Special days....

 While February is the shortest month of the year, there is no shortage of special days during the month.  As February winds down, I’ll review a few of the special “food events” that weren’t covered in the last post.

I have never considered the groundhog to be a reliable predictor of much of anything, though it is fun to recognize Groundhog Day on February 2.  This appeared in Susan Branch’s blog early in the month....

As I had never honored Groundhog Day with anything special on the menu, I decided to correct that lapse this time around!  This Punxsutawney Pudding was delicious!  In fact, it was so tasty to me that I chose to use some of it a couple of mornings later....

It was an ideal “bed” for a fried egg for breakfast!

The Lunar New Year also came in February....the Year of the Ox.  For that celebration, we enjoyed this....

Shrimp Stir-Fry!  In my opinion, stir-fry dishes are an excellent way to work in lots of extra vegetables!  This one even included some cauliflower florets!

There were even fortune cookies following!  Happy to send you some!  Have lots more!

Of course, our favorite day of the month is Valentine’s Day!  Not an ideal time for going out to eat in a restaurant, that’s for sure.  This was a good substitute....

 Bacon wrapped scallops and cheese fondue....in front of the fireplace!  Quite cozy and relaxing!

Shrove Tuesday gave an opportunity for this....

Pancakes for dinner!  This brought back memories of years past of youth pancake suppers on the night before Ash Wednesday.  

Our vaccine immunity “kicked in” earlier this week, and we have made a gradual reentry into the general public.  Following the same safety precautions is still necessary, and that’s what we’re doing.  So far, so good!

I send good wishes for your health!  

In the kitchen....

 ....that’s where I’ve been!  The long absence in posting on the blog might indicate that I somehow became stuck behind the stove. LOL  Never fear; all is well.

This may....or may not....be a long post, full of pictures, and “peppered” with a little dialogue.

As we continue to follow pandemic protocol, we’ve been staying home.  For almost the past year (this is Day 344), we have kept ourselves out of stores and the general public.  I have filled my time with efforts in the kitchen....such as these:

 Cook once, eat twice....at least!  From a Sunday roast chicken came these two more meals....chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie.  Even the cranberry casserole was worthy of an encore!  

Using a recipe of several years ago from the Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, TN, this has become a new addition to our favorites.  It was the perfect addition to our Sunday roast beef dinner!

Then, that Sunday roast beef reappeared as a classic “leftover....”

Beef and gravy over mashed potatoes with peas on the side!  True comfort food, and a perfect example of that “Cook once, eat twice” philosophy.  

While not huge professional football fans here, I will confess that we watched a bit of the Super Bowl.  It was a perfect excuse for some special snacks.

Cheese tortellini and ground chicken meatballs for dipping in marinara sauce, along with lightly steamed cauliflower and carrots for dipping, too!  Some strawberries and chocolate, also for dipping!  Some of these “leftovers” reappeared as this:

The tortellini and meatballs, blended together with more marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese, created a dinner later in the week. 

There is still more, though I will save it for another time.  

I hope you are continuing to be well.  Double-masking is the order of the day, and that’s a policy we follow even when we only go for curbside pickup....and definitely also when we go for medical appointments.  The good news is that we’ve been able to receive both doses of the vaccine, and we plan to gradually re-enter the public in a few days when immunity is said to be effective.

Take care, and be safe and well!

A new month....

 Rabbit, rabbit!  It’s late in the day, but better late than never!  That expression is a wish for a month of good luck ahead!

We were greeted with a slight ground cover of snow this morning.  At this point in the day, it has almost completely disappeared.

This is looking down our street when I went for the newspaper this morning.  Do you have snow where you are?  Do you have a favorite treat for a snow day?  I think hot chocolate is a good choice for a snowy day!  Have you ever added a scoop of ice cream to your cup of hot chocolate?  It might be a tasty experiment.:-)

We celebrated by making this a “Muffin Monday!”  Also, tried my hand at creating my own sausage by adding herbs and spices to ground pork!  All the way around, it was a great way to begin the day!

I came across a recipe that had been in my files for a number of years....Lemon Raspberry Muffins!

Fresh raspberries went in these delicious nuggets!  

Using ground pork from the meat department of the market that takes care of our curbside pickup orders, and adding seasonings as desired, gave us a sausage that contained less sodium and was leaner than usual sausage.  Not a bad breakfast for the first day of February!

Special appreciation for workers who clear the roads in snowy/icy conditions!  Be safe if you have to travel!

Be safe, stay well, and follow necessary precautions!  Then, remember to choose joy!