25 March Monday

A double rainbow. The most brilliant I’ve ever seen. Right from my back porch. Many saw but few believed. I almost think there was a third rainbow below the strong middle one. Is there something springing in the heart? Something that says despite all other reasons, everything is going to be OK? Or even wonderful? Isn’t everything still wonderful after all?

The beautiful Irish Stew. Oh, the glories of the New Year! Spring here, slowly, day by day. A day of warm, a day of cold, a dry day, a wet one. You know, it’s all like that. Northern California looks like Wales this time of year; deep green verdant hillsides fresh for grazing. How amazing.

Sunday is Easter Day, and I am not hosting. I like to make a party during Easter week, maybe Wednesday, maybe Friday, who knows? I do think I’m going to cook something unusual for my gathering- turkey. I bought one at the end of the holidays and put it in the freezer. Discount meat!! Well, now I’m gonna pull that baby right of its freezer tomb and bring it back to life just in time to cook and eat it! Worthy is the turkey. I will do it the same way as on Thanksgiving but maybe go one step further. I am going to remove all the bones and do a turkey roulade. oh yes! I can’t wait. Wait, wait, wait, is it a roulade, a galantine, rolled turkey? (aren’t roulade and rolled the same?) Yes, they are basically. One has a French name.

I am definitely not doing a galantine. I have to put all sorts of veal and chestnuts and cognac and other tidbits I’d have to go all over earth to assemble. And the cost. No, not this time. I will defrost my bird, carefully remove its big bones, and roll it up with something reasonable, like nuts and spinach. Everyone loves nuts and spinach. Speaking of people loving things, I’ve made a number of delightful dishes for myself and friends. I made a good baked Ziti with pesto and cauliflower. A nice salad with arugula, raisins, pumpkin seeds, ya know. My local grocery has begun carrying Banh Mi, which could be dangerous. For those of you that don’t know or only half know, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese baguette, except it’s lighter and airier and delicious (more delicious). It is perfect for sandwiches of all kinds and sorts and stripes, not the least being a perfect vehicle for the breakfast sandwich.

Why? Regular baguettes, like bagels, are terrible mouth delivery systems for egg sandwiches. The soft, fluffy eggs are squeezed out of end of the bread when the cuspids tear through the tough chewy crust. It’s like when we all go to France and are walking around and the only thing to get is a tuna salad baguette or a baguette Capresi. You go to eat the damn thing, and you end up with a lump of tuna salad on your lap, a large leaf of Bibb lettuce hanging out of your mouth, and your jaw getting the workout of a lifetime. Wait, did that happen in France? Maybe, maybe not. But it was definitely outside, and there was a sandwich paper on my lap, and it was blowing away in a chilly sea wind. So, I must have been near the sea. This has happened to me many times throughout my life. Eating things off your lap outdoors is not a great experience come to think of it. And the pigeons!

Many think Banh Mi is the name of the sandwich, but it is the name of the roll, so you can put anything inside it, and tell people you ate Banh Mi for lunch. Try it soon and let me know the reaction you get from friends! My Banh Mi was a breakfast one. Scrambled eggs, Gorgonzola, Ham, arugula. Wonderful. I prefer these sandwiches without any kind of sauce on them, be it ketchup or a spicy mayonnaise, or aioli or whatever. Too much gloop and flavor confusion. I hate flavor confusion. I wrapped the whole thing in foil (important!) and brought it all together in the toaster oven. Hip hip hooray. OK, enough, more to come. I think there may be another batch of Hot Cross Buns in the near future, and probably more candied citrus peel before the season is over. Citrus still local, still cheap(er).

Yes, friends, we are all worthy to be here, and you can eat whatever you want whenever you want unless you have terrible health problems, then maybe don’t. Or do! We only live once that any of us can remember, and if we don’t eat the turkey now, we may not be able to later especially if you’ve left your teeth in a baguette sandwich. Don’t kill yourself trying to take care of yourself when you could live, really live, not taking care of yourself. Anyway. Nap time?