Seasonal Sundays (Week 12) Mid March

Anyone ready to lighten up, just a little? or a lot? This week's recipe collection reflects tip-toes toward spring and baby steps toward ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Ahhh, the power of hope (hello, new CDC guidelines about hugging grandkids) and goals (anyone else already contemplating a 4th of July backyard BBQ menu?) and real reason for optimism (this long-form interview with Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown, was so illuminating).

A year ago, the shutdown happened F-A-S-T, within a few days. Opening up will occur slowly, over months, even years.

One big takeaway from Dr. Jha? Anyone who thinks 2021 will look just like 2019 should reset expectations.

But many of life's greatest joys are ... yes, really, out there in our future, not tomorrow but not all fuzzy twelve thousand bazillion years from now either.

Maybe it's my eyes not theirs but I detect a difference in the above-mask eyes of the twin grandsons we visit with pudding in hand outside every Friday. "Duncan wants a sleepover!" announced Little R on Friday, as their dog Duncan and ours romped a bit for the first time in a year. We can't wait ...

Hang in there, all. Hang onto hope.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Here's to the scent of fresh clover, the sounds of spring peepers, the power of hope and promise.

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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 Very Very Green Green-Pea Soup Satisfying soup from a bag of frozen peas. Really.
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW A bag of peas that becomes soup? and supper? and your six o'clock save? With this weekend's time change, we'll be increasingly called to linger outside after zoom school, after zoom work, after zoom lunch, after zoom ... is anyone else just completely done with zoom? You just might be shocked how so few ingredients can create something so very satisfying.
• It definitely belongs here, Pantry Meals: How to Make a Meal with What You Have
• Oh! And it's green, too, perfect for St. Patrick's Day on Thursday.

What's New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices.
• ANOTHER TAKE One-Skillet Braised Chicken with Shallots Drumsticks or thighs braised with shallots in a white-wine and mustard sauce.

• THE RECIPE Roasted Broccoli with Lemon & Garlic
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemony Broccoli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Today is Pi Day: It's Not Too Late!

• THE RECIPE Last-Minute Pantry Pie Just five pantry ingredients. No bake!
• ANOTHER TAKE Blueberry Cheesecake Pie Cheesecake topped with homemade blueberry pie filling. No bake!

Compliments!

• "We loved this! I used yellow squash instead of zucchini, but otherwise followed the recipe. Served over brown rice." ~ Pat on Pinterest
• THE RECIPE Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet Quick, easy & tasty vegetarian supper.

Green Food for St. Patrick's Day

Sure, I'm happy to recommend a rich beef stew called Emerald Isle Stew a hearty, gravy-rich stew and on Thursday, I'll be making Caraway Corned Beef with Red Potatoes, Carrot Chunks, Cabbage Wedges & Cheese Sauce.

But the Year That Follows 2020 may well call for a little more fun, especially with kids. So how about meal of all-green food, there are ideas sprinkled throughout today's Seasonal Sundays but here are three not-to-miss recipes.

• THE RECIPE Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs A soup flushed with spring.
• ANOTHER TAKE Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup Creamy without a drop of cream.

• THE RECIPE Green Rice with Spinach & Kale Hello, gateway greens.
• ANOTHER TAKE Red Rice with Tomatoes A lovely rouge-tinted vegan summer side dish.

• THE RECIPE Spinach Pancakes
• ANOTHER TAKE Pumpkin Pancakes

Leftover Corned Beef?

• THE RECIPE Reuben Casserole Just five ingredients including wonderful
• LEFTOVER Caraway Corned Beef with Red Potatoes, Carrot Chunks, Cabbage Wedges & Cheese Sauce Traditional for St. Patrick's Day.

The Dinner Bell

Seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, the dinner bell rings. If we're gonna eat, somebody's gotta cook, some nights fuel, some nights a feast. Let's just make it good, a welcome end to our days.

• THE RECIPE Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon Another easy pasta supper, lemony, garlicky, cheesy, broccoli good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemon & Asparagus Pasta Light and bright for spring.

