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Wings are not a part of the culinary territory in which I tread lightly. You see, my roommate/dinner companion/husband is what one might call a wing aficionado. And wings are a subject on which he has got very definite views. And said views stop and start with Buffalo Joe’s, known to anyone in the know as simply Buff Joe’s.

Nary a soul passes through college studentdom at Northwestern or adolescence in Evanston and the surrounding suburbs without at least trying the blazing hots wings doled out by the Captain at Buff Joe’s, which is a stone’s throw from the edge of campus. Since my husband falls in both of these categories (a Wildcat and a product of the greater Evanston’s environs), his status as a Buff Joe’s super fan is not altogether shocking.

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After all my whining about spring-this and summer-that last week, I suppose it’s only predictable that I’m now feeling quite sad that winter is slipping away. Cozy sweaters, roaring fires, steamy bowls of oatmeal, freshly fallen snow. I love all these things and will be sad to see them go. And I haven’t even started in on the cold-weathered food I will miss.

There are still quite a few winter recipes on my to do list. Even though I’m itching to use fresh produce and lighter, brighter flavors, I’m not so sure I’m ready to give up roasting, stewing, smothering or braising. So, I’ve decided to embrace the last stubborn days of winter. I will eat root vegetables, I will make as many pots of soup as possible and, by god, I will stuff things with cheese.

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It’s Spring Break, folks. To ring in what’s almost assuredly my final Spring Break, Kevin and I spent the weekend in New York. And while the Big Apple is not exactly Cancun and there were no body tequila shots or wet t-shirt contests, we had an excellent time. However, I utterly failed in the photography department. So, I have no photos of our elegant lunch in August’s glassed-in back garden; our charred and nearly-molten pizza at Luzzo’s; our (dare I say, kind of disappointing) H&H bagels; our many-coursed and completely delicious Italian feast at Crispo; and our tours through countless bodegas, the Union Square farmer’s market, and specialty food shops (Amy’s, Murray’s, Zabars, Citarella).

Instead of dazzling you with photos of our getaway, then, I’ll have to settle with sharing photos of one of my favorite salads. While it might not have the “break” part covered, it’s certainly satisfies the “spring” in Spring Break. What with it’s segments of asparagus and verdant colors.

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I know we’re a couple days from the official St. Patrick’s Day. But I also know that this is the day when most will be celebrating. Which has me thinking of my grandma. My grandmother—her given name being Patricia Irene O’Connell—is, needless to say, Irish. Having married a Swede and settled among a bastion of Scandinavians in Northern Minnesota, she considers St. Patrick’s Day to be her holiday. And, year in and year out, my grandpa indulges her by cooking up a corned beef and cabbage feast when the mid-March holiday rolls around.

And while my own St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have never gone quite as far as corned beef & cabbage, they have been known to involve the occasional beer. And what’s a more St. Patrick’s Day-appropriate beer than Guinness? But, have you tried Guinness—or any stout for that matter—when it’s dallying around in dessert garb?

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Summer? Yooooohoooooo? I know you’re out there. But I would like you to come sooner. I know, I know. I’m skipping right over the whole spring thing. But this week’s back-to-back-to-back forty-degree days, have got me greedy. So, we—my husband, my sister and I—decided to engage in a little make believe. For this week’s Family Dinner, we unsheathed our grill. That’s right, Kevin chipped off the stubborn bits of ice clinging to the grill, untethered its wind-whipped cover, and creaked open our grill, which has sadly not seen any action since the last vestiges of fall.

I guess the aforementioned forty-degree weather and the new extended version of daylight (thank you, thank you daylight savings; I think I might looooove you) had us feeling a little more May than March. And on this little defying-reality-bent, we decided that grilled turkey burgers would be an excellent choice for an early March meal. And, while we were at it, I went looking for a summer-ish side dish to round out the fantasy.

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Sure, I could blame my desire to bake this soda bread on the fast approaching holiday that has my city dying its river green and encouraging its residents to “celebrate” (read: drink/gulp/imbibe/etc as much as possible, preferably on the South Side) for about 10 days straight. But, honestly, the ingredient featured in the title (brown butter) is what had me sold. Plus, I’ve got an even better St. Patrick’s Day post planned that will be here soon enough.

Not only does this bread feature brown butter (a decadence that I try to enjoy sparingly; as in, I haven’t trusted myself to go near it since I made this back in December), but it also uses minced woodsy rosemary and a rather obscene amount of fresh-cracked pepper, two of my favorite savory ingredients. And it’s also got a hefty dose of buttermilk, one of my favorite baking ingredients. Finally, after swabbing the circular loaves with an egg wash, you get to slice an “X” onto the top of each loaf. And I think the fun of that speaks for itself. What? That’s not your idea of fun? Your loss.

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Today’s recipe is the kind of recipe that probably has Rachael Ray shaking in her boots. This recipe will see her 30 minutes, and raise it with its 10 minutes (max) results. Seriously, if you want to serve this with rice or steamed vegetables, I suggest you get a jump on those dishes, because this sesame-ensconced tuna will be done before you can say ohmygodthisisdelicious.

And, that’s what you’ll be saying. Trust me. It’s a recipe that is not only fast, but it’ll turned heads too, with its chic sheath of black-and-white sesame seeds. And, because looks are of course never enough, I can assure you that the recipe is as delectable as it is quick.

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When I tell you that this Swiss Chard Gratin was seriously delicious, I won’t blame you for rolling your eyes. I know what you’re thinking: what isn’t delicious in gratin form? I mean, Kevin might even eat mushrooms if I bathed them in bechamel and baked them under a crusty layer of golden, cheesy read crumbs. And that is saying something.

And you’re right. I was expecting this gratin to be good, because I agree that gratins, by definition, are good. But this was even better than I expected. It struck the perfect balance of being creamy and luxe without feeling overly rich and decadent. And it highlighted the flavor of its main components—swiss chard and spinach—rather than masking them. And the gruyere-and-herb-laced bread crumb topping was crunchy, lending a sharp contrast in texture to the silky greens that laid beneath.

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When I was planning the menu for Saturday night’s dinner, I asked my friend Maggie for her preferences, as it was to be the last night of her visit from London. When she opted for French (bistro, not fancy), I took a moment to enjoy the appropriate Bon Voyage-ness of it all. And, after that self-indulgence, I knew exactly where to turn for recipes. Gourmet‘s March issue was dedicated to bistro fare. And, as the many dog-eared pages will attest, the issue left me inspired. But, truth be told, I didn’t even need to crack open the magazine to get inspired. The issue had me at the cover, which featured the profiteroles you see here.

Welllllll, these profiteroles are almost the same as the ones on the cover of Gourmet, save for the chocolate sauce. I had the best intentions to create the cognac-spiked sauce that the recipe called for, but after I burned the sugar in the very first step (apparently, me and caramel are just not meant to be), I gave up.

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Did you miss me? Sorry for my brief absence (I told you I couldn’t keep that pace up), but between an ethics exam in the morning yesterday and a dinner party last night, yesterday was a leetle busy. But, the ethics exam is over (!) and the dinner party was a smashing success. So, it’s back to the blog.

One of the things we made for last night’s dinner was a brisket I’ve already blogged about. More on other aspects of the dinner later this week. But, for now, I can’t resist sharing photos of what could possibly be the best leftovers ever: a brisket sandwich.

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