I had no troubling bundling up and sitting outside yesterday at Lambeau Field in the balmy 16 degree air.
But, I did not leave my house Saturday. The day felt a little chilly to me and I vowed to spend it inside.
Fortunately, we’d been the lucky recipient of some delicious Christmas gifts. So, when dinner time came around on a day I really should have gone to the grocery store, I still got to eat like a king.
I unwrapped some homemade tamales, garnished them with homemade salsa and enjoyed a little fiesta.
Molly made us the tamales and our friend Gary made the salsa. I’m pretty sure he grew the vegetables and he probably fashioned a mortar and pestle to grind the spices. I imagine he spelunked his way into a cave somewhere to hack out the stone. He’s that handy.
And the salsa is that good.
Molly flavored her tamales with fat she rendered from the summer barbecues she hosted. They tasted like friendship and laughter on a sunny day.
The transition to winter always takes me a little bit. I need to warm my blood and convince my skin that it won’t shrivel up in the wind.
The food I ate Saturday warmed me from the inside. Made with love and delivered with cheerful generosity, it offered a depth of flavor that told a story.
I love food like that.
And I think I’m ready for winter now.
