Hi All you Lunatics;

March.

They say in all the ads "Welcome to March Madness!!!". I can see why. We have that tiny peek of sunshine, followed by that dismal bout of gray and rain, and wind and cold.....it's like not being able to decide what to wear when you get up in the morning. (Gary is so ready to pull out all of his Tommy Bahama's and shorts, and yet that vocal delivery of "possible snow tonight" just pulls all the wind out of his visionary sails.....)

Baby, It's cold outside ....(Listen here...Song: Baby, It's Cold Outside by Dean Martin

I swear to gawd, I was outside in my gray-wintered yard and we saw some plants sticking their bright green little heads out of the soil, but like that wise old beaver (?) who predicts the coming spring every year, they all said "screw this" and retreated back to the warmth of the underground.

Sometimes I am like that: you get your day going, and then "BLAM", something hits you and says 'it's to cold, dismal (fill in the blanks) to do anything' and we just want to stay home and make a fire (at our house, Gary walks over to the wall, looks at me and says 'Let me build you a fire', and he flicks the switch, and 'voila!' : instant fire. And he laughs each and every time he says this.... He's so good with technology....) and maybe have some hot tea, or warm up some vodka and drink it with our orange juice (am I getting that wrong???). Anyway, you just feel like plowing under the covers and retreating from the dismality (yes, this is a word: : the quality or state of being dismal : dismalness; also : a dismal occurrence or feeling) of our weather.

But I? Let us embrace this wreck of these days. It's cold: get out your favorite socks and sweaters and parade around feeling great about your feet just rejoicing in that feel of thick cotton wrapping around your toes screaming "I feel goooood".....that sweater of yours that you don't wash that often, that still has the smell of the last favorite thing you did while wearing it (AVATAR in 3-D), and finally being able to wear that eight foot long hand knit scarf wrapped around your neck three times (they look so good on the models: why do I look like Jabba the Hut?

(See view ➔)

Oh well, a legend in my own mind.....

And we look forward to just 2 - 3 weeks from now when it all changes......and then I remember: April showers bring May flowers....(am I the only person who remembers these things? What did my mother do to us???).

So once again, food brings comfort. Food nourishes us. How we go about getting the comfort and nourishment is up to us....

Me? I love braised meat dishes. So you will see that on the menu. Last month, we asked for some customer favorites that we could incorporate into this months menu. To those that offered items I could re-create thank you. We have several of these items on the menu, and some favorites to boot. Ms. Katy has a seafood stew that is already popular (with us to begin with...) that has crab, and shrimp and clams. I tweeked the recipe a bit, but Katy's Seafood Stew is now on the menu. Along with Judy's Hanger Steak, Mike's Jerk Pork, and Margie and Bob's Pesto Chicken, and one of my favorite people who we miss, "Miss Shirleys' Chicken Artichoke Pasta". So enjoy your fame you crazy kids.....you are on the menu!!!!

Alas, to those who offered things I could not include on the menu, what were you thinking??? Cold Polish squid with pickled cabbage? Black ink pasta with chocolate, fresh lavender and prawns? Lamb pancreas with rice and honey? I am getting too old to see the value of food I would be afraid of eating.....life is to short...

Give me polenta any day of the week.....just polenta....maybe with some short-ribs, or Osso Bucco, or lamb shanks. or Gorgonzola and Parmesan....(now I am being pushy...)

So another thing; Placerville NEEDS a great bakery. The kind where we can go and get a fresh out of the oven Baguette, or a Brioche, shiny with an egg wash. When we go to San Francisco, we always go to this bakery on Columbus that is an old Italian bakery that specializes in wonderful breads and pastry that you can't decide which or how many to purchase. I long for that in our area. Anthony Bourdain, the mad-man of food and travel and awkward sentences, has a must-watch program on the Travel Channel called "No Reservations". He makes no excuses for what he likes, and dislikes. He also is an opinionated S.O.B., but you find yourself mesmerized by his observations. This is a clip from his show about French bakeries that is wonderful, and makes me long for that smell in the mornings....which will also clue you in on this months recipes...

Anthony Bourdain Baguettes

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I was given the site to watch this lady named Clara on YouTube. She is 94 years old, and has a cooking segment she films about cooking during the depression (which one you ask???). I find her fascinating in that she is so patient while she is discussing and preparing her foods. It is a lesson in my own patience just to watch her cutting a carrot, or peeling an apple. I am sending you this link to watch this amazing lady. She has a cook book, she has a web site, and she is 94!!!! Come on, it is a couple of minutes out of your busy life to see this lady who is still doing something constructive with her days. She reminds me of all the older people in my life that I probably should not take for granted, and also the ones gone that we should have taken more time with. WRITE YOUR FAMILY COOKBOOKS!!!!

Great Depression Cooking - by Clara

(Can you tell I have found a new way to interject some media to our e-mailings to you? watch out::::you will be seeded with things I like.....)

And one more thing: I have been doing this monthly letter for several years now, and love it. The notes and letters we get back from you are funny, insightful and full of information that I save. Thank you for your business all of you. Thank you for your interest in our news letters, and thank you for your feed back. It is a fun way to get things going....

Take care.

David at Cafe Luna