The Month in Review - March 2015

Goodbye cold, snowy March. I won't miss you. Well, OK, maybe a little. I'll miss the explosion of fresh citrus in the market. And I'll miss the kind of devoted kitchen time that comes from inclement weather. Warmth and sunshine will make me want to be out and about. No worries, though, because I have lots of spring and summer recipe ideas to try out. But before we kick winter out of here for good this year, let's take a look back at the delicious results of my extra kitchen time. Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Inspired Meatless Burger

Excuse me but how did it get to be nearly 7:00 pm and I'm still at my desk? Oh, yeah, it's all that lovely extra light that happens after DST in early spring. And I'm not complaining for a second because I love it. But I should probably be more mindful of the clock so that I don't finally come up for air, starving and realizing I have not prepped anything for dinner.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Lava Cakes

Do you know what day it is today? It's Chocolate Peanut Butter Day! Actually, it's the second annual Chocolate Peanut Butter Day. It seems like there are random food holidays every day of the year but somehow the combo of chocolate and PB is not officially recognized. Fortunately, several of my food blogging friends and I are rectifying that mistake because this is certainly a combination that needs celebrating. Carla from Chocolate Moosey and Miriam from Overtime Cook are hosting our little online gathering and you can see all the other delicious creations from my fellow bloggers at the bottom of this post.

Passover Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread (Jewish Biscotti Cookies)

Mandel bread or mandlebrot (the word mandel is Yiddish for nut or almond) is a traditional Eastern European Jewish delicacy. Baked as a loaf and then sliced, the texture is slightly softer than Italian biscotti (which I love) but there are certainly similarities. Although my parents are Eastern European, sadly my mother's baking repertoire did not include these cookies. The only ones I'd ever tasted were the packaged ones from the store and I'd just as soon pass on those, thankyouverymuch.

Grape-tini

It has stopped snowing in New York, at long last. And it's warmer. Not warm, exactly, but with the hope of warmth in the near future. And with that, the fruit man has returned. Carts filled with all types of fresh fruit can be found every few blocks in Manhattan and I love them. I've missed the fruit man.

Cheesy Potato and Parsnip Kugel

Growing up in a Jewish household, kugel was a holiday staple. It's basically a casserole style dish that can be made with either noodles (typically sweet) or potatoes (typically savory). Because of the no-flour restriction of Passover, noodle kugel usually appeared at Rosh Hashanah but, to tell the truth, I'd be just as happy if it never appeared at all. Potato kugel, on the other hand, was always welcome.

One Pot Mexican Style Quinoa

I was spending a rainy weekend at home but with plenty of paperwork and computer work to do. So, a rainy, working weekend at home. No lazing around watching movies and cooking a Sunday roast with all the fixings, sadly enough. So I took a stroll through my fridge and pantry and was thinking along the lines of a rice and beans dish with some extra veggies thrown in.

Honey Grapefruit Bourbon Smash

A few years ago we had dinner at the lovely Water Club on the river. While we were waiting in the bar for our friends to arrive the bartender offered to make us a special cocktail. As a general rule, we never turn down an offer to sample what the bartender thinks is good but sadly, this time we were disappointed. He made us a honey and lemon drink that, frankly, tasted like a cough drop, and it put me off the idea of using honey in drinks. But enough time has passed so that I've gotten over that medicinal taste and decided to see if I can do better.

Spinach Colcannon Bake

Traditional Irish colcannon is a dish of buttery potatoes mixed with sauteed buttery cabbage. So, Irish buttery comfort food. This? Well, this is not exactly that but it's still buttery and comforting and a tasty twist. I've seen colcannon made with kale or even spinach instead of the cabbage but I took it a step or two further from tradition but no further from delicious.

The Million Dollar Everything Bagel Potato Chip Idea

Let's talk about favorite flavors today. Do you love seeing "experimental" flavors from your favorite brands? Do you love trying the new ones and are you sad if you loved it and never saw it again? Or do you sometimes stare at the new flavors and wonder whose weird idea was that? If you answered yes then we so need to talk because I'm giving you a chance to weigh in on all this!

Blood Orange Mint Gimlet

Oh, look, it's snowing again. For the bazzilionth time this winter. Shocking, I know. I'm trying hard to be positive and see the bright side. I'm cozy and dry at home. I have food in the fridge and a blissfully well stocked liquor cabinet. I have a sweet furry dog to keep me extra warm. But the house-bound, stir-crazy thing is making it hard to see the glass as half full. So I'm going to fill it with a little spring.

Creamy Chicken Stew

Know what makes a food blogger happy? New pots and pans. OK, and kitchen appliances and new dishes and cooking gadgets. But for sheer ooing and aahing, nothing beats a shiny new pan. The only problem comes when we're hesitant to use it because it's too pretty and we don't want to mess it up. This new beauty from OXO sat on my table, being admired, for longer than I care to admit.

The Month in Review - February 2015

Snow...snow...snow...groundhog emerges, says "eek, snow" and runs back into his burrow...snow. Pause for chocolatey love celebrations. Snow...snow...snow...oh, look at all this lovely citrus in the markets now...snow...snow...snow. That was my February. How was yours? I guess the only upside (and I'm struggling to find one, believe me) is that I got to spend a lot of time in my kitchen. So, it was a freezing cold, overly snowy and generally unacceptable February but with lots of delicious food.  Let's take a quick look back at all the recipes before we climb back under the covers and pray for spring. Did I mention it's snowing this morning?