We’ve got Mardi Gras.
We’ve got Daylight Savings Time.
We’ve got St Patrick’s Day.
We’ve got Spring showing up again!
Beads, cakes with little plastic babies in them, sunshine later in the day, Irish soda bread and corned beef (and lots of people drinking green beer, which is just weird to me), and daffodils and crocuses.
When you look at it that way, March is a Party Month, for sure!
March is a sign of renewal. And in 2022, the world needs a sense of renewal like nobody’s business.
The cold dark months are in the process of being left behind. Prospects of warmer, sunshiny days are in front of us. Changes in our menus are almost there. What are you anticipating the most as we slide into pre-Spring?
Seeing Johnny A at Cafe Wha on St Pat’s for one!
Seedlings on deck, fingers crossed for warmer days!
Lighter food prep to shake that comfort food winter stretch.
Eta: Bought a mini king cake from the bakery and plan to prepare a Cajun shrimp.
Ooooh, I saw Johnny A at a now defunct club called Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA a LONG time ago (he’s a Malden, MA native). SO freaking amazing! Have a great time!
P.S. My seedlings won’t be out on the deck until mid-May, most likely.
Thank you very much, @tomatotomato . I put this write-up together this weekend, and with everything going on, I needed to feel that we ARE going to get through this with the help of each other. Seeing humans helping their fellow humans in dire need gave me hope.
Tonight was chicken breasts roasted after marinating in clementine juice, ginger, soy sauce, and a splash of rice vinegar. Served with leftover miso-butter linguini and fennel slaw with fresh dill. Around 900-1,000 cal., which seems like a lot. That mayo in the slaw is a killer.
Was thinking Cajun shrimp but parsimony prevailed and I went for a pantry dive.
Gnocchi, salt pork, broccoli, onion, garlic, red peppers, “bechemel” including sour cream and marsala, oaxacan and parmesan cheeses. Baked until bubbly and crisp.
Fat Tuesday: Shrimp, Cajun sausage, okra étouffée (I used crab broth). Left over garlic, butter rice and muffaletta salad salad. There was a Negroni for the cook, it may have accidentally been a double.
i got GREAT news today - our office is going to let us continue to work from home 2 days a week - I’m ecstatic!
Dinner was the NYT garlic braised chicken, but 20+ cloves of garlic did not impart as much flavor to the the chicken itself as i would have expected. The skin and broth were nice & savory, chicken super tender, and the garlic got all melty. I’m saving the broth for something else. Buttery/lemony orzo with dill and feta, and sauteed arugula on the side.
Tonight was the first night of Mardi Gras so naturally I made Jambalaya (with smoked turkey sausage and shrimp). On the side was a toasted baguette and homemade Cajun butter. And there is no better cocktail for such a night than a Sazerac! Or two!
Tonight I made a Caribbean-ish cottage pie with picadillo. Ground beef and onion, red Goya sofrito, beefy mushroom gravy, peas, diced yellow bell pepper, a bit of allspice, sliced green olives, capers, golden raisins, Scotch bonnet sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, and a heaping Tbsp. of salsa. Topped with lime zested cauli-sweet potato mash and baked til crusty. It turned out really well! I couldn’t be arsed to count the calories. But subbing the cauliflower for white potatoes, and portion control, help. Green salad with oranges and vinaigrette.
