Seasonal Sundays (Week 40 Early October)

Who's into All-Things-Pumpkin?! Me, I'm staving off pumpkins, even to celebrate the arrival of October. But this week's Seasonal Sundays is full of ideas to get you into the coming week and tiptoeing toward, dare I say ... holidays (and pumpkins) to come.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays!

And in a couple of days, welcome, October!

Anyone here "decorate" for Halloween???

Based on the carts of pumpkins I'm seeing – at HomeGoods, mind you, not the farmers market – many people must. I keep the fall stuff in the basement until at least October 1 or until it cools off a bit, whichever comes first.

But I'm itchin', yes, I am, to switch from summer to fall, straight from flip flops to boots, and yes even from sunflowers to pumpkins.

Let's get on with it! Your notes and your click-throughs tell me what you find interesting, what bores you to tears. I do aim for interesting so please do keep me in line ...

Just a reminder, I personally select everything that's mentioned here — nothing is sponsored, nothing is paid advertising. Oh and if you happen to buy something via a link to Amazon (just Amazon, no others), Kitchen Parade may earn a small commission. Zero pressure, just an FYI that's required by law and good manners. My Disclosure Promise

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And Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown this evening (September 29th) and continues until sundown on Tuesday (October 1st). So Happy New Year to all who celebrate!

My Spiced Honey Cake is sweetened with honey, warm with fall- and cold-weather spices.

I won't go so far to say it would be perfect for Rosh Hashanah but I do think it's a lovely minimalist cake for the fall. And it not only keeps, it gets better as the days pass, so is a great cake for traveling or a hostess gift. It's shown here baked in a Bundt pan but does equally well, maybe better, in a loaf pan.

If you're cooking for Rosh Hashanah, I'd love to know what's in your family tradition. This is something I've only read about ... although LOL, this week I did find an old family recipe for noodle kugel in my own archives! Only thing is? We don't call it "kugel" and at the time, I didn't know enough to recognize it for what it was.

And Happy Thanksgiving Too!

And while we're talking holidays, hello and Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadian readers who will celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend – accck, I jumped the gun, so sorry, Canadian Thanksgiving is the second weekend in October!

Canadian Thanksgiving is much more low-key than American Thanksgiving. I envy that! And isn't it so civilized, celebrating Thanksgiving in early October over a long weekend rather than midweek just weeks before Christmas???

All is not lost. This Year, Let's Celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. Or you know, stay low key and just throw a turkey breast into the slow cooker.

And Canadians, may I recommend the World's Best Green Bean Casserole?

You Texted Me Back, Thanks!

Karen wrote about last week's sheetpan supper Roasted Salmon with Garden Hash & Creamy Avocado Sauce: "This is saving my Sunday evening!!" She added a bag of Trader Joe's frozen Cauliflower Gnocchi, a brilliant idea, yes?

Something For Breakfast

I'm never sure whether to call these "breakfast casseroles" or "breakfast cakes" but I do know that they're a great way to start the morning, healthy oats gussied up with warm fruit and nuts.

They're so easy to adapt, I've got three versions:

• Two recipes on the same page, Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts & Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
• Baked Oatmeal with Pumpkin & Pears

Something For Supper

I swear, I could write a cookbook called Country Seasonal Suppers and Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping would fit right into the fall chapter.

YOUR TURN: Something with Eggplant

"What do you cook with eggplant?" asked the lady behind me in the grocery store checkout yesterday – and she was definitely checking out the pretty plump eggplant on the counter. Turns out, she'd never cooked eggplant and she'd only eaten it in eggplant parmesan!

She'd come to the right person, alright, because yeah, I have plenty of Eggplant Recipes.

But I kinda stumbled, telling her how we fried eggplant turns non eggplant people into eggplant people; how we often moan over eggplant rounds cooked in cast iron in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. Arrrgh, I've never shared either recipe. And I didn't have a business card, either, pointing her to A Veggie Venture.

So what would you have told her, right there in the grocery store? What do you make with eggplant that's simple enough to convey to the lady in the grocery store?

Something Pretty & Unusual for Buffet Lines

Onions, really??? Yes, really. Moroccan Onions, always a hit, super easy.

Something to Read

This month my book club read the YA novel, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the story of Starr, a teenage girl who witnesses the killing of an unarmed black teen by a police man. On the face, if this sounds familiar, it is, all too. But The Hate U Give is intensely personal, to this one place, to this one girl and her family. This is not the story line you'll hear or read about in the news.

