Favorite Recipes for March

I really didn’t mean to be away for months. The short explanation is that things just didn’t get done. The long explanation can best be summed up by the short one, and would not be more interesting. Let’s just carry on, shall we?

Carry on into the month March, that is. It’s been a weird one in my geographical area, with the Winter stepping out for a cup of coffee or something, and then coming back to really destroy the joy that Spring built up while he was gone. With events like a significant thunderstorm sharing the same ten days or so with a significant snow storm, one kind of wants to just go back to bed and have someone wake you when it’s June.

The weather doesn’t quite make me go crazy for spring salads yet, but the hanging on of the winter weather just makes the days amenable to soups, like some of my favorites:

Black Bean Soup with Salsa

Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup

Chickpea and Barley Soup with Fennel and Tomatoes

 

Chard Soup with Cilantro and Lime

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

And of course, there’s St. Patrick’s Day. I haven’t made plans for anything special from my own kitchen this year (I’m going out!), but my favorite meals in the past have included Beef and Guinness Pot Pie, which can easily be served as a stew if you leave off the puff pastry top and present it with soda bread (traditional or not) or biscuits instead.

This Reuben Loaf is also fantastic. You can make it with leftover corned beef if you went with a corned-beef-and-cabbage meal on St. Patrick’s Day, or you can use deli corned beef with great results.

And for dessert, there’s this decadent Chocolate Irish Cream Cheesecake

 

Or, for a quicker pay-off, Irish Cream Brownies

Finally (and heading toward Final Four-ly), the phenomenon that is March Madness is upon us. If, like a certain member of my family (who doesn’t read this blog) you take your vacation days during the NCAA tournament, you might think of March as snack month.

My friends don’t watch basketball, but they do love when I make them Spinach and Artichoke Dip or Hummus. You can also get jump on spring by making the bright Green Pea Hummus.

There’s also this Cheddar Jalapeno Cheese Ball or Bean Dip with Sour Cream, Salsa and Cheese.

However you choose to celebrate March, with its sort of bi-polar lion/lamb nature, I hope you’ll always find something appropriately celebratory to eat.

I’ll be back soon with Chocolate Cookie Butter and Marmalade French Toast!