What We Ate: a seasonal reminder of dinner at our house.

If by chance you made too much of this lovely winter bruschetta  when you were eating with your vegetarian friends and threw a quart of it in the freezer, and now you are looking for a dinner for two that is savory on a still too cold (for March) winter night, then you might cook a couple of sweet Italian sausages in a heavy bottom pan and add the thawed bruschetta and a couple of cups of freshly chopped kale for a nearly perfect meal. The only thing that might make it more perfect is a baguette on the side with lots of butter. (I divide this into two smaller loaves instead of one big one.)

It's still January. It's cold but the light is coming back and spring WILL come again even though it's hard to imagine right now. Thankfully, will still have remnants of summer in the freezer and on the canning shelves. If you don't have cooked chicken in the fridge, pop a frozen breast in the instant pot for 25 minutes with a half a cup of water. Make sure to salt and pepper liberally. Open a two cans of navy beans (or pull some cooked beans from the fringe - instant pot recipe guidance here ) Find a half pint of salsa verde (on the canning shelf or from the store). Open a box/jar/can of chicken stock. Mix it all together in a pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes or an hour. Serve with avocado, cilantro, tomato, and/or sour cream. Add rice, tortilla chips, biscuits or corn bread on the side for more heft.