(Home made broiled fish, with brown rice and salad by my mom)

Growing up in two very strict catholic households (My grandma’s in the Dominican Republic for nine years and my parents house in the US after) I was raised following many traditions of this religion. I remember living in the island when I was very young how quiet and sacred Good Friday was. It was a day dedicated Jesus only. No house chores were done, except for cooking fish and making habichuela con dulce (a yummy Dominican Dessert). There were so many myths involved such as, if two people fought their arms would stay stuck together, if you cut a tree it would bled, and if you went into the wilderness, a beast would chase you. These myths were enough to keep us children well behaved even if it was once a year.

(Shrimp Alfredo Penne Pasta at Maggianos Little Italy)

I have grown out of many of these myths, but there is still one rule that I follow faithfully. During Lent, I do not eat meat on Fridays. Over the years it has been hard to keep up with this tradition, specially when I was away in college and when I was working nights in retail and the only non-meat that I could find was a filet-o-fish in McDonalds. But I have been very loyal to this tradition and I try to make this experience as fun and yummy as possible. I have to also thank my mother who always goes all out in the kitchen at this time of year. Here are some of my meals on this lent so far:

(Mushroom glazed salmon, with french fries and salad at La Hacienda Restaurant)