How’s everyone doing? Are you surviving the last leg of winter? This is generally the month I start thinking, Okay, Mother Nature, show me some signs of life (and then immediately backtracking when new life starts to bud and Old Man Winter throws his trump card down). The neighbors laugh as I string Christmas lights in my lilac bushes to keep the buds from freezing. I’ll try and snap a picture for our Facebook group when I turn them on.

Cooking starts to be a challenge, too. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of winter comfort food, thinking the best thing ever would be a nice charred hot dog with a side of potato salad. Alas, my grill has 6 inches of snow on it, so that won’t be happening anytime soon. Some of you southern folks are already enjoying a plethora of fresh vegetables. Please know that all of us in the north are seriously jealous right now.

How’s it going with the Restaurant Menu Remake challenge? You’ve got about a week left to get your recipes in. Keep in mind most restaurant menus are available online, so splurging on a night out just to see the menu isn’t necessary. If you don’t remember the details, you can find them in last month's newsletter. March 15th is the deadline!

Check out this month’s requests below, and don’t let them intimidate you. I know Five in Fifteen may make you shudder, but it’s not as bad as you think. Five ingredients sounds limiting and fifteen minutes sounds impossible, but I’ve been paying attention in the kitchen, and I’ve kicked out a few meals that were really fast—without even meaning to. Panini and fancy grilled cheese sandwiches don’t take long at all. Same goes for angel hair with a simple tomato sauce and precooked Italian sausage. Even a pizza can be done in 15 minutes if you use store-bought dough. Hearty dinner salads are superfast, too. Get in touch if you want to bounce an idea or two off me. My favorite messages start with “Got a minute to hear an idea?

By the way, I heard a rumor that there’s a request for coconut recipes coming soon. I thought you’d all appreciate that little tidbit. As you know, I am oh so excited about it myself.

Happy cooking, my friends!

Sue Stetzel

sue.stetzel@tmbi.com