The Doldrums

My favorite books to read to Jack are anything Bill Peet. They are funny, sweet, creative stories and have great illustrations to go with them. The most recent one we read was "Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent" and it talked about the doldrums. Doldrums, a place in the ocean where there is no wind to blow the sails of a ship. The ship stands dormant until the wind comes. It could wait weeks for a wisp of anything. The ship's passengers can do nothing but wait. Wait, hoping they don't run out of food and water. Wait, while cabin fever brews.

And that is how January and February feel.

The snow is gray and ugly. The patches of grass that peek through are brown and dead. The children start asking when spring is going to come and you find yourself wondering the same thing. You have daydreams of lemonade, bicycles and fresh herbs. You wait and spring is months away. You wait, while cabin fever brews.


But last week, I decided to flip winter the bird. I made salsa that was so beautifully reminiscent of warmer days. And it was a double-fisted bird with the addition of mangoes and avocados. It was fresh, salty, acidic, sweet, creamy and dreamy. Cilantro is so underestimated in it's ability to brighten the most boring of days or even weeks.

Want some salsa? Here are a few recipes to get you started.

Black bean avocado salsa
Chipotle peach salsa
Cindy's avocado salsa
Mango salsa
Roasted tomatillo salsa