The March chapter of "Cooking by the Calendar" is more than ready for spring

Happy March! The new month means it is time, once again, to check in on Cooking by the Calendar (edited by Marilyn Hansen, 1978). The March chapter begins by claiming that "When the season changes, our mood changes, too, and the versatility of the egg appeals to our subtle leaning toward lighter foods." I would highlight the "subtle" in that sentence, as the chapter begins  with a few tables suggesting combinations for egg-based dishes, including this one on quiches. 

I'm not sure how "light" I would consider copious amounts of eggs, cheese, and often meat in a pastry crust, but at least if I put aside my unreasonable levels of hatred for mustard, nothing in this lineup sounds egregious. A green bean quiche with basil, almonds, and cheddar would probably be pretty good. (And maybe even better with broccoli or Brussels sprouts subbed in for the green beans!)

March is also the earliest month that might include Easter or Passover, so the book has a few recipes for each holiday. (It's easy to note the recipes and use them later if the holidays are later-- as they are this year-- but no good if the recipes are posted in April and the holidays were early!) Since lamb cakes are so iconic, I picked out that recipe. 

Hopefully, this is a really sturdy cake, or the head might fall off. No amount of ribbon tied around the neck is likely to fix that. (I think I'd go for chocolate rather than this plain old vanilla, though. Always been a bit of a black sheep myself.) 

Appropriately for Easter (or at least near-Easter), March's vegetable is carrots. Apparently, baking bananas with various other semi-random foodstuffs was still a thing in 1978, so here's the recipe for Glazed Carrots and Bananas.

At least it sounds better than baked ham and bananas in cheese sauce! 

Here's hoping that March ends up being better than a headless lamb cake, but the way things have been going lately, I wouldn't count on it...