Seasonal Sundays (Week 24) Early June

Hello-hello on a lovely summer morning where I imagine you with a cup of coffee, happy it's still the weekend (who else has been mixed up on the days all week???) and ready for a little recipe inspiration, summer-y chicken salads plus lemonades to keep you hydrated and happy plus my first take with summer blueberries which are so-so-so good this year, I haven't even baked blueberry muffins yet! Plus the motley collection of recipes that strike me as "just right" for now, early June.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Many thanks to all who wrote in appreciation of last week's wail of grief and fury. In this, we are not alone.

One line of Amanda Gorman's Hymn for the Hurting haunts me. "May we not just ache, but act." (See last week for the full poem.)

Early in the year, my Word of the Year also resonated.

Just that one word "Enough" has many meanings – but when it comes to grocery store, school, church, hospital, family funeral and *&*^&& and one-more just-another everyday mass killing in America, it's Enough! Enough!! Dammit, Enough!!! Weapons of WAR are being used against our own people.

"If more guns made us safer, we'd be the safest country on earth." ~ Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Damn straight. And that's from a family who supports gun ownership for hunting, personal protection and even sport shooting; where special guns are passed on from generation to generation; and from someone who was gifted her grandfather's pistol on her first Christmas.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: A gray tree frog, a frequent surprise when we open the gate at our favorite hideaway in the far northern reaches of the Ozarks. He hangs out beneath the flap of rubber that protects the padlock from rain and comes back year after year. We try not to surprise him but honestly, he's pretty implacable.

And this week a baby tree frog popped his head out of the watering can here at home – after I'd filled it and emptied it! We were also surprised by a blue-tailed skink and – YIKES – a four-foot snake skin left behind just outside the garden shed.

Made Me Think ...

• Agnotology: the Cultural Production of Ignorance The same playbook used by the gun lobby, the tobacco producers, the fossil fuel industry and more.
• The Greatest Life Hacks from David Brooks at NYT, no paywall, the comments are extra good. Life advice!
• "This world. I am without words. Or slogans. Or clarity. So I water the garden. Hold my mate's hand. Break open my heart even wider for my sons. All sons. All daughters. I paint. Creating feels like an act of hope, as small as it is. To try and make something beautiful in the face of crushing ugliness and grief. This is what is inside of me." ~ words and the accompanying A Box of Rain painting from my friend Karri who blogs at Gluten-Free Goddess Recipes.

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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 Everything Bagel Breakfast Salad
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW Start the day with a salad and all just goes better? Yep, I'm going with that. This week, I added a steamed egg, the first day warm and oozing with yolk from the pot and after that, perfectly hard-cooked, no green ring, no sticky shells.

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 COLLECTION Favorite Summer Salad Recipes From sides to suppers, make-ahead to eat-it-now, simple to sumptuous, all special for summer.


• FYI to RSS READERS After a huge update, I republished this collection of summer salads a couple of weeks back. It went out fine to email readers but dang, not to those who follow Kitchen Parade via RSS. Here's your notification!

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Simple Egg Salad with a Twist Classic egg salad for sandwiches and more, with an easy twist.
• THE COLLECTION Easy Egg Recipes A collection of thrifty egg recipes.

• THE RECIPE Buttermilk Garlic Ranch Salad Dressing My substitute for store-bought ranch dressing.
• ANOTHER TAKE My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing A Master Recipe, never the same twice.

Kitchen Parade's June Favorites

• 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.

• THE RECIPE Rhubarb Cake Simple and rustic, less sweet to taste rhubarb's wonderful "sour".
• ANOTHER TAKE Rhubarb Muffins Whole grain, less sweet.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto) Milky broth with the freshest, newest vegetables from the garden.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Seafood Chowder Shrimp and scallops in a milky broth, with barely cooked tomato, corn and my favorite vegetable this summer, okra.

A Veggie Venture's June Favorites

• THE RECIPE "Best Ever" New Potatoes & Green Beans
• ANOTHER TAKE Simple Skillet Green Beans

• THE RECIPE Feta Stuffed Zucchini Easy but looks impressive
• ANOTHER TAKE Stuffed Peppers An old-fashioned favorite!

Summer Hydration

• THE RECIPE Cucumber Lemonade Refreshing plus pretty color.
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Mint Cucumber Water

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

• THE RECIPE How to Sweeten Lemonade with Fruit Not Sugar Summer experiments with pineapple, watermelon and more.
• ANOTHER TAKE Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade How to make real lemonade with a simple technique that extracts extra flavor from the lemon peels.

Everybody Loves Chicken Salad ...

• THE RECIPE Chicken Salad for Sandwiches Makes up in minutes with pantry ingredients.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Ham Salad Use up leftover ham from the freezer.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Greek Salad with Simple Hummus A Quick Supper, just assemble and serve, another good reason to eat at home!
• ANOTHER TAKE Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches A towering sandwich, summer style.

• THE RECIPE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Margarita Chicken A quick supper from a surprising source.

Blueberries!

• 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.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas

• THE RECIPE Pickled Beet Salad with Fresh Blueberries & Mint
• ANOTHER TAKE Raw Tomatillo Salad with Blueberries

• THE RECIPE Melon Ball & Blueberry Salad Pure summer in a bowl!
• ANOTHER TAKE Five-Minute Fruit Salad It's all in the presentation!

Vegetable of the Month: Green Beans!

