March in Review
+ a Recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
March hasn’t quite finished, but we’re nearly there, so I thought I’d round up and do the round-up early! Admittedly, I don’t feel that I’ve found the rhythm for this yet-- do I review the month on the last Friday of each month, or on the first day of the following month?
Speaking of finding the groove, could I ask you a favor? Could you tell me, what do you like about this Newsletter? Are there particular aspects you’d like to see more of? Is it too long? Do you have other feedback or critiques? Please feel free to reply directly to this email, or comment on this post on Substack. I am so happy that you’ve found your way to this letter and I love having you here. Thank you.
Now, on with the Month’s review!
March in Moments:
A magical horde of sailboats out on the Sound last Saturday, a peek at the dahlia tubers I purchased to grow this summer, and Luffy, chasing the sunshine spots around the house in the mornings.
The first bit of sunshine at the beginning of the month on a morning smoothie, eating raspberries and honey on peanut butter in place of jelly, and a snap taken during the set-up of the drip irrigation system for a future blog post. (My thumbs are still sore from putting together those fittings!)
A dinner I made this week, of which the salad was the star! Escarole, radishes, chives, grain mustard, mayonnaise, and white wine vinegar. MANY sprouts coming up from my experimental perennial seed trays (yay! Also, I have some major thinning to do!), and the speedy heroes of Spring, radish sprouts in the vegetable garden.
Discovery of the Month:
This month I got really into sautéing green vegetables with a splash of Shaoxing wine! It adds a lovely bit of refined depth to vegetables, and makes them taste polished and finished, with very little effort. I also set out to sauté with dry vermouth, but forgot to refrigerate my last bottle and had to throw it out (oops!) Did you know that dry vermouth is supposed to be refrigerated? That was another discovery.
What I Read, Watched, and Listened to This Month:
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
I love Neil Gaiman, and I love mythology, so this book was a perfect fit for me. Gaiman takes the traditional Norse myths and adds his straight-forward style of characterization and dialogue to make them more 3-D, while retaining mythology’s cursory nature. It’s been perfect for me as a bedtime reader— I can read one myth and say “ha det!” until tomorrow night.
Homegrown on Max
I was recommended this show by so many friends that it was on my “Movies and Shows to Watch” note 3 times! I watched 2.5 seasons this week while editing photos and I love it. The host, Jamila, is an urban farmer in Atlanta that helps transform outdoor spaces into vegetable gardens. The show is so inspiring, and it makes me feel so hopeful to see people invested in gardening and thrilled to be able to grow their own food.
Text Me Back! Podcast
I found Lindy and Meagan’s Podcast through Lindy’s Substack Butt News (which you can find under the recommendations on my Substack profile.) I tend to listen to a lot of podcasts in the mysterious and spooky realm, so sometimes I need to lighten up. Text Me Back! is just the tonic. I recently enjoyed the episode Girls vs Ghouls (go figure) in which Lindy and Meagan suss out the strong points of the two most well known Pride and Prejudice adaptations: 1995 vs 2005. A rumble for the ages! For the record, I agreed with all of their points.
My Favorite Product this Month:
Benetint by Benefit
This is the only item of makeup I’ve ever used to completion! I’ve been using it for years as a cheek and lip tint, but sometimes I don’t wear it in the winter because it can be a bit dramatic on pale skin. Now that my Springtime freckle tan is back, I’m on the poppy-pink wagon again. It’s simple and effective, and feels so fresh and cheerful for Spring.
Bonus Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
I made these pancakes on Easter morning last year, and I plan to make them again this year! The fragrance is divine, the texture is delicate and moist. Absolutely delicious. Bunny shapes optional.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 lemons
2 tsps vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more butter for cooking
Maple syrup for serving
Heat the oven to 250F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
Add the sugar to a large bowl and zest the lemons over it. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar and incorporate. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until slightly frothy, then add the ricotta, buttermilk, and butter, and blend well. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just moistened through.
Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan or griddle over medium-low heat. When heated, swirl a little butter onto the pan, and scoop a 1/4 cup of batter on to it. (Larger scoops will not cook well— this recipe is for petite pancakes only!) Cook 2-3 minutes, then flip, and cook another 2 minutes.
Transfer pancakes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet in the 250F oven, tented loosely with foil, to keep warm until ready to eat. Enjoy with maple syrup.
That’s all for this Fryday, see you next time!
Kiya