Seasonal Sundays (Week 11) Mid March

Cauliflower connoisseurs, look for a treasure trove of recipes inside. Pie people, your slice of 3.14 Pi Day is just days away! Curious cooks, you know I hope that this week's recipe collection will inspire your March meals ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

No words, really, as we hold our breath, watching the war on Ukraine escalate.

Instead, let me suggest movies I watched this week, attempting to understand the spine of this country where my great-grandparents lived until emigrating to Canada about 1900.

• Bitter Harvest, a narrative of the Holodomor, Joseph Stalin's genocidal mass starvation of millions of Ukrainians. I watched it on Kanopy, which is a streaming service available through some library systems, way higher quality movies than the usual sources. Google says it's also available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, Philo, YouTube, GooglePlay, Apple TV, Vudu. (Gad, life was sure simpler when it was just Netflix and Amazon ...)


• The Trader is a short documentary set in the Republic of Georgia available on Netflix, you'll never look at potatoes the same again. FYI if you find yourself peering into the backgrounds of photographs for insight into how people's lives are lived, this is 23 minutes of that ...

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Last weekend, my husband, the dog and I joined a rally in support of the defense of Ukraine here in St. Louis. It was a sunny late-winter day, Tower Grove Park's sidewalks still thick with icy slush from a mid-week storm. The rally started slowly, people gathering at a central point carrying Ukrainian flags, protest posters and sunflowers. Who came? First- and second- and even third-generation immigrants from Ukraine. People from Belarus, Georgia, Latvia, Russia, Taiwan. I listened in on an interview of a woman from Ukraine (Alona, pronounced just like my name Alanna!) and was struck by her calm, dignity and clear-eyed expression of what is happening in her home country. No fiery words. No fist pumping. No false bravado. I see the same demeanor in interviews of ordinary, everyday Ukrainians on the news programs, those leaving for the safety of their families, those staying to fight. Calm. Stoicism. Determination. Resolve.

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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 Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie A creamy concoction, with just a hint of peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate.
• GREAT NO-ROLL CRUST My Favorite Graham Cracker Crust A crisp, sturdy crust, not too sweet, not too buttery.
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW Such a simple combo, peanut butter and chocolate. It even started my husband's unexpected journey to liking peanut butter!

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 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.

Seasonal Favorites: Cauliflower!

• THE RECIPE Mexican Cauliflower "Rice"
• ANOTHER TAKE Raw Mexican Street Corn Salad with Cauliflower Rice

• THE RECIPE Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette
• ANOTHER TAKE Whole Cauliflower with Homemade Cheese Sauce

• THE RECIPE Detox Chopped Salad
• ANOTHER TAKE Big Cajun Chopped Salad

March 14th = Pi Day = 3.14 = Pie Day Delicious

• THE RECIPE Coconut Cream Pie How to move grown men to silence.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Chocolate Coconut Pudding Just five ingredients and ten minutes to pudding.

• THE RECIPE Blueberry Cheesecake Pie Cheesecake topped with homemade blueberry pie filling. No bake!
• ANOTHER TAKE Blueberry Sour Cream Pie Berries puffed in light, sweet cream

• THE RECIPE Fresh Strawberry Pie Fresh glazed berries in a homemade chocolate-cookie crust, a real crowd pleaser.
• ANOTHER TAKE Finnish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake A real celebration cake.

How's That Novel Going? How's That Second Language Going?

Did anyone else write a special list of "life goals" at the start of the pandemic? It was inspiring, all the self- and home-improvement projects that people took on to fill the sudden windows of "free" time.

Me? The piano remains unplayed, the dog mostly unwalked, the hall bath completely undone.

Because, you see, there was also that pesky "keep your head above water" to-do to check off week in, week out.

But.

I did finally get my digital photos in order, culling and organizing eight years of photos an hour at a time over many, many evenings. And that felt GOOD.

And this week, I finally cleaned out the garage. It took only a few hours and man-oh-man, it felt REALLY GOOD.

