Seasonal Sundays (Week 9) Late February

If it's Sunday, well, it's time for recipes and other ideas for the week or two ahead, a late-winter collection that includes both "Pancake Night" and Mardi Gras, two sides of the same calendar coin. Plus ... signs of spring, Mother Nature's and metaphorical, two sides of the same ... something.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Hang in there, people! We've got this!

The days are longer and the late-winter light is noticeably brighter even while the sunsets remain winter-rainbows. The cardinals are cavorting! The dog lingers outside long and late, poking his nose into icy drifts and leafy bundles.

Late last night, the snow and ice from earlier this week were moon-lit and eerie. But there! Just outside the bedroom window! Could it be, so early?! Sure enough, a clump of daffodil fronds are pitching themselves sunward through still-frozen earth.

And maybe that's how we, too, begin to emerge from almost two years of social separation and outright isolation?

Resolute if cautious. Confident if tentative. Hopeful if watchful.

Our family doctor, who's been spot-on since the very beginning, predicts a few months of much-reduced new cases, hospitalizations and deaths (a "breather" if you will) followed by three summer-holiday spikes and a resurgence at Thanksgiving – all this barring a new variant, of course, there's no forgetting that a year ago, "Delta" and "Omicron" were no more than letters of the Greek alphabet.

This isn't to say our lives will return to 2019-style "normal" – how could they, really, even if Covid had been eradicated?

But at least for us, vaccinated and boosted and happy to mask up, life looks "enough" (ahem) more normal in ways important to us that who knows what might happen? Dancing at midnight? Walks on the beach? Who knows?!!

And did I mention that the daffodils have broken through? No matter what, spring is ahead ...

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Most of us probably know that maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees that begins running in late winter, is harvested and cooked down for our breakfast pancakes. But we were sure surprised when an invasive species called "red cedar" was cut into and tree sap began first dripping and then almost pouring out. It was chilly cold and barely sweet. Most of all, it reminded us that spring's not far behind!

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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 Hamburger Soup A hearty soup with chunks of meat and a cornucopia of bright-colored vegetables.
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW Whoah, so good, we went through a huge pot of this in a couple of days this week, just the two of us. It's a forgiving recipe. This week, I used half burger meat and half pork sausage, both needing attention. I had carrots but no celery, a poblano but no red pepper. I threw in a can of chili beans and a bunch of cut-up baby potatoes. I have a similar pot planned "for delivery" later today.

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 Spinach Salad with Fruity Vinaigrette, Fresh Fruit & Maple-Glazed Pecans A big green salad with a rainbow of fruit.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing The traditional spinach salad with bacon, hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms.

Compliments!

• "It was yummy. So much that I had three bowls yesterday." ~ George, a native-born Finn living in Canada and snowbirding in Florida
• THE RECIPE Salmon Chowder Flavorful fish and potatoes in a creamy broth, much like Finland's beloved lohikëitto.

Make Tonight a Pancake Night

For Christians, Lent begins not this week but next: Ash Wednesday is March 2.

That means that the day before is "Shrove Tuesday" – aka Pancake Night – although regular readers know that I'm the one behind the movement called Make Tonight a Pancake Night, where any night will do.

So just sayin'. Put pancakes on the menu, some night soon, please?

• THE RECIPE Cornmeal Pancakes with Warm Blueberries Simple but sumptuous for a special breakfast or supper.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Corn Bread with Fresh Blueberries Warm corn bread studded with fresh blueberries.

• THE RECIPE Triple-Banana Oat Pancakes Just oats, banana and egg but the pancake taste and texture we love!
• ANOTHER TAKE My Mom's Pancake Recipe Light and fluffy pancakes, lots of pancake tips and tricks.

• THE RECIPE Lifetime Pancakes Tiny, small, medium and large batches, whatever the size of the table.
• PANCAKE LOVERS Make Tonight a Pancake Night Move over Taco Tuesday and Pizza Friday.

Mardi Gras Nawlins-Style

In other circles, the day preceding the start of Lent is called "Mardi Gras" and it's such fun that all the festivities cannot be confined to a single day.

Best start now!

PS Have I ever told the story where my now-husband and I decided to throw a small Mardi Gras party, two or three other couples – and then I accidentally sent the invitation to my entire family contact list? LOL we ended up with about forty and it was one of the best parties we've thrown, in part because our friend Charlie introduced us to what became Bourbon Pralines, based on the famous praline recipe from the New Orleans School of Cooking.

• THE RECIPE Gumbo A classic Cajun gumbo, except that the roux is cooked in the oven.
• ANOTHER TAKE Vegan Chickpea Gumbo

• 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 Big Cajun Chopped Salad Don't skip the olives!
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad Looks like, tastes like summer, any time of year.

