What's for Dinner #127 - the It's Madness! Edition - March 2026

[LindaWhit]

We’ve got National Oreo Day on March 6th - Which makes some people MAD because those who dunk get mad at those who twist and separate and eat the filling first, and THEN eat the chocolatey cookie! The Separators (the elite Oreo cookie-eating folk!) on the other hand don’t understand dunking a cookie and getting it all soggy! (Yeah, I know it’s a CCC - there are no Oreo emojis!)

We’ve got Daylight Saving Time on March 8th. Which makes some people MAD because you have those who want it left at Standard Time; others who want it left at Saving Time.

We’ve got March Madness starting on March 14th. Which drives people NUTSY-CUCKOO when their brackets get busted!

We’ve got St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. Which makes some people CRAZY because they’ve drunk way WAY too much!

But what do so many of us look forward to that NO ONE can get mad at? The Spring Equinox on March 20th. Well, there are those weirdos who like Spring skiing, but Pffftttt on them.

So while we’re not yet out of the woods for those of us in the colder climes, it’s literally just around the corner: sunshine, blue skies, grass getting greener, and spring vegetables and easier cooking outdoors. And allergies. But it’s worth it.

What’s on your table as the days get longer and smiles get wider?

[ernie_in_berkeley]

I had leftover sauce and vegetables from the simmered pork a few days ago, so I used it to poach some black cod.

[small_h]

Bouillabaisse!

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Whoa, you already had dinner today? Or is this the last February meal?

[small_h]

Originally posted in February before I remembered what month it was. I’ll probably forget again at least once.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

But if that was your dinner yesterday, it was in the proper month

Either way, it got et for dinner. February, Shmebruary

[small_h]

Okay.

[LindaWhit]

Chicken-Barley-Veg soup (this is NOT a stew, IMO, the way she makes it; liquid is way too thin), using most of the chicken stock I made on Monday during the blizzard. I chopped the chicken vs shredding it, omitted the celery, and added a cup of peas at the end. Also added a cornstarch slurry to slightly thicken the soup.

A small salad of lettuce, a sad-looking Roma tomato, chopped red bell pepper, and the last of some green onion. A buttermilk-peppercorn dressing.

Chicken & Barley Stew — The Skinny Fork

[MsBean]

@LindaWhit

We’ve got National Oreo Day on March 6th

Thanks for this valuable info, @LindaWhit. I didn’t know this. The 6th is my birthday.

[ChristinaM]

Tonight I made high-protein potato-leek soup (to which I added roasted garlic paste, shallot, more herbs, and milk) with homemade chicken stock. Topped with a little shredded extra-sharp cheddar and served with sourdough discard focaccia (thank you @small_h!) and an arugula, red cabbage, shredded carrot and apple and pepita salad with shallot vinaigrette.

Delish.

[GretchenS]

That all looks so delicious!!

[Sunshine842]

After a long drive home, I picked up a pizza, unpacked my truck, and rolled the bins to the street.

Its a Mellow Mushroom pie with three kinds of mushrooms and caramelized onion woth vegan cheese. It’s delicious.

My next missive from the past will probably not be til April, when I’ll be at an event with the colonial militia reenacting group.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Our first potluck of 2026 is in the books

I organize this gathering of local home cooks every other month or so together with one of my gal pals, who is kind enough to provide her clubhouse for these events. There were a couple of newcomers besides the regulars, which is always nice.

We once again had a great variety of dishes, and an abundance of food. People know to bring takeout containers for leftovers. A bartender from our favorite watering hole often provides a cocktail concoction or two, and his 90 yr. old mom — who is an absolute firecracker and fabulous baker — always brings some excellent cookies or cakes. Today, she made a fabulous pear pie and Mazurka, Polish raspberry nut cookies,

whereas her son plied us with Bloody Marys.

My contribution was 1.5lbs of vegan linguini in a zesty tomato sauce: a whole onion was obliterated in the mini processor and sautéed in plenty of olive oil, TPSTO garlic was crushed and added along with RPF, a buncha chopped up capers, tomato paste, hot Turkish pepper paste, a splash of red wine, a whole carton of Pomi, a glug of pomegranate balsamic, oregano. Simmered all that for about an hour before adding fresh parsley & basil, and finally the pasta. There was just enough left for a small container to take home.

Other people’s dishes — as there were: a quiche (not a fan of quiche, but this was nice and airy),

pork meatballs (from the cook’s farm-raised pigs) in a kicky peanut coconut sauce,

a lemony chicken, feta & spinach orzo brought by one of my widowed gal pals,

Thai pork with jasmine rice,

Indonesian coconut rice, pickles & satay,

and a lentil soup that arrived late, so I neither got a picture nor to try it.

Desserts were the aforementioned cookies and pear pie as well as an amazing chocolate peanut butter pie with a salty pretzel crust,

and a Brazilian dessert with grapes I didn’t care for much — very sticky, very rich.

We ate enough food to last us a week , and even brought some of that peanut butter pie & a few meatballs home. Oof.

There’s always room for a second dessert, however: a dry AF martini

[MunchkinRedux]

Senate Bean Soup.

A pound of navy beans simmered in homemade stock with ham hocks. Seasoned simply with sauteed garden onion, salt and pepper. The original recipe stops here, but I added some diced Niman Ranch applewood-smoked ham and a strong dash of tabasco to take it over the top.

Served with leftover focaccia - rewarmed - from the freezer, and cucumbers in vinaigrette.

[BeefeaterRocks]

A large bowl of Thai coconut soup with shrimp. I added mushrooms, tomato, bok choy and bird’s eye chile. It was very good, made more so with the addition of the chile.

Amazing Easy Thai Coconut Soup

[BeefeaterRocksSister]

Another and another and another

[LindaWhit]

@Sunshine842

My next missive from the past will probably not be til April, when I’ll be at an event with the colonial militia reenacting group.

There’s a popular (and kinda famous) colonial militia reenactment in Lexington and Concord, MA in April.

[LindaWhit]

Me - Chicken-Barley-Veg soup
Christina - high-protein potato-leek soup
MunchkinRedux - Senate Bean Soup.
BeefeaterRocks - Thai coconut soup with shrimp

I guess it was Soup Sunday!

[small_h]

Not super hungry tonight, but need to get the silken tofu and the gai lan under control.

And giving this woman props for the recipe, which was very good!

[emglow101]

Raining here today . Decided to make ciabatta.
Smoked pork loin. , rigatoni , and beets with dll . Cheers.