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Entries Tagged as 'Holidays'

Just a Simple Spring Dinner

April 13th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Holidays

easter-dinner

Spring! Spring! Spring!

One of my favorite parts of this season, aside from all the blooming, sprouting, and renewed sense of joy that people seem to have, is the opportunity to cook spring holiday food, even when the holiday isn’t exactly mine to celebrate. (This seems to be a national trend: I was more than excited to see the Obama’s hosting the first White House Passover Seder.)

Here is a sneak look at last night’s passover friendly Easter dinner: Trader Joes rack of lamb, mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cinnamon, and steamed asparagus, baked for ten extra minutes with some grated cheese on top.

This entire meal was put together and finished in twenty five minutes, and while quick cooking is not normally a priority for me, sometimes I just want to be out of the kitchen relaxing… participating in another of my favorite spring activities: watching the end of basketball season, and the beginning of the baseball season. Go Sox!

::Mashed Sweet Potatoes:: Peel a few large sweet potatoes and cut into rough inch sized cubes. Place the cubes in a microwavable bowl, add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, and a quarter cup or so of water, cover with saran or a microwave lid, and cook on high for about 12 minutes, or until soft and drain. Mash with a fork or a masher, add a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of cream (or half and half, or milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon.

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Friday, February 13th, in food.

February 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Holidays, Pasta, Random

friday-the-13th-1

Yesterday was Darwin day, a fantastic day for a fantastic man, commemorated in the UK by the printing of special stamps.

Tomorrow is Valentines day, and most people have been posting delicious things on their food blogs, including all varieties of cookies with pink frosting, truffles, and molten chocolate cake (a little bit cliché if you ask me).

I’d rather discuss today, Friday the 13th of February, and give it it’s own moment in the spotlight. I generally like this unlucky and mysterious day, and at one point as a child, I “reclaimed” it as my good luck day. To be fair though, I also claimed that I enjoyed getting shots, and really that was just a tactic to avoid the fact that I really hated them.

Friday the 13th, which occurs infrequently when the calendar aligns with the sun and the stars is filled with superstition, and a large amount of uncertainty as to its origin.

Some say it’s roots date back to a somewhat tragic Norse tale, where Frigga (Friday), a mythological goddess gets banished when the Norse convert to Christianity, and subsequently gathers with 11 other witches and the devil to plot her revenge. You almost feel bad for poor Frigga though, who as a fun lovin’ free spirited goddess was banished and replaced with a strict, reserved Scandinavian culture. At least they brought us cured salmon. The day is also associated with The Last Supper, which was attended by thirteen, and occurred right before Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. Now, sitting down at at a table of thirteen remains a dinner party faux-pas, although, really, it seems as if the real problem is that you have to somehow afford to pay for all of the food to feed this large number of people. I’d say that your budget would be the one that is unlucky.

Perhaps most importantly, today is National Tortellini Day. Isn’t it fantastic that Tortellini gets it’s own holiday? Maybe some superstitious folks will make their tortellini with squid ink and serve it to a party of thirteen.

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