I've absorbed The Hate U Give in all the ways: read it; listened to it (recommended, if you have the choice); watched the movie; and especially, pondered on it.

Each added to my understanding. I found the characters smart and human, the issues presented with perspective. It opened my eyes.

That said, it's hard to talk about race and injustice. That doesn't mean we shouldn't.

Is The Hate U Give on your bookshelf? Thoughts?

Something to Watch

Anything on Netflix grabbed your attention recently???

I'm thrilled for season 5 of Peaky Blinders beginning October 5th. Go ahead, binge the first four seasons. But better yet, take each one slowly, letting the cinematography and characters sink in. It's violent ... but beautiful and definitely one of my top five recommendations on Netflix.

Settle in with popcorn (or perhaps a pint!), there's no watching Peaky Blinders with half your attention.

Something to Savor

Who knows my my friend Karen's lovely blog, FamilyStyle Food? The photography will sweep you away, the recipes are simple and seasonal.

If you like what you see, FamilyStyle Food is a finalist for the "most inspired weeknight dinners" award dinner from Saveur. There's a strip at the verrrry top of her site where you can click through to vote or vote here, no login required, it's super quick.

And you're sure to come away hungry ... time was, I was familiar with all the award-winning food blogs. Not anymore! There are so many good ones! I'm going to pour through that list, to see who's up to what.

Which reminds me to say something that I don't often enough.

THANK YOU! There are thousands of really good food sites out there and your time and attention is yours to invest. Thank you for choosing mine, thank you for inviting me into your world ...

So ... thank you!

Something For the Slow Cooker

Ha! My friend Lisa, a Kentucky native, will tell you that I was v-e-r-y slow to take to grits. Then I discovered shrimp & grits – driving from the Carolinas to Miami along the coat will do that to a body. We bought a cookbook to figure out our own one favorite way to make this southern coastal favorite. (We haven't yet but it's on the list.)

In her introduction, the author Nathalie Dupree tossed in a "throw away line" that the best way to cook grits is in the microwave. I've never looked back!

And now I can't get enough grits. They're great for meal prep, a side to have on hand for stews, to slip under an egg or two for breakfast. Here's the recipe I use, Microwave Green Chili Cheese Grits.

Something Sweet

These pumpkin seed crumbles are more nut brittle than granola, I use them everywhere all fall and early winter. Ideas? On top of roasted vegetables. To finish a supper salad with a little barely-sweet crunch. With yogurt and fruit, for dessert. On top of our breakfast oatmeal.

Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles from A Veggie Venture

Something(s) Updated

For years now, I've updated one or two older recipes every week. This is in addition to bringing you new recipes!

But in 2019, the pace is way up. I've challenged myself to to update every recipe in Kitchen Parade and my top (and under-loved but high-potential) recipes in A Veggie Venture.

The goal is to make each page really easy to scan, really clear, really complete.

Would you believe that I'm dreaming in code? (At least I did the night I had a terrible reaction to this year's flu shot. Yikes.)

Kitchen Parade
• Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots, with just a touch of sweet, just a touch of oil, we still use this mostly as a topping versus "breakfast cereal"
• Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions, a meal prep favorite, here I also added the "slow cooking in the oven" technique.

A Veggie Venture
• Caramelized Onion Tart And guess what I made with those onions?! The crust here is fascinating, just three ingredients and no fussy cutting in "pea-sized" clumps of butter. Really easy.
• Steamed Butternut Squash in a Collapsible Steamer Basket This is definitely back to basics, the taste is so fresh and squash-y.
• BBQ Scalloped Sweet Potatoes Here I overhauled a bad recipe from A Veggie Venture's first year. In fact, I started completely over and the result, if I may say so myself, is terrific.
• Beet Salad with Lemon & Olives So many beet recipes! This is an unusual combination. I'd never thought about beets and olives having a similar texture.
• Potato Soup Oh my. This recipe took another complete do-over but I love the results. Did you know that most recipes for potato soup add up to hundreds and hundreds of calories? Not mine. I started off by lightening it with cauliflower ...

Text Me Back!

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com, dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, whatever.

• What's on the menu this week?
• Something in your fridge you'd like a recommendation on how to use?
• Anything else? Chime in, chat away.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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