March 1, 2025

WEEKLY MENU 03.02.25

During the Weekly Menu 03.02.25, we’re prepping for Lent with a party and delish meatless dinners!

Our Weekly Menu 03.02.25 (finally) has Lent showing up. It’s almost the latest it can be~

How is Lent calculated?

Originally Lent wasn’t always 40 days, as it first started out as only a few days of fasting and in some cases, a mere 40 hours of preparation before Easter. Later the Church adopted a tradition of 36 days of fasting, representing a “tenth” of the calendar year.

According to the norms established by the Council of Nicaea (325) and later adopted for Western Christianity at the Synod of Whitby, Easter Sunday falls each year on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

But why 46? I thought Lent commemorated Jesus’ “40 days” in the desert.

The six Sundays in Lent are not considered part of the official “Lenten fast” (every Sunday is a special remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ), and so if you subtract six from 46, you get the full 40 days of Lent.

What is the earliest date Lent can start?

The earliest date Lent can start is February 4, with Easter falling on March 22.

What is the latest date Lent can start?

The latest date Lent can start is March 10, with Easter being celebrated on April 25.

Aletia

We’re within a few days of the absolute latest Lent can start, but what’s really interesting is that Easter Sunday is also D’s birthday this year! It makes combining traditional Easter Dinner with his favorite meal a little tricky. Good news: we’re up to the task.

Even if you aren’t participating in Lent, a couple of ‘meatless meals’ over the next 46 days make sense for the old pocketbook. I always feel like I’m pretty much exempt from trauma during Lent—I love meatless eating almost as much as I love seafood. It’s not anywhere near as much trouble for me to follow the strictures as it is for our Boysies who don’t care much for fish. (Or eggs.)

Even though it’s not on the menu this week, we’ll eventually fry some fish. Give the Crispy Fried Fish a shot if you’ve never fried fish at home. It’s easy and pretty foolproof. Plus, it tastes incredible. The only downside? You can’t fry fish (or anything, really) without a mess.

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Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday

We celebrate one last time before Lent with a big party the night before Ash Wednesday. But it’s, you know, a Tuesday. So we have to take it a little easy. Our uncomplicated Jambalaya fills the bill perfectly – no slaving over a stove. Add in the perfect drink, and you’re good to go. The Hurricane Cocktail has a long history in New Orleans and is one of my favorite parts of any visit.

You can easily make them at home—get the Hurricane Recipe and some fun drinkware to round them out. Grab some Mardi Gras beads to set the mood. We’re trying out King Cake Bites this year. King Cakes are a traditional Mardi Gras dessert usually presented with a plastic baby (!) cooked inside the slightly bread-like confection. The bites are made with crescent roll dough filled with a cream cheese schmear and plenty of cinnamon. It’s easy and perfect for a Tuesday night.

I’ll take any excuse for a party.

Weekly Menu 03.02.25

Mardi Gras week starts out with a little Italian night – Baked Fontina gets us in the mood for a slow-cooked Sausage Ragu. Monday is Pork Milanese – which sounds more Italian than it is: it’s mostly just breaded, fried, pork cutlets. Delicious, no?

We’re having Jambalaya on Tuesday, a stew-like dish with fabulous Cajun flavor. This year, we’re skipping the shrimp, so our proteins will just be andouille sausage and chicken in a rich tomato-based sauce. Did I mention it has rice, too? It’s so easy—it’s perfect for a Tuesday night meal.

Ash Wednesday almost demands fish, but not everyone around here loves it. What works? Fish sticks. Yep. Store-bought Fish Sticks are hitting the menu on Wednesday in a taco, no less. I’ll make a vinegar-based slaw to go on top, but I’ll make enough for one. Fish isn’t the only thing that isn’t universally adored around here.

We’re going old school for our second meatless meal this week: Tomato Soup and Toasted Cheese. Of course, we’ll make it a little fancy – roasted Roma, cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers get whirred up in the blender before being thinned out with a bit of vegetable stock and cream. We’re making air-fryer “toasted cheese”: a layer of bread with a smear of marinara, two or three cheese slices, and another piece of bread, marina, and cheese on top of the first. Cheesy goodness abounds!