Thunder Overcomes Addiction (And We Eat Peach Salsa)

Two weekends ago, Scott and I drove to Atlanta to stay with some dear friends and their baby girl.  I thought we should take the highway, but Scott wanted to take a slower route so he could show me the town with the most meth labs in the United States.  I pointed out that it’s kind of creepy to be late to meet your friends’ baby because you were hunting for meth labs, but Scott game me a look like it’s exhausting being interesting for both of us, and I caved.

Approximately 900 methadone clinics and one Schlitz factory later, we crossed into Georgia and had a very nice weekend.  Thunder did not destroy our friends’ house, which made us feel like excellent dog parents until we realized it was only because she was extremely high.  She had been spayed and was on barbiturates two times a day for ten days.

She had her last pill when we got home Sunday night.  At approximately 8 a.m. the next morning, she was no longer stoned.

First, she tried to eat the bed.

Then she got paranoid and hid inside the kitchen cabinet, in the dark, with the Tupperware.

Then she tried to eat (1) the bathmat; and (2) some sponges.

And the remote control.

When I confiscated the remote, she got really pissed and went back to eating the bed.

For a really long time.

Eventually, I got worried about her total daily cotton intake, so I went to the pet store and got this edible hedgehog thing, which the lady assured me contained no mushrooms and was chewy enough to distract her for more than five seconds.

But the edible hedgehog just seemed to make her really, really sad.

Then Scott got home and refused to take us to the methadone clinic, even though I was at my wits’ end and we were clearly unable to give Thunder the support system she needed.

And that, my friends, is why we don’t do drugs in this house.  Only one person can fit into that Tupperware cabinet at a time.

It is also why we had no time at all to make dinner.   Nights like this are perfect for peach salsa + chips/quesadillas/nachos.   It is super fast and deliciously tangy.

Instead of peaches, it can be made with nectarines, mangoes, grilled pineapple or fresh cherries (though cherries take a while to pit).  I actually prefer nectarines to peaches because I think they hold up better in the salsa.  You can also throw in green onions or a can of black beans, or take away the cilantro, if you don’t like it.  The proportions are flexible, as long as you have enough onion and citrus in there to get that good salsa tang.

I prefer boiled corn to grilled corn, but there is no reason why this wouldn’t be delicious if the corn were grilled in foil or its own husks until charred, about 20-30 minutes.

Note that this makes a very mild salsa unless you up the jalapeno factor.

Peach (or Nectarine) Salsa

2 tomatoes

4 peaches (or nectarines)

1 avocado

2 ears corn (or 1-2 cans corn)

2 lemons

1/2 c. cilantro (packed)

3/4 c. onion (yellow, white, or shallots)

1-2 tsp. jalapeno (or more, if desired)

2 tbsp. mint

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil corn for 10 minutes.  Remove cobs from water to cool.  When cool, stand cobs on their ends in a bowl with shallow edges and slice downward to remove kernels.

Dice the 2 tomatoes, the 3/4 c. onion and the 1-2 tbsp. jalapeno and place in a large bowl.  Add the corn kernels, the juice of the 2 lemons, and the 1/2 c. cilantro and 2 tbsp. mint.  (Rip the cilantro leaves off the stalk and add whole, but roughly slice or tear the mint.)

Toss to coat.

Add the 4 diced peaches (or nectarines) and the diced avocado, toss gently to coat, and serve.