Reasons to Celebrate!

Spring is in the air guys…you can just smell it!  This spring may still feel a bit heavy for some, (though it’s starting to look up!) but there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.  We’ve got some super fun holidays coming up! Why not do it up right and celebrate some of your favorite people with some of your favorite foods?!

Let’s start with Women’s History Month, we have an entire month to celebrate the incredible impact women have had on the world! More specifically, we like to celebrate the impact women have had on the culinary world. There are legends like Julia Child and Nancy Silverton that paved the way for women in a typically male-dominated industry. Chefs Mariya Russell and Clare Smyth are collecting Michelin stars for their excellence in the field. Alice Waters is credited with igniting the farm-to-table movement, keeping our food system in balance through their choices in food and farmers. Celebrity chefs are out encouraging the home cook to make amazing dishes, like Anne Burrell, Carla Hall, and Judy Joo. There are now three female Iron Chefs in the ranks; these ladies are so badass. We can’t talk about amazing women chefs without mentioning our rock star Homemade Chefs, Lindsay Leopold, Ryan Ross, and Renee Gabbett; these ladies bring it every single day and we would not be Homemade without them.  Then there are our everyday chefs - insanely talented women in the trenches, behind the line at some of favorite restaurants. These women have had a hell of a year to say the least. Here at Homemade, we celebrate them, we applaud them, and we are in awe of their strength and perseverance. So this month, we raise a glass to all of the women in the culinary world - you are an inspiration!

Moving along, we’ve got St. Patty’s Day coming up on March 17th! The Irish are known for comfort dishes that warm your belly.  Feeling carnivorous? Try your hand at some Corned Beef, paired with Cabbage for dinner or turned into a Corned Beef Hash with a runny egg for brunch. If you’re craving carbs, concoct some creamy Colcannon, mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. Still hungry? Build yourself a savory Shepherd's Pie, chock full of meat, potatoes, and veg. And Guinness, there must be Guinness. Whether you whip some of Chef Renee’s Irish Soda Bread with Guinness Butter, or tend to a slow cooked Guinness Stew, or lace your sweets, like Guinness Brownies, there must be Guinness. Sláinte! 

Now we’re hopping over to some April celebrations on the horizon. We don’t care how old you are, everybody loves a good PB&J sandwich. Lucky for you, National PB&J Day is April 2nd! There is no shame in simply slathering one piece of bread with peanut butter, the other with jelly, and smashing them together. Embrace your inner five year old if that makes you happy.  But if grown-up you is looking to celebrate this childhood favorite with your big kid pants on, try tricking up the traditional PB&J. How about breakfast PB&J Pancakes, PB&J French Toast with Bananas, or making your sandwich bread from scratch? Have you tried PB&J and Sriracha on your burger? Aaaamazing! 

Moving right along - if you celebrate Easter, it’s coming up on April 4th. Whether you celebrate or not, talking about the epic food spread on the table is in order. Do you celebrate with traditional Spiral-Sliced Ham with some Sticky Sweet Glaze? If you’re feeling less traditional, try throwing some proteins on the smoker, like Smoked Duck a L'orange or Smoked Sockeye Salmon. Oh and the sides, all the sides! From Deviled Eggs to Sweet Potato Soufflé to Saucy Peas with Pearl Onions to Jalapeno Creamed Corn to Hot Honey Glazed Carrots . . . we want them all! Then go run around and find all the candy-filled eggs before the kids get to ‘em. Ha! 

And finally, to round out our Spring reasons to eat and celebrate, National Burrito Day is on April 5th! We celebrate any holiday that involves food wrapped up in more food.  On this day (or any day), you can enjoy burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Start your day stuffing tortillas with eggs, cheese, bacon, cheese, sausage, cheese, chorizo, cheese, jalapenos, and maybe a little cheese. For lunch and dinner, ditch the eggs, add some beans, maybe some more cheese (never enough). . . anything goes guys. And National Cheese Day is on June 4th, so feel free to reuse these burrito ideas when that rolls around.

So, there it is! We’ve given you several reasons to celebrate this Spring. Celebrate the Women, the Irish (if you have an Irish Woman in your life, she gets double the love), and eat up all the PB&Js, Burritos, and Easter faves you can get your hands on surrounded by the people you love.  After all, as Julia Child says, “People who love to eat are always the best people.”