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Seasonal Sundays (Week 43 Late October) |  |
Welcome to Seasonal Sundays!
I made a mistake this week. I wrote down all the "big" dates between now and the end of the year. I just know we're all going to blink and it'll be January again. I happen to love January but please-oh-please, isn't there some way to slow down time between now and then?
How does everyone else deal with stress? When does it hit?
In the meantime, let's l-i-v-e- October ...
Something for Supper
You know a recipe's good – and practical and versatile and family-friendly – when you've been making something for at least of couple of decades and already, I can't wait to make it soon this fall, just need to buy a gallon of apple cider.
Chicken Cider Stew is great for dinner but it also gets rave reviews for taking to families who've lost a loved one or are welcoming a new baby. Even kids gobble it up!
Did I mention that it's a one-pot supper? We all love these! I have a whole collection, My Best & Favorite One-Pot Supper Recipes!
But the chicken recipe's here, Chicken Cider Stew.
Quick Navigation Tip: The link to the recipe is just above but here's something to know about the pictures in Kitchen Parade recipes, they're linked to the recipe. That means that 90% of the time, you can click an image and get to the right place. It's just something I've done for years and years and it really works, especially on our phones. Isn't a photo easier to touch than a little text link? :-) Now you know!
Something For Weight Watchers (More One Pot!)
This week I cooked some quinoa (How to Cook Quinoa for Meal Prep), not with any particular plan in mind, just to have on hand. Whoosh. A couple of impromptu supper salads, a couple of breakfast omelets and whoosh, twas gone. Small effort, big payoff.
But Quinoa Pilaf is different, it's a one-pot meal (or side ...) and the quinoa and kale are cooked together in a single pot. Very tasty ...
Here's your recipe, Quinoa Pilaf with Kale & Corn.
Soup for Supper
Ha, again, a long-time recipe. And I seem to catch a sweet potato theme here, yes? Tis that time of year.
This would be great for leftover turkey or hey! how about rotisserie chicken?!
Here's your recipe, Turkey Sweet Potato Soup.
Soup for ... Soup
Who else keeps a pot of soup on hand? I got out of the habit over the summer but am getting back to it. If there's soup in the fridge, well, no matter what happens to your day, supper's taken care of.
I recently overhauled my Potato Soup recipe, mixing the potatoes with cauliflower to lower the carbs and calories.
The results were delicious ... but plain in appearance. LOL I guess that's why people/cooks treat potato soup like loaded baked potatoes, towering with toppings.
The toppings do make the soup look pretty! But boy do the calories add up. So I'm going for the plain, healthy version of potato soup.
But hey, you do you, add all the toppings your hearts' desires! Here you go, something to load up or not, Potato Soup
Move Over, Meatless Monday & Taco Tuesday
May I suggest? Make Tonight a Pancake Night!
And while sweet pancakes will light up almost everyone's eyes, don't forget about savory pancakes too.
One pretty fall Sunday last year, we'd been working outside all day. Everybody was famished. I was juuuuust about to order a pizza when I thought, no, I'm cooking dinner, no matter what. What emerged was one of the best impromptu dinners I've cooked for a long, long while.
Savory pancakes (probably Lifetime Pancakes) without the sugar plus a little extra leavening for extra fluffiness; made pretty big, a "meal" pancake. Topped with arugula. Leftover pulled pork draped over the top. Sprinkled with Spiced Pickled Red Onions. Memorable, those pancakes, all this time later.
Pumpkin Pancakes, sweet or savory, your supper, your call.
Something Super Simple
Everybody still cutting back on sugar? Good. We are too.
But we do find, especially my husband, that we want just a small bit of sweet to end a meal. Lots of times, that's a piece of dark chocolate.
But for a sweeter but weeknight dessert, top Greek yogurt with this easy pear mixture, just pears, maple syrup, a tiny bit of ground ginger, lemon juice and cornstarch for a little thickening. Would apples work? Yes, of course, but they'd likely take longer to soften.
Oh! And the pears would be good on those Pumpkin Pancakes too!
Easy-Easy Pear Sauce Four Ingredients + Five Minutes = Simple Sweet.
I'm Hot. He's Cool.
Two people, 14 coffee mugs and roughly 2700 drinking glasses. How does that happen? Every single day.
No more.
Here's the thing that mostly prevents that collection of cups and mugs in my household, first with three of us (including my now 93-year old dad, who lived with us for three years) and now again with just two.
It's super simple. Color Coding!
- COLOR-CODED WATER GLASSES One per person per day, just for water, the usual glasses for other beverages. I used colored mason jars with lids and straws, easy to set the table, monitor who's not drinking enough water.
- COLOR-CODED COFFEE MUGS It's maybe silly but these mugs give joy! They're just the right size, keep the coffee hot, the matte black feels nice and most of all – the inside colors are so bright and cheery in the morning!
And for the household organizers... I'm Hot (the orange, yellow and red warm mug colors) and He's Cool (the blue, green, purple cool colors). No more asking, "Is this my mug of yours?" No more wondering whose mug is in the microwave. No just grabbing another mug because you're not sure if that's today's mug or yesterday's mug.
Full disclosure, I do love these mugs but they may be prone to breaking during transit, 2 of 6 arrived with broken handles. But since then, they don't seem brittle in the least and I'm still very happy with them and would order again and cross my fingers to get new colors!
Anyone up for a little risk that way, here are the actual coffee mugs we have, they're slightly different than what's pictured. #ad
Many Hands, Light Work
Another way to run a household? Put all hands to work!
My friend Cheryl has written a book!
It's a memoir about growing up in a large, Catholic family in the Midwest. I remember staying with Cheryl's family during school and have channeled some of the family's household organization many times over the years. (Think: Laundry instructions posted for my dad's ever-changing caretakers. Think: Coffee instructions on the lid to the coffee grounds, so anyone can make the morning coffee, even guests.
I just got Cheryl's book when we met for lunch on Friday – listen to this, we haven't seen each since our university days and just happened to be in Chicago at the same time! For once, #ThankYouFacebook.
FYI for book club people, Cheryl works with small groups by Facetime and Skype. My book club has never done this before, it might be time to try it out! Anyone who's interested, let me know, I'll put you into contact with Cheryl.
Many Hands Make Light Work by Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy #ad
Something to Read?
The Dutch House is the latest book from author Ann Patchett. For me, it was a slow start but oh my, the finish was a surprise. Looking back, the entire book is a sort of whodunnit except all mystery, no murder. I loved these characters ...
The Audible version is narrated by Tom Hanks, this is a tiny bit weird, because it's always Tom Hanks in your head.
Something Updated
Somehow, I had five different Thanksgiving pages at A Veggie Venture. Now there's just one and I hope you love it!
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.
- Any ideas for Seasonal Sundays? Share away!
- It's October. What foods are inspiring you right now?
- Did you make something extra-good this week?
- What're you reading? What's grabbed you on Netflix?
- Anything else? Chime in, chat away.
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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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna