on the menu 3/17

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Did I go to either of the gigantic parades here?  No! Why? You want the truth? I can't stand parades. I don't know why, I just find the whole thing to be incredibly boring and tiring. Regarding St. Patrick's Day, if I wanted to get drunk before noon, I could do it at home where I wasn't in a crowd and didn't have put on real pants.

I was planning on making what I always make for St. Patrick's Day - corned beef and cabbage, when two things happened: 1. the temperature went up to 80 degrees, and 2. Dan suddenly decided he didn't like it.  I was all set to ignore his preferences, but the temperature made me rethink a warm, wholesome, stick to your ribs kind of meal. So we're going with Reubens, instead.  And a Guinness cake. Because I'm entirely indifferent to the holiday.

1. Reubens on Irish Brown Bread - I can Irish this up a little bit, at least. The brown bread recipe is one of my favorites. It originally came from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks website, but in looking just now so that I could link to it, I see that it's been removed. I think this might be because she put it in one of her cookbooks, and I promise that I will buy them soon so that I can confirm. 
2. Linguine with Slow-Cooked Zucchini - I know I'm jumping the gun a bit on the zucchini. I know it's not technically in season yet, but I love this dish so much that I can't wait any  longer. I should note that I've never actually made this with pancetta, as directed here. I always use bacon. But it comes out incredible nevertheless, and bacon, the thick cut kind I get from the butcher counter, tends to be cheaper, so I'm sticking with it. 
3. Avocado, Apple and Arugula Salad - I might be jumping the gun a little on summer salads, too. Yes, it's 80 degrees during the day, but it's still down in the 50s at night. This looks really light and refreshing, and as suggested in the post, I might be feeling like I need a reset after last weekend, which was full of (delicious) meat. 
4. Asparagus Stir Fry - When I walked into the grocery store last week there was a huge display of asparagus. It was big bunches of the super thin kind.  It just looked so bright and green and I instantly regretted that I wasn't planning to make anything that called for it that week. It must be on my brain, now, because asparagus stir fry sounds perfect. 
5. Vegetable Eggrolls - The other week when I was making the Winter Spring Rolls, I accidentally bought eggroll wrappers instead of spring roll wrappers, and had to go back to the store.  So, since I had a pack of eggroll wrappers, I searched out a good veggie recipe, and I think this one will do the trick. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to turn this into a meal, but I'm sure I'll think of something (even if it's just rice). 

And then, of course, there's cake. With frosting. 

garden

I desperately want to start my garden. This weekend is going to be way less lazy than last. I promise.

beware

"beware the Ides of March."

If you haven't read (or watched, even) Julius Caesar, you should. It's worth it.

church and state

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

- Article VI, United States Constitution

And, if you have the time, and are tired of things like this recent report where apparently half the people in the South still think President Obama is Muslim, have a read through this.

today calls for a photo

Let Them Eat Cake - St. Louis, MO 2012

on the menu 3/10

Apparently, we're barbecuing this afternoon. I found this out last night. I'm not really feeling ready to plan grill food, so I'm going to sit back and let Dan handle this. It's kind of ok, though, because this week I would have needed to buy six meals, since I don't have school. This BBQ means I can get by with five.

Oh! I forgot. I have a work dinner Tuesday night, so I actually only need four meals. What about Dan? I don't know, leftovers? Breakfast? Takeout? He'll be ok.

1. Orange Ginger Baked Tofu - The last time I made this, I wished that I had doubled the marinade so that I could reduce it down into a sauce. I'm going to try that this time, so that I can have this with white rice and simple steamed broccoli, and just use the sauce on top. 
2. Simple Pasta with Garlic Bread - Ever since I saw this recipe for garlic bread, I've been dying to try it. I will admit that I probably would be ok with just eating garlic bread as a meal, but I know better than that. Since I'm expecting this bread to be no less than spectacular, I'm going to have it with a really simple pasta and tomato sauce. Unfortunately, I was planning this to be my other weekend meal, since the bread looked time-consuming, but what with this BBQ, I'm going to have to try to make it on a week night. 
3. Homesick Texan Carnitas - I saw this recipe a while ago and put it on my list of things to make, but never actually got around to it. In the meantime, a friend of mine tried it (after she, living in the UK, declared that she could "murder a carnitas bowl from Chipotle") and said it's simple and delicious. It takes a long time to cook, so this is going to have to be on the menu for tomorrow night. I'm going to take Deb's suggestion and make the Green Onion Slaw. I loved it with the Tequila Lime Chicken (but I loved the chicken, too... sorry Deb).
4.  Coffee Bacon Sandwiches - I know. I can't help it. I'm curious.  Would you believe me if I said I was more interested in the goat cheese spread?  Fine. But don't try to say you don't want to eat this. 

 I think I'm finally able to control the craving for lemon-flavored desserts. At least this week. I have a jar of lemon curd, so I should be able to take care of that any time the craving comes up. And in the meantime, I really wanted to try this Honey and Beer Spice Cake. I'm a sucker for how easy it is to make my own whipped cream.

old fashioned

Dear Rick:

This past weekend I had a conversation with my grandmother about you and the other Republican candidates. When I told her that you had said that sex should be for procreation only, she laughed.  She laughed long and loud and genuine.

My grandmother is 94 years old.  And she laughed at you.  And then she wondered aloud how anyone could still be so old fashioned and out of touch.

I don't know, man. If you can't connect with the senior citizens... I don't know.