Wednesday, March 22, 2017

March Doldrums (and some pasta)

So, it's the middle of March, and I'm in a March funk.

Lots of reasons, none of them matter, but the big thing is this weather.

Mother Nature...

She teases.

This photo was taken a month ago in the middle of February!



She taunts.



And then she delivers this whack!

I hate March winds!!!!!


This is the construction site across from my school. The wind rippling the protective barrier reminds me of waves. #thinkpositive



And if you live in a city, it turns black and nasty very soon.


At least it's melting!


























One bright spot - these flowers survived being buried in heaps of snow. I spied them on my way to the subway.






So not much cooking is going on - between report cards and conferences and state test prep.

I'm SO grateful for the extra hour of daylight. I may be the only person who loves Daylight Savings Time, but it means the sun is still out when I get home from work.  #happiness

So, all this weather weariness is leading to carb overload. Too much soda bread. Too much chocolate cake from hubby's birthday.

I needed something comforting and quick, but I wanted - no craved - something green. To go with the pasta. More carbs. :(

I happened to discover, quite by accident, that when you cook kale in tomato sauce, it makes the kale taste sweeter.

So I simmered some canned tomatoes, added my kale and garlic and herbs. And I had some color and some healthy greens.



Good thing, because that was the side to this deliciousness - white rotelli with ricotta and mozzarella.  See how desperately I need spring to really arrive!






So what are you doing to combat weather woes?



PS:  Please come say hi.
I have to admit, yesterday when the RITA GH calls went out, I was shocked. I think my real life has kept me too isolated from my writing buddies. I had no idea - probably for the first time in 30 years - that it was GH/RITA day.  So that's probably part of the March funk. No writing time available. Nada. Zilch. Sad me.
Soon. After next week, I can breathe again (I hope).

PPS:

I saw this sign while out walking Fenway. It made me smile. Hope it makes you smile too.




10 comments:

  1. I'm in love with that sign!!!! It's perfect! And who'd have thought that Ms. March would kick up her heels and bring us the winter we thought we missed??? Oh, fickle woman!

    We still have snow here, but maybe fading, although we're going into single digits tonight. Obviously our Global Warming/Climate Change/Mini Ice Age leaders are divided on what's happening at the moment, but I'm just calling it all "weather" and (like you!!!) waiting for SPRING!!! I shall rejoice in God and flowers!!!!! There is something so amazingly special about our joy when spring erupts... if you live in an area of constant sunshine, you never get to truly experience the joy of spring and rebirth... or the quiet of winter. And I do love both!

    I will not discuss the kale.

    I will discuss the mac and cheese, LOL! :)

    Bless you, my friend, and the spring is coming.

    Just never quite as soon as we'd have it arrive.

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    1. I don't surrender. We may make a kale convert of you yet! The baby kale is much better than the tougher stuff. Farmer Dave should grow some!

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  2. It seems I often crave greens, too! And tomatoes. I love colorful foods, especially when I've been having to eat out a lot. I stopped at Sprouts this week and loaded up with fresh produce.

    Love the sign!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, colorful foods. Somehow they make it more fun to eat!

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  3. That sign is hysterical. Gotta love barista humour! :-) Mother Nature hasn't been playing nice here either -- it's gone beyond teasing and on to outright bullying. -28 with the windchill today. My windows are all frosted up and even though the sun is shining nothing is melting. Gah!

    And funny enough I've been craving greens too. So much so that I risked buying the blechy picked too early to ship up north stuff. Lot's of salad fixings made more palatable by adding mozzarella cheese as a garnish. And also funnily enough I paired salads with pasta all week long. Great minds think alike.

    Love those hardy early spring flowers who make a stand against Mother Nature. We haven't had any sighting yet -- gotta lose some of this snow first. Groan.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, Kav! -28 is just wrong!!!!!! No matter what month it is.

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  4. I hate to say it, Mary Cate, but spring has done sprung here in Texas. 92 the other day! Yuck. I'm not ready for summer. But, alas, the trees have leaved, the wildflowers are either in full bloom or spent, depending on where you are in the state. The only thing missing are those nasty spring storms, though it appears they will be here by the weekend. Time to clean out the tornado closet. Oh, wait. We're moving, so it's already been emptied.

    So I'm very intrigued by this kale/tomato combo. I know I have a kale salad recipe that uses citrus (orange, as I recall) and the acid in it lessens the bitterness of the kale, so I can see how tomatoes would do the same thing. Yep, I need to try this.

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    1. I may kick myself, Mindy, but I'll take March winds over 92!

      Yes, I think you're right about the acid part. I love mixing in citrus, but I hadn't made the connection.

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  5. Spring? Today's sunshine is holding a promise, but last night's freezing fog/rain/snow put a damper on things.

    However, I did see some tulip leaves sprouting yesterday! You can't keep those spring flowers down. :)

    And yes, I'm craving greens, too. Making do with frozen stuff for a few more weeks...

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, many of those sweet flowers were flattened by today's cold and gale winds. :( I hope yours fare better.

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