Lamb for a week

A new month! And though May feels distressingly like April so far, it may eventually turn into something resembling a real spring.... I'm hoping I can take the fleece sheets and electric blanket off the bed one of these days!

A new month means it is once again time for Betty Crocker's Cooking Calendar (1962)! What's fresh this month?

I always thought I hated asparagus when I was a kid, but now I realize my mom just made it in a disgusting way. She liked making "creamed" asparagus that was really just overcooked asparagus in milk thickened with a little flour. It was overcooked, gray, slimy, and bland. Now I like asparagus roasted, cut up, and mixed in with whatever else I might be making to give it a hint of spring.

Rhubarb is the celery of the fruit world, which is a reference not only to its shape, but also the way I feel about it. I understand other people like it, but I can't manage more than a "meh." If you can get excited about rhubarb, I'm happy for you.











What recipe should represent May? This picture helped me make up my mind:

It looks quite festive with the peach halves and mint to give pops of color, and the nice paper frill on the bone to help disguise the fact that one is, in fact, chopping up a leg.

The instructions are pretty simple:

If you like the instructions on what to do with the leftovers, the book even helpfully provides recipes to go with Monday and Thursday's menus:

Happy spring! Kill a lamb!