Orange Salad

The economy being what it is, I figured some rice and beans type meals are in order this winter. Doesn't hurt that I like them anyway. One of my favorites is black beans (cooked with garlic and a halved orange in the cooking water) and rice with a hot salsa and a cool orange and cilantro salad. The oranges are dressed just with olive oil mixed with salt and pepper and make a really nice contrast to the rice and beans.

In other cooking, it is the season of recipes, as it is the season of baking. I haven't done too much yet because we got snowed out of Husband's office party before I'd gone too far with the cookie platter. Of course, I had already made the flourless chocolate cake we were giving away in the gift exchange. Snow prevented a shopping trip for the gift exchange and since everyone in his office knows the cake, I figured it would go over well. So now I'm low on butter, having used a pound in the cake. I need to make at least two kinds of cookies, though, so I have enough goodies to make up tins for Husband to take to work and for our postal workers.

I may be making bread, too, if we can't get to a store tomorrow, which is possible. I don't mind -- it makes the house smell SO good.