30 days from now is the spring solstice. That’s what I tell myself deep down to maintain my sanity, even as I yearn for the first breath of spring.

Stay focused. Your respite will be here soon.

So take a moment and think of the small pleasures that can be had, even when one is firmly in winter’s grip:

A cup of herb tea and a plate of cookies, fresh from the oven…

Falling snowflakes, under a gray sky…

Time with friends, well-spent…

And perhaps this salad, which is an adaptation of this post on Yummy Supper:

Belgian endive and Bordeau spinach salad, with oil-cured olives, blood orange and roasted shallot vinaigrette

Bordeaux spinach is an heirloom spinach cultivar that’s more tender and sweeter than the usual kind. Substitute regular spinach if unavailable.

Except for a few ingredient substitutions (i.e., endive for radicchio, Moroccan oil-cured olives for hazelnuts, regular blood oranges for Cara-Cara blood oranges, and sherry vinegar for balsamic vinegar, it’s the same recipe as the one in Erin’s post. Sherry and orange is a flavor combination that works well together, especially when paired with olives. Endive and radicchio are (botanically) close relatives. This recipe is a keeper and one that I’ll be sure to make again sometime in the near future. Click here for the recipe and method.

Time: About 50 minutes, including prep.