March in Minnesota does not evoke thoughts of any in-season foods. Nothing comes to mind, except maybe McDonald’s ubiquitous Shamrock Shake or a timely one-pot meal of boiled cabbage and corned beef in time for St. Patrick’s Day. There are several national food day designations in March, from Fruit Compote Day on March 1 to National Turkey Neck Soup Day on March 30. In between, days are devoted to waffles, Bock beer, coq au vin, Melba toast and lobster Newberg. The month itself is dedicated to celebrating national Noodle Month, National Sauce Month and National Peanut Month, all which can be celebrated with this recipe for Sesame Noodles.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate with heavy cream. Mix in other ingredients. Stir frequently until mixture is smooth. Serve warm with pretzels, marshmallows or fruit. 

Jill Bloomfield is a food writer living in St. Paul. Her website teachkidstocook.com  is a treasure for parents and kids to explore.

When days are packed and time is scarce, a simple way to add a bit of taste to quickly prepared meals is by using compound butters. A potentially underwhelming bowl of microwave oven steamed broccoli is elevated by a pat of garlic butter. A curl of cinnamon butter makes a leftover sweet potato a lunch to look forward to. A smear of honey butter will make even kids want to eat more carrots. Compound butters store well in the freezer. Easily make a butter log using wax paper to form a cylinder. Place the wax paper wrapped log in a plastic freezer bag or airtight plastic container. Store for up to three months in freezer.