There is a season....

What is with this weather? It's late May and it's 50 degrees and raining here in Northern California. It's hard enough living in a place with no distinct seasons, but this is crazy! It never rains here after March. I grew up on the East Coast where we had real seasons, so I am compelled to create my own as a coping mechanism. My husband dreads the words, five times a year (spring, summer, fall, Christmas and winter), "It's time to switch." That means he has to drag out the dishes, glassware, linens and all the decor for the new season. I create a fresh new environment (and season) each time. But this year the weather is a mess, and so is the kitchen. There was no spring and who knows about summer, not in the weather or in our house.

Another way I create seasonality is with food. I am ready to give up the stews and soups, hot chocolate and  cold weather comfort food, but it's tough when it's still so cold and dreary outside. My plan for this week is to cook spring-like food and pretend that the weather is warm. I have to admit that I was so cold this afternoon, I gave up and made myself a cup of frothing hot chocolate. But for dinner, we're having a spring meal.

Tonight's dinner is a pasta dish made with the asparagus and peas we purchased at the farmer's market yesterday. Doesn't that sound like warm weather dining? Pasta with fresh basil and Italian parsley, parmesan cheese, scallions, garlic and crispy pancetta. You can't go wrong with pancetta. It makes most anything taste better. So in spite of the cold and dreary weather outside, in our house we pretended like it is spring.