Lunch at the Kitchen Table

• THE RECIPE Jubilee Greens How to Sauté Leafy Greens Like Spinach, Chard, Kale & More
• ANOTHER TAKE Greek Greens How to Flash Cook Dark Leafy Greens to Eat Later

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 make it good, a welcome end to our days.

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooked or Slow Cooker Pot Roast Three easy tricks for tender, moist and flavorful pot roast.
• ANOTHER TAKE Emerald Isle Stew A hearty, gravy-rich stew.

• THE RECIPE Cast Iron Meatloaf My go-to recipe for meatloaf.
• ANOTHER TAKE Elk Meatloaf Adapted from the easy Quaker Oats meatloaf with ground beef, elk, bison, venison or even turkey.

• THE RECIPE Lentil, Pepper & Spinach Supper with Crispy Tofu & Indian Spices
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato Curry with Red Lentils, Roasted Peppers & Spinach

Good to Know

• FREEZER SURPRISES Surprising Foods That Freeze Well
• PANTRY MEALS How to Make a Meal with What You Have Select recipes for our favorite pantry 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 Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs Perfect every time for meal prep, deviled eggs, egg salad and more.
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Poach a Perfect Egg Step-by-step using Cook's Illustrated technique.

Something New to You? A Challenge!

It's one thing to know what we like. It's another to get caught in a rut of repetition. Every so often, I may offer a challenge to try something that just might be new. The challenge is yours to accept – or y'know, not – but I hope to pique your palate!

• THE RECIPE Vegan Chickpea Gumbo
• ANOTHER TAKE Gumbo A classic Cajun gumbo, except that the roux is cooked in the oven.

Savoring Sweet Potatoes: A Challenge

So you picked up a few sweet potatoes, right? Usually my "challenges" are, well, a challenge, an endeavor, a project. But here? For a few weeks, I hope you'll throw a few sweet potatoes onto your grocery list, knowing there'll be a simple recipe to tackle. Who's game?!

• THE RECIPE Baked Sweet Potatoes Especially useful for many & whole sweet potatoes.
• ANOTHER TAKE Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato Best for one or two sweet potatoes.

Meal Prep

• START WITH Spiced Preserved Lemons A cornerstone ingredient in Moroccan cuisine.
• THEN MAKE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices.

Finnish Food

• THE RECIPE Swedish Rye Bread Very similar to Finland's joululimppu (Christmas rye), slightly sweet, densely delicious.
• ANOTHER TAKE Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread Hearty and substantial, slightly sweetened with molasses. A family favorite!

Lookin' for Love

We're all proud of our best recipes that family and friends (and the Internet!) just love. But what about the recipes we love but are, ahem, so far under-appreciated? This recipe is just that, it could use a little extra love!

• THE RECIPE Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup All about the vegetables but made with homemade beef stock.
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup The Master Recipe, never the same twice.

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 Perfect Stovetop Brown Rice
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Cook White Rice

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.

Feeding a Sugar-Conscious Sweet Tooth

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

• 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!

Timehop

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

• THE RECIPE Chimichurri How to make chimichurri, the Argentinian parsley sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Sazón A gorgeous Dominican sauce, so fresh, so alive.

• THE RECIPE Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce
• ANOTHER TAKE Chard & Chickpeas with Feta

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.

• 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.

• THE RECIPE Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle
• ANOTHER TAKE Chocolate Chili My long-time recipe, meaty and full of spices and a touch of chocolate.

Something to Read

My book club's choice for February was the classic psychological thriller Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. It's based on a fascinating premise and provoked lively, multi-sided conversation. You may know the book through the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name, also through The Talented Mr. Ripley, another of her books.

I've just started our March book Rules of Civility by Amor Towles but am finding it a good read listen. I flew through The Lincoln Highway, his latest.

Is "unputdownable" a word? It sure described my flight through The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chen. It could be a prequel to The Handmaid's Tale. If the chant "I am a bad mother ..." gives you a chill or a sense of authoritarian foreboding, put this on your library hold list.

DISCLOSURE The links above are what are called "affiliate links" which means that if you purchase something after clicking through, I may (though may not) earn a small (verrrry small) finder's fee that adds no cost to your own purchase. For more information, see My Disclosure Promise. To participate in the affiliate program, I'm required to disclose this information. But I would anyway, it's just good manners to be transparent about these things.

• 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 Homemade Chocolate Sauce In-a-Flash Just ten minutes and five pantry ingredients.
• ANOTHER TAKE Blackberry Sauce Just five minutes and three ingredients!

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, translate a note into Finnish with Google translate, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, 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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