Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Days of Wine and Sneezes

I am a spring lover. I think I'm the only one in my family who is. My mom and my oldest son are firmly in the fall camp. I get it, cool but comfortable days after a long hot summer, beautiful foliage, the smell of a wood burning fire, great walking weather. I understand the appeal, but it's still spring and summer for me.

I grew up a summer person. I'm sure school being out was a big part of the appeal, but we lived within driving distance of Cape Cod and Plum Island as well as local lakes so summer was about days at the beach, then fresh clams or lobster for dinner. 

Then I moved to the Midwest, really ruining summer for me. No ocean, no lakes. Well, there are lakes but you can't swim in them, only look at them longingly {{sigh}}. 

Even when I was a summer lover, spring was a close second for me. It is the season of shedding winter coats, boots and hats. It is heralded by the reawakening of my beloved Lilacs and Irises and Forsythia and Rhododendrons. A season of longer days and time spent outdoors, dinners on the deck, cooking on the grill and cold salad leftovers.

A cool meal for a hot day, Parmesan Balsamic Salmon Salad marries balsamic and parmesan flavors with rice, peas and grilled salmon. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch

Parmesan Balsamic Salmon Salad
A cool meal for a hot day, Parmesan Balsamic Salmon Salad marries balsamic and parmesan flavors with rice, peas and grilled salmon. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch


So spring it is. My Midwest favorite season.

Not so fast . . .

Nothing (well, other than some of the crap my kids pull, but that's another story) evokes terror in the heart of an East Coaster than hearing tornado sirens for the first time. And pretty much any and every time after that. You guessed it, I moved to Tornado Alley. In my defense, it certainly wasn't my choice, but that's a whole other story too.

And then there's the allergies. They have robbed me of my enjoyment of so many things spring. I'm not going to tell you I didn't have seasonal allergies back home, I did. But nothing like this. This is seasonal allergies on steroids (which, ironically, often ends up putting you on steroids).


Days if Wine and Sneezes, what's a spring lover to do? | Graphic property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #Spring #MyGraphics


When I moved here I tried to plant my favorite spring flowering bushes to remind me of home. The Forsythia did not survive. Rhododendrons don't seem to exist here. I do have some beautiful lilac shrubs along the side of my house. I used to bring cuttings in and loved having a vase of lilacs on my counter for a few weeks, but even that I can no longer do. Our allergies have gotten so bad that my family finally put their foot down this year. {{Ah-choo}}. Selfish of them, if you ask me, not being willing to suffer a bit for beauty, but that's men for ya. 

If you really press me, I'll admit that the sinus headaches, the runny nose, the make-up streaks down my face from watery eyes, the constant sneezing has started to take the joy out of vases of lilacs for me too. {{Ah-choo}}.

Truth is, though, if you don't welcome those allergens in the house, they're gonna sneak in anyway.

It is literally snowing cottonwood here along the woods line. It covers the lawn, clogs the a/c unit and coats the outdoor furniture. {{Ah-choo}}. It gets in your hair, on your clothes, up your nose and even in your mouth if you dare to speak outside. And if you dare to even leave the house at all, it floats in the door, an uninvited guest you then have to chase through the house like an idiot looking like you're trying to catch a butterfly without a net. While sneezing. 
  Good thing there's still wine. 


Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics





Parmesan Balsamic Salmon Salad      
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com


NOTE: I make the salmon for dinner the night before, make one extra salmon steak and refrigerate it to use in this recipe the next day.
Ingredients:
8 oz salmon steak
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing 

1 1/2 cups white rice
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup Parmesan salad dressing
1 TBSP Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing
1/2 tsp dried parsley
dash cayenne pepper
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp dried chives 

Directions:
*Marinate the salmon steak in 1/4 cup of the Balsamic Vinaigrette in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours. Grill until the fish is flaky but still moist. Refrigerate.
*Cook the rice according to package directions. Move to a bowl and add the peas. 
*Whisk together the Parmesan salad dressing the remaining Balsamic Vinaigrette, the parsley and the cayenne. Mix the dressing and the green onions into the rice and refrigerate until cool.
*To serve: Flake the fish, discarding the skin. Mix it gently into the rice and top with chives.


14 comments:

  1. I've never had allergies before, but this year I had some symptoms. They better NOT get worse!

    (And the cottonwood is doing its thing here, too. What a mess.)

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    1. I hope, for your sake, this is the worst of it. Sadly, these allergies really take a lot of the joy out of the Spring season.

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  2. I love spring, but it hates me. Allergies and asthma on overdrive over here! Hang in there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure do wish spring went a little easier on us both.

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  3. Karen, this recipe sounds amazing! I think I'll make it this weekend. And I feel your allergy pain -- I suffer, as well. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons, but they also hate me in return! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Doesn't that just figure, the times we most want to be outdoors and the pollens go into overdrive.

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  4. In my former life as a pharmaceutical rep I sold some allergy medications. What I learned is that allergies can occur anytime of life and one can become allergic to something any time in life. Know a med student thinking of a specialty? I recommend allergists, sorry to say but, steady income!!

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    Replies
    1. I bet it's a great field (get the joke?), I've seen just how much worse we keep getting.

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  5. You bring back memories of my husband being stationed in Kansas. His sergeant, a native of West Virginia, tried so valiantly to grow rhododendrons and a bluegrass lawn. Didn’t happen. But I miss those extended springs-except for the tornado sirens. And snirt. Maybe one day I’ll blog about snirt. Yes, it’s not a typo. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OK, now you have me intrigued. I'll be looking forward to you letting me know what snirt is.

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  6. Ah, the dreaded 'spring snow'. Cottonwood. The bane of every allergy sufferer where I live!
    Fortunately we don't have said allergies in our home. So armloads of lilacs bedeck tables and counters. (And even, I must admit, more than a few square feet of the floors.)
    spring. We wait so long for it. And it stays such a short time.
    Maybe that's why it's so special!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so jealous of all those lilacs you get to bring in the house. And the fact that all this "spring snow" isn't affecting you. Must be those hearty genes you inherited.

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  7. It is cold and wet here again been a cold and wet week, but it is also winter here

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd actually take my allergies over cold and wet. Hope you have an easy winter over there.

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