to flood the brain with childhood memories, and you've got a winner. The recipe's right- don't shy away from using chopped pickles. It sounds weird, but it's part of the fun. If you find yourself with leftover ground beef, ever, all year round, give this a try.

And since cold dark times aren't always confined by calendars, 

I want you to know that I know-

that there are a hundred verdant possibilities

sleeping under every blanket of frost.

And even if (or when)

 this week feels like a gloomy chapter,

I want you to know

that you have stories under this story

and  that there are always

things in you that wait patiently 

for each coming spring.