Seasonal Sundays (Week 31) Cool Down with Gazpacho

When the temps go up-up-up, it's time to cool down-down-down with gazpacho. Here I share three different recipes, a traditional Spanish-style tomato gazpacho, another that mixes tomato and melon, plus a bright-bright green fruit gazpacho that's so flexible it can be a main course, an appetizer, even a dessert. Also! Let me know what you think about the brand-new "Pick Three" format. Also! Where I've been for the last month, yes, that familiar pink ribbon is a give-away.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

It's good to be back after a four-week hiatus dealing with the euphemistic "family business".

It's been a ride for sure, literally 3800 miles in two driving trips to Texas and back, much worry and apprehension.

But that's nothing compared to my sister Adanna's treatment for breast cancer, back-to-back surgeries almost a month ago plus two emergency surgeries in following days.

Is it any wonder that when she and her husband left the doctor's office earlier this week that she broke down in tears? She's been so incredibly strong and resolute throughout: and even on that day, her tears were ones of relief, after learning that for that day, she was headed home, not back into surgery.

We found it, I don't know what, telling? poignant? fateful? that her first surgeries were three years and one day after my own, see Survivor Soup.

I actually remember very little of my own months of diagnosis, surgery, radiation and recovery in 2019. I do remember my doctor and nurses telling me that every woman's experience is different: that's because I heard it over and over again.

Three things, I think, made Adanna's experience hers alone.

• MENTAL PREPARATION She joined a private Facebook group that became "her people" as she considered, evaluated and finally chose the treatment option right for her. Now my sister is by nature a "planner" of high order (we joke about her thinking through not just Plan B but also Plans X, Y and Z) but the women in her group helped her prepare in such meaningful practical ways, both pre- and post-surgery. I don't know these women but am ever, ever so grateful for their support.


• TRUSTING HER GUT Adanna doesn't recall (though I remember it so well) that when she had a breast cancer scare some years back when her now-grown sons were little tykes, she could already imagine choosing to have a double mastectomy. Combine her personal risk tolerance with our family history of breast cancer (her sister, our mother and her sister, our grandmother and nearly all of her many sisters) and that was her surgical choice for when facing the real thing in the here and now. We're both fans of the podcast The Next Right Thing from Emily P. Freeman. That decision-making process helped Adanna trust her choice: she literally felt weight lift off her shoulders when considering her eventual choice.


• SHE MARRIED WELL My sister's husband proved to be an amazing caretaker. It was quite beautiful, watching his tenderness, encouragement, attention to detail, a true partnership, the stark reality of the marriage vow "in sickness and in health" vs "long walks on the beach" or "romantic candlelight dinners". Not all men (nor frankly, women! perhaps including me) are cut from cloth for such intimate care. But when I left her side, twice, I felt no qualms, after watching my brother-in-law in action. Again, so so grateful. No wonder I'm proud to call him "brother".

Is Your Mammogram Up to Date?

Why am I telling you this? Because I want women to know that even though one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, early detection can make all the difference.

For me, early detection meant about five months of dealing with cancer. Ever since, even with regular follow-up mammograms and appointments and some ongoing discomfort, 99% of the time, I never even think about it.

For Adanna, early detection couldn't prevent these last rough weeks but with any luck, in a few months, she too will be able to put breast cancer behind her.

For you?

Please take care of your mammogram. Is yours overdue? Already on the calendar?

And if yours is up to date, then check with your mom, is hers? or your sister's? or your daughter's? or your neighbor's?

Ask.

And if the answer is no, then ask again.

Maybe if each of us put "eight others" on our check-in list, maybe we could collectively make a huge difference.

It's so easy to put off a mammogram, it's so easy to procrastinate. Believe me, I know. You know who was on my case when I'd let way too much time pass between mammograms, even given our family history?

You guess right. My sister.

A New Format for Seasonal Sundays

For some while, I've been considering changing up the format for Seasonal Sundays. And when several of you chimed in to encourage a "shorter" weekly suggestion of recipes, well, that clinched the deal.

So here's what I've come up with.

• PICK THREE Each week, I'll feature just three recipes. This week's heat wave led me to gazpacho, the ultimate summer cool-down. You wanna quit with three? Understood!
• NEW & UPDATED RECIPES For a second section, there are technical/business reasons related to something called "SEO" in the online world to highlight my brand-new recipes and any updated recipes. So I'm going to do this, that usually will mean one to four recipes, depending on how many updates to older recipes I've made that week. You'll soon learn if this second section is useful to you or not.
• NON-FOOD STUFF Stats report that regular Seasonal Sundays readers like book, podcast and other recommendations unrelated to food. So I'm going to continue current practice, sharing something only when there's something useful to share.

I'd love your feedback on the new format. Thumbs up? Prefer the longer version? All feedback is welcome ...

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PICK THREE

WHY GAZPACHO? WHY NOW? Gazpacho is the traditional Spanish vegetable soup. I've never been to Spain (yet?!) but learn so much from My Kitchen in Spain: 225 Authentic Regional Recipes (affiliate link) by Janet Mendel.

Gazpacho is served cold, it's both filling and cooling. Heaven knows we can use both during these blazing days of July.

More personally, a single bowl of cold gazpacho – served out of season – turned me into a seasonal cook when I was first learning to cook. I told the story here, Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup.

• THE RECIPE Tomato Gazpacho Worthy of an occasion, a summer meal in itself.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer's Tomato Soup Ripe summer tomatoes only, please.

• THE RECIPE Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho A slightly fruity vegetable gazpacho.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cantaloupe Smoothie 100% fruit, creamy or frosty.

• THE RECIPE Fruity Gazpacho A starter, entrée or dessert!
• ANOTHER TAKE Melon Ball & Blueberry Salad Pure summer in a bowl!

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 Fresh Creamed Corn Garden luxury, straight to the table.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Microwave Sweet Corn So fresh and flavorful, so juicy and perfect.

• THE RECIPE Southwestern Chicken Taco Salad Plates A summery Quick Supper, no cooking required, just assembly.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato.

• THE RECIPE Cucumber-Mango Salad Made special by tiny spikes of honey and hot sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad With good watermelon, way more than the sum of its parts!

• THE RECIPE Dill Pickle Pasta Salad A surprising pickle-y combination, a favorite for potlucks and pickle fans.
• ANOTHER TAKE Best-Ever Macaroni Salad The summer classic, just better.

• THE INFO Ten Tips for Better Burgers Ten easy tips for grilling juicy burgers.
• MY RECIPES Burger Recipes Beef, chicken, turkey and plant-based!

Just Updated!

• THE COLLECTION Kitchen Parade recipes, sorted by Weight Watchers Points.
• CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM Rethinking Fruit for Weight Watchers Weight Watchers works. But free fruit might not work for everyone.
• STRAIGHT TALK How to Lose Weight with Weight Watchers Tips from Alanna & Kitchen Parade readers.

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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