March Plans

 Even though it's only the first of the month ,March is a holiday rich one. There's St.Patrick;s day  followed by Purim. Pam Sunday and Easter Sunday end the month. Throw in bridal showers for those May and June brides and you have a lot fo planning and cooking to do.

St Paddy's Day may be the easiest to prep for. Its just corned beef and cabbage , right? Actually there's a lot more . You may want to make homemade colcannon, that yummy mix of kale and cabbage cooked with mashed potatoes and garlic or onions. The dish becomes labor intensive if you use homemade mashed. The colcannon only takes about ten to fifteen minutes to crisp up like a giant potato pancake. The're also Irish soda bread.If you used up your flour for some Valentuines' day cookies and cakes then it;s time to go out and ge tmore along with raiins for this treat. If you;re celebrating Purim, then it's also baking . This time is hamentasen ,  filled cookies to symbolize eating Hamen's ears or pockets. The dough must be chilled before being rolled out, and cut into triangles. They then have to be filled with either poppyseed or Mohn, prune, Levkar or apricot filling. These can be a lot of work especially if you;'re making tow or three dozen for a party. You may also want to bakes a loaf or two of kulich a challah type bread too.

Pam Sunday and Easter also mean a lot of planning, cooking and baking. This is the time to start planning if you want a smaller dinner or a large one with family and friends. Usually Palm Sunday is spent with the immediate family while Easter is a bigger gathering. You could have just a small ham with some trimmings for Palm Sunday and save the big family brunch for Easter a week later. Most families serve ham or incorporate it into quiches and frittatas . You could also  serve a whole ham accompanied by a cheesy strata full of eggs and cheddar. Bake mini muffins in different flavors as well . These are perfect for the little ones. As for dessert, a traditional Easter lamb shaped cake is always nice. Just remember that this is labor intensive and you'll need a lot of flour , sugar and butter for the cake and frosting./ Since this is also the month for bridal showers now is the time to start planning for bridesmaids and mothers. If the weather grows warm and Springlike, then think of a back yard tea party with sandwiches and small cakes. Again the couple's mothers can also get together and prepare hot dishes such as roasts and sides for an indoor sit down dinner if that's more preferable.

March is here and with it a host of holidays. Start deciding and planning what you want to make and bake. Be prepared for this busy month ahead.