Seasons and Seasonings of the Southwest

Am I the only person who looks forward to the changing of the seasons?  Surely not.  As each season makes its appearance year after year, I can't help feeling a surge of energy, an anticipation of newness-the temperature rises or falls, plants bloom or go into hibernation, seasonal dishes appear in the kitchen, and even the colors of clothing offered for sale in stores become paler or darker.

So I  decided to put together a book about enjoying life in each of the four seasons in my area of the United States. I entitled the book Seasons and Seasonings of the Southwest. Some may claim that the Southwest doesn't have four true seasons, but my belief is that we do, although the transitions between seasons may be less dramatic than in other parts of the country. 

The book includes commentary, short essays, and recipes for each of the four season.  A few sample entries are included below.

S P R I N G T I M E

In my home town of El Paso, Texas springtime is practically non-existent.  The spring I am daydreaming about is one with gentle breezes and yellow daffodils putting on a show.  But in El Paso, one day it is winter, and the next day suddenly it is summer.  Recently I forgot that fact and ordered some big, wooly clothes on the Internet. Our weather had been in the 50’s in the daytime and the 30’s at night for what seemed like an eternity.  I was fed up with winter and being cold.

About the time the UPS man delivered my new sweatshirt and long fleece lounger, the mesquite trees in the front yard started to show signs of life.  When the mesquites leaf out, winter is over in this part of the country, no matter what the calendar says.  In what seemed like a very few days, my husband Wayne was talking about having the home air conditioners serviced.  First we had days with highs in the 70’s, and very soon they would be climbing into the 80’s. 

What spring does bring to El Paso are the winds.  And oh my, how they do blow, often bringing swirling dust and pollen. We watch the nightly TV weather cast religiously, not to find out the temperature highs and lows, but to prepare for the wind speed.  I myself am not satisfied with anything over 10 mph.   I make plans to be in a dark mood when the winds kick up. So, into the kitchen I go to create a little of the springtime I dream about. 

S U M M E R  

Mango Guacamole  I found the recipe below recently on the children’s page of the local newspaper.  Just my speed, I thought!  I made some alterations and came up with a pretty good lunch dish for a hot summer day.  Mangoes are plentiful this time of year, and they have such a lovely aroma and taste when ripe.

Mash three medium avocados.  Add one-fourth cup diced red onion, one diced mango, one tablespoon fresh lime juice, one-half tablespoon salt, and one minced clove garlic.  I didn’t have the three tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro that the recipe calls for, so I added three tablespoons of cilantro paste that I found in the refrigerator.  Chill for one hour and serve.

The recipe calls for serving the dish with tortilla chips, but since my husband and I are on a health kick, I heated some corn tortillas in a tortilla warmer for two minutes in the microwave instead.  My husband pronounced the dish as tasty, but a little lacking in flavor, so we added red chile powder until the dish had a slight kick.

 

I was glad that I had recently bought a new bag of red chile powder in New Mexico. The flavor was far superior to the one that had been in the freezer for more years than I care to count.

I'm hoping for suggestions and comments from readers of this blog as to whether the type of book I am in the process of compiling may have some appeal. What would you do differently and what other types of information would you include?  Responses will be appreciated!