Seasonal Sundays (Week 43) Slow Cooking

There is a season ... the slow cooking season, that is. I've collected some of my favorite slow-cook recipes, some using an actual slow cooker, others using the oven for slow-cooking.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

~ From the Book of Ecclesiastes, arranged & adapted by folk singer and social activist Pete Seeger, first recorded more than sixty years ago and one of the soundtracks of my childhood on permanent replay inside my head.

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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.

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast Easy enough for every day, special enough for occasions.
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Dry-Brine and Roast a Whole Turkey A dry-brined turkey is simple and uncomplicated and produces turkey with dark, crispy skin with moist, flavorful breast meat and dark meat.

Rethinking the Holidays

This week my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We do remember our first anniversary. But the second and the third? Probably some nice restaurant but really, we have NO IDEA.

But this our fourth? There will be no forgetting it. We packed up kabobs and vegetables in foil and a salad and a nice bottle of wine and headed for the country. We built a small fire, went to open the wine and ... it was nowhere to be found! We still haven't figured out what happened to it.

But it was such a lovely – dare I say? memorable – evening, the Big Meadow lit with late sun, the trees silent on a windless afternoon.

And that's what we're thinking for the coming holidays too, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years. There's no celebrating as usual, not in the Year That Is 2020.

We could, of course. Some are, some will, whether from pandemic fatigue or outright denial.

Earlier in the week, our doctor worried out loud about the country's ability to withstand January and February. His worry, no, let's call it fear, is based on a perfect storm: the onset of flu season; college kids coming home all at one time; but most of all "small family gatherings" that collectively will become holiday super-spreader events.

Worst of all, further losing control of the spread increases the chance that even vaccines won't eradicate the disease, that it will continue to kill unfathomable numbers of people ... forever changing the way we live our lives.

I know. It's hard, contemplating Thanksgiving without kids and grandkids. It's unfathomable, contemplating Christmas without the traditional parties and open houses and cookie decorating and midnight mass ... and ... and ... and ... and ...

So we've decided to break completely from tradition, to mark the occasions in our own low-key but special ways that will make 2020 memorable for what it is, not for what it isn't.

And you? How are you dealing with the holidays? Have you worked out what to do?

Seasonal Showcase: Slow Cooking

The slow cooker goes dusty during the summer months. So it must be fall, now, because last week I pulled it out twice, once to meal prep some sweet potatoes, then to make No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock when the oven was otherwise occupied. (FYI 24 hours on medium heat since the technique isn't updated yet).

So this week, Seasonal Sundays is focused on slow cooking, using not only slow cookers (people do love their Crockpots!) but also slow cooking in the oven. As regular readers know, I do find that ovens yield much more consistent and tasty results.

Soup for Supper

• THE RECIPE Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup Creamy without a drop of cream.
• ANOTHER TAKE Paleo Carrot Soup Quiet-inducing, spoon-clinking good.

Meatless Monday

Even meat eaters approve of this lentil dish, just love the spices!

• THE RECIPE Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes
• ANOTHER TAKE Minnesota Sloppy Joes Sloppy joes made from scratch in the crockpot.

Cooking Down Your Bean Stash

• THE RECIPE Red Beans & Rice Slow cooked Creole comfort food
• ANOTHER TAKE Black Beans & Rice Skillet Casserole with Smoked Chicken Simple comfort food with smoky flavors.

• THE RECIPE Ham & Beans How to make Ham & Beans with a leftover ham bone.
• ANOTHER TAKE Scandinavian Split-Pea Soup Traditional on Tuesdays, without fail.

• THE RECIPE Creamy Slow Cooker Beans How to cook dried beans from scratch in a slow cooker.
• BUT CHECK FIRST Why Dried Beans Won't Cook Good to Know!
  

Southern Specialties

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooked Greens & Smoked Turkey So good, you'll want to eat the pot.
• ANOTHER TAKE Red Beans & Rice Slow-cooked Creole comfort food.

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.

• THE RECIPE Slow Cooker Braised Lamb Shanks or Venison Shanks Fall-off-the-bone meat in a silky-smooth sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect Lamb Chops How to cook lamb chops perfectly each and every time.

Simplest of Suppers

• THE RECIPE Crockpot Chicken Goulash A one-pot meal for extra-busy days.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Margarita Chicken A quick supper from a surprising source.

Trending

My Top 10 Recipes are predictable, hello Should Cooked Pork Be Pink? and (Sloooow) Baked Potatoes (How Long to Bake a Baked Potato). But every week, seasonal recipes catch the internet's attention and start to trend.

KITCHEN PARADE
• Turnip Puff or Rutabaga Puff A traditional Thanksgiving favorite for Canadians.
• Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp My very own "perfect" recipe, barely sweet apples firm and tart, topped with an extra-crispy topping, thanks to a secret ingredient.

• THE RECIPE Estonian Apple Cake A wordly, neighborly cake.
• ANOTHER TAKE Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Frosting A special-occasion cake yet simple to make.

A VEGGIE VENTURE
• Roasted Delicata Squash The quickest squash to cut and roast.
• Acorn Squash Roasted Face Down Yes, it's definitely fall.

• THE RECIPE World's Best Green Bean Casserole Yesterday's comfort food made fresh.
• ANOTHER TAKE Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole America’s favorite casserole, fresh & convenient both.

What's New?!

• THE RECIPE Chicken with Apple & Creamy Cider Gravy Another one-skillet dinner, chicken thighs in a mahogany-colored sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken Cacciatore The classic Italian dish, chicken slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

• THE RECIPE Pumpkin Bars Quick and easy, filled with fall spices.
• ANOTHER TAKE Snickerdoodle Bars Snickerdoodle flavors with the firm, chewy texture of blondies.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Baked Apples Fall's best apples baked in a warm apple-flavored browns-sugar sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cinnamon Apples Festive color for the holiday table.

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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