• THE RECIPE Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes Simple, satisfying supper.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices.

• THE RECIPE Sausage & Cabbage Skillet Rustic & homey.
• ANOTHER TAKE Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens A Quick Supper, an unusual combination of familiar ingredients.

Put an Egg on Top aka "How About Eggs for Dinner?"

Why should breakfast get all the eggs?! If eggs for dinner were a club, I'd be president, chief marketing officer, resident evangelist, public advocate and ... hey, wanna join my club? Start here!

• THE RECIPE How to Poach a Perfect Egg Step-by-step using Cook's Illustrated technique.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs Easy peeling, no green rings.

Recipes That Stand the Test of Time

To mark A Veggie Venture's 15th anniversary in 2020, I took a hard look at the first 365 vegetable recipes from the first year to select just 15 which, all these many years and recipes later, remain ever so useful. The result is a fascinating collection of recipes, 15 Favorite Vegetable Recipes, Still Useful After 15 Years. Here's just one.

• THE RECIPE Quick Broccoli Soup or Quick Cauliflower Soup Healthful veggie soups on the table in minutes.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs A soup flushed with spring.

PS Who's noticed? I'm big on "usefulness". See? Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes 2002 – Present, just one recipe per year from Kitchen Parade.

Soups & Salads Especially for March

March is such a funny month for cooking, some wintry days (yo, soups!), some spring-like days (hey, salads!) and so many days neither one nor the other, just smack in the middle. So what grabs us depends on the day, yes? That's why I spent a year gathering all of A Veggie Venture's best soup and salad recipes into easy-to-scan month-by-month collections.

Dig into Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for March, tons of ideas!

Here's a sample!

• THE RECIPE Pride of Erin Soup
• ANOTHER TAKE Peasant Cabbage Tomato Soup

Feeding a Sugar-Conscious Sweet Tooth

We're cutting back on sweets (you too?) without demonizing dessert, usually with smaller batches, smaller servings, shareable sweets and fruit desserts in addition to limiting frequency. But some times?

• THE RECIPE No-Chill Cutout Sugar Cookies Just mix and roll, no need to wait.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cut-Out Spice Cookies My all-time year-round favorite cut-out cookie dough recipe.

Timehop

Who else loves seeing old photos pop up, quick memories from years past? Welcome to a recipe timehop ...

• THE RECIPE Orange & Cumin Vinaigrette Bright and vibrant with earthy spice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Apple Cider Vinaigrette Sweet with cider and cinnamon, no oil!

• THE RECIPE Microwave Green Beans with Easy Tomatillo Salsa
• ANOTHER TAKE Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato

Trending

My Top 10 Recipes are predictable, hello Ham 101: What to Know Before Buying a Ham and Vegetables 101: What Are Bitter Greens?. But every week, seasonal recipes catch the internet's attention and start to trend.

• THE RECIPE Juicy Pork Chops For moisture and flavor, the chops are brined first.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect Thick Pork Chops Turn out juicy, perfectly cooked meat every time.

• NEVER NEED A RECIPE AGAIN How to Roast Vegetables 22 Tips & a Master Recipe
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Eat More Vegetables

Something to Read

I'm zooming through books ... mostly unfinished, I fear.

Ruthlessness prevails.

If I can't relate (or don't care or can't name names or remember what happened five minutes ago ... ) in the first fifth of the book, it's over.

So what's the next book, then?

I have book lists all over the place, none of them really working for me. Amazon lists, quick to save but not leave a reminder where/why it's on the list. Libby tags but again, no reminder. For awhile, I sent samples to Kindle and Audible, so hard to get rid of them later. GoodReads? Nah.

So I'm looking for some new way/ways to keep track of books I'm interested in.

Hive Mind, any tips? How are you saving next-book ideas?

• BOOK CLUB BOOK IDEAS My Reading Group's Book List since 1994!
• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Refrigerator Pickled Beets No canning required!
• THEN JAZZ 'EM UP Pickled Beet Salad with Fresh Blueberries & Mint

Don't Be a Stranger ...

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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