As life takes on some new semblance of pre-covid-ness, is there anything you'd like to tackle sooner than later? I recommend it.

Lunch at the Kitchen Table

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

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 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 Tuscan Vegetable Stew A melange of vegetables, detox with big bright flavor.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cabbage & White Bean Stew Spartan and spare, a welcome reset for our bodies and tastebuds.

• THE RECIPE Cauliflower Steaks with Warm Corn & Poblano Salsa
• ANOTHER TAKE Loaded Iceberg Steaks with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Good to Know

• THE THINKING Is a Stand Mixer Better for Kneading Bread Dough? The Case For & Against
• PLUS A RECIPE Easy Everyday Bread for the Stand Mixer Better bread, no kneading by hand!

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 Easy Green Chile Egg Casserole No bread! Just eggs, green chiles, bits of cheese and a surprising ingredient, cottage cheese.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole Just eggs, hash browns, salsa, cheese. Then adapt!

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 Flaky Tender Pie Crust So tender you'll break off "mouse bites".
• EXTRA HELP How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust Cooks love my step-by-step photos and helpful tips!

Savoring Sweet Potatoes: A Challenge

So usually my "challenges" are, well, a challenge, an undertaking, 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 Savory Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes An unusual, easy weeknight vegetable.
• ANOTHER TAKE Marinated Tofu Stir-Fry Just add frozen stir-fy vegetables for a quick supper.

Meal Prep

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

This Week's Soup

• THE RECIPE Quick Cauliflower Soup or Quick Broccoli Soup Healthful veggie soups on the table in minutes.
• ANOTHER TAKE No-Cream Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Finnish Food

• THE RECIPE Finn Crisp with Marmalade & Cheese A typical Finnish breakfast.
• ANOTHER TAKE Swedish Rye Bread Slightly sweet, densely delicious.

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 Potato Soup Lightened with cauliflower.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Cauliflower Soup or Quick Broccoli Soup Healthful veggie soups on the table in minutes.

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 Roasted Cauliflower The classic, including my tips and tricks.
• WHO NEEDS A RECIPE? How to Roast Vegetables 22 Tips + Master Recipe

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.

Makes / Made Me Think ...

• Weekly Covid Emails from Canadian physician Andrew Morris, I've been reading for a few months now, each issue is LONG but filled with thoughtfulness and data, mostly info I've not seen elsewhere or another nuanced take than the usual soundbites and clips. Take a look at Email #83, the "Hope" Issue.
• When Her Husband Said He Wanted to Die, Amy Bloom Listened (readable for all, not just NYT subscribers)
• Your Kitchen Sponge Is a Better Home for Bacteria Than a Petri Dish (Smithsonian Magazine)

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 No-Cream Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• ANOTHER TAKE Spicy Cauliflower Soup

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 Banana Cream Pudding For pie, parfaits, pavlova and even (yummm) plain.
• ANOTHER TAKE Light 'n' Easy Chocolate Pudding Sweet and satisfying but won't ruin your diet.

Timehop

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

• THE RECIPE Savory Orange Slices A simple and surprising orange salad.
• ANOTHER TAKE Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings A simple summer dessert.

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 Cauliflower Spanish "Rice" Looks like rice, tastes like rice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mexican Cauliflower "Rice"

Something to Read

The story is gut-wrenching but if you, like me, have committed to not look away, Between Shades of Gray is a much-readable YA start. The story follows a Lithuanian family cleaved apart by Stalin's mass deportation of Baltic citizens, ending in the cold, starvation, disease and brutality of a Siberian death camp with Finns, Latvians and Estonians. We have a connection to a Ukrainian family subjected to similar desecration: the tragic toll lasts for generations.

• THE BOOK Between Shades of Gray (affiliate link) by Ruta Sepetys


• 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!

• JUST THE FAVORITES Favorite Asparagus Recipes
• THE A-Z COLLECTION All the Asparagus Recipes

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, 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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