• THE RECIPE Chilled Green Bean Salad with Rosemary & Garlic Oil
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Three-Bean Salad


• THE FAVORITES Falling In Love with Green Beans: Favorite Recipes
• ALL THE GREEN BEAN RECIPES A-Z of Vegetables: Green Beans

Lunch at the Kitchen Table

• THE RECIPE Sautéed Broccoli Slaw So simple, surprisingly delish!
• ANOTHER TAKE Mighty Perfect Cabbage & Broccoli Coleslaw Bigger effort, big results.

Snack Before Supper

• THE RECIPE Tuna & White Bean Dip
• ANOTHER TAKE Kalamata Tuna Salad Bok Choy Wraps

Summer Easy: Less Cookin', More Livin'.

More than a decade ago, I started collecting a certain style of summer dishes that espouse my summer motto, Less Cookin', More Livin'. These are Kitchen Parade's most simple, most fresh, most memorable and most summery recipes, all in one place. I hope you love 'em all! See Easy Summer Recipes!

• THE RECIPE Easy-Easy Roasted Zucchini
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Barely Roasted Zucchini & Yellow Squash

Good to Know

• VEGETABLES 101 The Miracle of Squash Blossoms Without squash blossoms, there would be no zucchini, no yellow squash, no ...
• The A-Z RECIPES Summer Squash Recipes And we do love our squash!

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 Fried Egg Quesadillas A fried egg sandwich with a tortilla.
• ANOTHER TAKE Green Chile Scrambled Eggs An easy, healthy breakfast.

Thinking Ahead

Some of us plan meals a day or two ahead – or reality, right? even an hour or two ahead. But for those who start planning for Easter in February and Christmas in September, this list's for you. Start here!

• June 1 – National Olive Day
• June 3 – National Donut Day
• June 3 – National Egg Day
• June 5 – Cancer Survivors Day
• June 7 – National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
• June 11 – Corn on the Cob Day
• June 17 – National Eat Your Veggies Day! Aha! My kinda holiday!
• June 18 – International Sushi Day
• June 19 – Father's Day
• June 19 (June 20 Observed 2022) – Juneteenth
• June 23 – National Pink Day
• June 24 – National Pralines Day
• June 24 – Summer Equinox
• June 25 – Midsummer (Observed, Finland)
• June 25 – National Catfish Day
• June 26 – National Chocolate Pudding Day

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 Asian Greens How to cook leafy greens with Asian-style taste.
• ANOTHER TAKE Jubilee Greens How to sauté leafy greens like spinach, chard, kale & more.

Meal Prep

• THE RECIPE Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles
• ANOTHER TAKE Pepper & Cucumber Refrigerator Pickles

Summer = Simple Smoothie Season

• THE RECIPES Beet Smoothies
• ANOTHER TAKE Mango & Beet Smoothies Mad for mangoes!

This Week's Summer Salad

Turns out, I've been turning out one one summer salad after another since the beginning, almost twenty years ago now. No wonder that Favorite Summer Salad Recipes will keep all of us (me included!) inspired all summer long. Here's a sample.

• THE RECIPE Cauliflower "Potato" Salad Especially for low-carb eaters.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mom's Potato Salad All the tricks for great potato salad.

This Week's Soup

• THE RECIPE Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp Familiar ingredients combine into something unusual and surprising.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick 'n' Easy Shrimp Bisque Part shrimp chowder, part traditional bisque.

Finnish Food

• THE RECIPE Finnish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake A real celebration cake.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream Chocolate, strawberries and cream, just two bites big.

Mexican Food

• THE RECIPE Jicama-Mango Salsa with Chipotle
• ANOTHER TAKE Jicama Slaw

Most Useful Recipes, Just One Per Year

When a blogger loves every single one of her published recipes, how in the world does she pick just one favorite? It's stunning, honestly, how each year one Kitchen Parade recipe stands out from all the others that year for sheer usefulness. So that's why I created this collection of best recipes, just one per year, Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes 2002 – Present, just one recipe per year from Kitchen Parade. Here's a sample.

• THE RECIPE Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe An easy, European-style bread I make every few days.
• ANOTHER TAKE Soft Rolls for Sandwiches (NOLA-Style French Rolls) Especially for extra-good sandwiches, crispy crusts, soft interiors.

PS Who's noticed? I'm big on highlighting "usefulness". 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. You'll want to dig into this collection, 15 Favorite Vegetable Recipes, Still Useful After 15 Years.

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 Mint Julep Pork Chops with Sugar Snap Peas Skillet-cooked pork chops with a wonderful bourbon-mint sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Thick Chops with Sauerkraut & Apples A Quick Supper, moist chops in apple-chunky sauerkraut.

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Wedges with Rosemary & Lime Juice An unusual summery dish, served either warm or at room temperature.
• ANOTHER TAKE Frozen Sweet Potato Fries Are They Worth the Price? the Calories?

Soups & Salads Especially for June

• Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for June, tons of ideas!

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 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.

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 Afghan Chicken & Rice Casserole (Kabeli Palau) Unusual, amazing combination of ingredients.
• ANOTHER TAKE Black Beans & Rice Skillet Casserole with Smoked Chicken Simple comfort food with smoky flavors.

• THE RECIPE How to Cook Artichokes in the Microwave
• ANOTHER TAKE Greek Rice Salad with Artichokes & Feta

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. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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