Happy St. Patrick’s Day! You’ll notice I’ve skipped right over the corned beef and gone straight to the colcannon (which of course I just had to mess with). I took the classic Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage and turned it into Mashed Yukon Gold Colcannon with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Shallots. The nutty, sweet, and earthy flavors of the sautéed veggies add great flavor and texture to the mashed skin-on potatoes (made with plenty of cream and butter, too!).

You might serve those with braised lamb shanks or even grilled leg of lamb or lamb loin chops if you’re south of our windy Atlantic isle and the weather is warmer.

We made the full colcannon recipe on Monday night and turned the leftovers into a frittata on Tuesday by adding cheddar cheese and some chile crisp.

Before dinner, have your pint of Guinness and listen to Roseanne Cash’s wonderful cover of her father’s famous tune, Forty Shades of Green. Many people think the song is an old Irish folk tune, but Johnny Cash wrote it in the late ‘50s when he was hitchhiking around Ireland.

Sadly there is very little green here on the Vineyard in mid March. But that doesn’t mean I’m not scouring the horizon for it (hello, baby chives!). So imagine my glee at discovering a new green vegetable in the Morning Glory Farm porch fridge (stocked while the store is closed until April 1). It’s a type of baby bok choy I'd never seen called Yellow Heart Winter Choy. I bought some last week and I’ve already been back for second helpings.

If you find the beautiful Yellow Heart or any baby bok choy, try this mildly mustardy green in one of these noodle dishes: Build Your Own Ramen-esque Noodle Soup (below); Chinese Egg Noodles with Baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps, and Coconut Broth, or Udon Noodle Soup with Miso Glazed Chicken and Vegetables.

You could also try this easy pot-sticker recipe, or you could use the bok choy in one of my favorite recipes, Spicy Thai Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry. Tracking down wild shrimp or responsibly raised farmed shrimp can be tricky these days, though, so you could also make that recipe with scallops (or chicken, just don't tell anyone).

I have to admit, with daylight savings arriving last Sunday, we’ve already been grilling more, and I jumped the season this week with two grilled chicken recipes that feel more like early summer. (Sorry, but I couldn't help it.) You could cook the chicken in either of these two recipes under the broiler, too, or on a sheet pan in a very hot oven.

Lemony Caesar Salad with Grilled Croutons features our favorite Grilled Mayonnaise-Mustard Chicken (yes, that chicken).

Grilled Chicken and Bibb Lettuce Wraps is a refreshing twist on a Vietnamese cool noodle salad, a wonderful dish I learned to make from chef Mai Pham back in my Fine Cooking days. In either form, cool noodles are juxtaposed with warm ingredients (grilled or sautéed) and served with lots of fresh herbs, peanuts, julienned veggies and Vietnamese Dipping Sauce.

For dessert in these in-between times? I think this luscious West Tisbury Carrot Cake from the Pollan Family would be fun to make this weekend, and um, fun to eat, too.

And hey, good news all around: Up-Island Cronig's is reopening in late April; Fantzye Bagels has a cool Passover menu you can pre-order by March 22, and Dilly's Taqueria at the Ritz reopened yesterday.

For those of you who just joined us here on Cook the Vineyard, thank you; we’re glad you’re here and be sure to follow us on Instagram @cookthevineyard.

See you there.