Seasonal Sundays (Week 18)

Just when things are seeming a tiny bit ... um ... normal, they're about to change. Are we ready?

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Hey, All. How're you holding up? Really, how are you?

And maybe it's just me but is all this all beginning to seem a little too ... normal? In our homes, our individual bubbles, our jobs ... if we still have jobs :-( ... we've figured out how to make this all work, imperfectly perhaps, but yeah it works. We've got this. When we wake up in the morning, we know it's going to look a lot like yesterday.

And I so stand in awe and appreciation of those who have found such meaningful new purpose serving others. Is anyone else still looking for that purpose? Me too. I know that "staying home" is its own contribution to the common effort. But could I do more?

But in the next days and weeks, the next set of challenges and uncertainty await, as individual states and communities begin to slowly open up and families decide to venture out.

It's all reminding me of the months my dad, sister and I did hospice for my mom. We would figure things out and rock along for a few days and even weeks ... and then BAM, things turned upside down and there was a whole new set of stuff to figure out. For those of us who thrive on routine ... arrrgh, we are managing but still.

Will the books that get written call this Our Pandemic Summer? Pandemic Year? Pandemic Decade? Even this alliteration lover shudders at the idea of this last ...

Stay Well, Stay Safe, Stay Strong ...

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Hello from this household's chief cook and bottlewasher and as of this week ... barber? It was such a pretty spring morning when we set up outside to have a go at my husband's scruffy head. A few weeks ago, I ordered this men's haircut kit (affiliate link) and it worked great. The next day? He got up early, showered, put on slacks and a sportcoat and headed to work in his home office ... such is the power of even a mediocre haircut!

We're all taking on new roles, if only they were all so easy as this.

PS The photo itself was taken on my phone but the "watercolor look" comes from an app called Waterlogue from Tinrocket which turns even so-so phone photos into works of art. I love this app! It works right on your phone, works in seconds and is easy to save to your photoroll. Not sponsored but much recommended!

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PICK ONE

Pick One is for those of us overwhelmed by life's unending choices. If that resonates, then check out this one recipe and then call it a day. It's one that I think could make the most difference, the one I hope will become a regular in your kitchen, as it is in mine.

A hearty salad to make again and again, especially if you're looking for a lunch that's quick and fresh and will hold. But once I also made an enormous batch (bulked up with honeydew and blueberries) for an day-after wedding brunch. So good!

• THE RECIPE Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad

Compliments!

• "Great recipe--second time making it and we devoured the first batch!" ~ Libby
• THE RECIPE Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• "I made this yesterday and it was wonderful!" ~ QuiltingAgain
• THE RECIPE Shhh Banana Bread Delicious, low-fat banana bread

• "I'm Armenian from Armenia but choereg isn't as popular in modern Armenia as I wish it were, people tend to imitate foreign cuisine rather than revive the lost Armenian recipes. So I had to search the internet for the best recipe and this one looked trustworthy! Besides, I'm all new to yeast dough, I needed a recipe so that I could stick to the instructions. In my opinion, they turned out awesome." ~ dejavu
• THE RECIPE Armenian Easter Bread The buttery sweet bread called choereg or choreg.

• "My family has made this for Taco Tuesday night at least 4 or 5 times and it’s always a hit! The flavors are great together! Absolutely delicious!" ~ Anonymous
• THE RECIPE Zucchini Mushroom Tacos

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

Here's my appeal for mealtime minimalism, the idea that you don't have to think up a new breakfast or a new lunch every day. It's a way to think less about food rather than more. It's maintains that the ritual of healthy satisfying staples can fill you up in a way that the new and the novel cannot.

For those of us who cook every day, even before "This Moment", it's still easy to overlook the most basic of the basic. Just this week, I had a big bunch of broccoli and racked my brain on what to do with it.

You know what didn't come to mind? Simple steaming!

• THE RECIPE How To Steam Broccoli (Step-by-Step Photos)

Cinco de Mayo Meal Prep

I know, I know, it's still a good ten days until Cinco de Mayo. But groceries take some planning, right? And besides, these are things to make ahead of time.

Meal prep for the win!

PS Get a few avocados and Roma tomatoes too. We have My Guacamole to make!

• THE RECIPE Lime Crema A DIY Mexican crema for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and more.

• THE RECIPE Quick Jalapeño Pickles

• THE RECIPE Spiced Pickled Red Onions A game changer for tacos, salads, eggs and more.

Back-Pocket Recipe

We all keep certain recipes in our virtual back pockets, right? We might not need them right this minute but recognize their usefulness in our recipe repertoires.

Our fridge is rarely without a gigantic bag of fresh spinach, not delicate baby spinach to save for salads, but a sturdy spinach that does work for salads but is mostly cooked. This is one of our favorites!

• THE RECIPE African Pepper, Tomato & Spinach Stew Just five ingredients!

What's New?!

Weeknight Comfort Food

What's your idea of comfort food? Here's one of mine, weeknight easy and budget friendly. It starts with a pound of hamburger meat.

Unless you'd prefer chicken? This chicken stroganoff is very Weight Watchers friendly, just 1 point on the purple plan, 3 points on the blue plan and even 5 points on the green plan.

• THE RECIPE Easy Skillet Stroganoff (Beef or Chicken) The Russian classic, weeknight friendly.

The Spring Classic

The asparagus in the stores is sooo pretty right now, this recipe uses an unusual technique that uses the whole spear, not just the tender tip. I've made this twice in two weeks, so good!

• THE RECIPE Asparagus Risotto

And Another!

• THE RECIPE Easy-to-Elegant Asparagus Soup with Homemade Crème Fraîche

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Easy Summer Recipes Less Cookin', More Livin', that's the summer motto.

• THE RECIPE Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade How to make real lemonade with a simple technique that extracts extra flavor from the lemon peels.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake A real celebration cake.

• THE RECIPE Autumn Pumpkin Bread

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, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, whatever.

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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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