Seasonal Sundays (Week 1) A Cozy Cool Down

Seven easy dinner ideas to eeeeease our way into the new year, a "cool down" if you will after the marathon of back-to-back-to-back holidays ... plus a couple of bonuses, 2022's Most Useful Recipe and 2022's Reader Favorite.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Hello, hello, anybody awake yet out there? Switch the calendars! It's 2023!

Who else loves the years when Christmas and New Year's fall on Sundays? I read that it's a challenge for churches, getting people into pews, but hey, for the miracle workers of Christmas (I'm looking at you, moms and grandmoms and aunties and most other womenfolk), you give it all you've got on the big days that at least for Americans that begin in November, you sprint to the finish, you complete the marathon.

Then, of course, you collapse.

But then (with any luck, fingers crossed), with the Christmas-on-Sunday calendar, there's still one more day of "holiday" – but one without expectations, one that's solely yours to ignore or employ as you will.

You can hit those first minutes of 2023-ground still running ... or you can sit back with your feet up and like all smart runners, use this first week of the new year for an important cool down, not stopping, but not running flat out either, cooling down your brain and your body and all your to do lists until finally, yes, you're able to stop.

And yeah. There are jobs to return to and kids to get back to school so maybe it's just the food preparation that needs cooling down for ... no more cheesy breakfast stratas or overnight cinnamon rolls or traysful of cookies and Instagram-perfect appetizers, instead, simple, satisfying meals.

Because hey, it's January. And isn't it January just the most wonderful respite? just what's needed? just what the doctor calls for?

All those resolutions and "vision words" and new year's goals can wait. Because after the cool down, we'll lace up our sneakers and head out again, ready to walk-run the track of life.

Happy New Year's to All!

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: Seven Recipes for a
Cozy Post-Holiday Cool Down

• Meal Prep Some Breakfast
• THE RECIPE Creamy Oatmeal Three tricks for the very best oatmeal, all easy!
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach Brownies

• Stock Up on Veggies for Salads ...
• THE "RECIPE" Quick 'n' Easy Raw Salad My own "healthy habit" that I hope will inspire yours, too.
• YOU'LL NEED A LITTLE DRESSING My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing Never the same twice.

• ... and Soups
• MASTER RECIPE How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup Never the same twice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup Famous for taste, famous for results.

• ... and Roasting
• THE RECIPE Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables A casual feast, even mid-winter.
• ANOTHER TAKE Tourlou Tourlou (Greek Baked Vegetables) A rainbow of vegetables slow-cooked in the oven.

• ... and Meatless Mains
• THE RECIPE Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet Quick, easy & tasty vegetarian supper.
• ANOTHER TAKE Tuscan Vegetable Stew A melange of vegetables, detox with big bright flavor.

• Choose One Night (Every Week, Yes?) for Eggs for Dinner
• THE COLLECTION Easy Egg Recipes A collection of thrifty egg recipes.
• ANOTHER COLLECTION Pantry Meals: How to Make a Meal with What You Have Select recipes for our favorite pantry ingredients.

• Lean On Rotisserie Chicken
• THE RECIPE Mac n Chicken Just mac 'n' cheese with chicken, just mac 'n' cheese with protein.
• ANOTHER TAKE My Chicken Noodle Soup The way I make it, meaty and noodle-y with just a few noodles.

Most Useful Recipe of 2022

Hands down, learning how to steam eggs is the most-useful recipe from all of 2022's recipes. I love how, with steaming, you not only get perfect hard-cooked eggs with out fussy techniques, you also can pull out an egg or two or three early for soft-boiled eggs for breakfast or supper! Win!

• THE SIMPLE TECHNIQUE How to Steam Eggs Simple technique for soft-cooked and hard-cooked both at once.
• ANOTHER SIMPLE TECHNIQUE How to Poach a Perfect Egg Step-by-step using Cook's Illustrated technique.

Your Favorite New Recipe of 2022

Well, ain't that somethin'. I must admit, readers' reaction to this simple salad surprised me. I think of it as a summer salad but just yesterday, my neighborhood supermarket had a big bin of mangoes right next to the avocados. So ... maybe not?! Anyway tis definitely a keeper.

• 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!

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 Sautéed Collard Greens with Bacon For good fortune and good health in the new year.
• ANOTHER TAKE Jubilee Greens How to sautée leafy greens like spinach, chard, kale & more.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Graham Cracker Toffee Quick, easy, addictive!
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn No mess, no fuss in a paper bag.

• A PROCRASTINATOR'S CONFESSION Truth is, this collection didn't just get an update this week. Instead, it's brand-new page, some seven years late. You see, in late 2015, I just didn't get to it. Right before New Year's, my husband and I made an unexpected trip to North Carolina where it looked like my dad, then 89, wasn't doing well. He wasn't and I stayed in North Carolina for many weeks while he was hospitalized and then entered rehab. The day after his 90th birthday, he drove back to St Louis to come live with us. (Yes, my husband is a-m-a-z-i-n-g when it comes to family support.) And he did, for almost 3 years, when he needed more care and then unexpectedly, even for someone age 95, passed away. Anyway. All this time, my sense of order nagged me to put together this list for 2015's recipes. This week, I finally did and life is just a little bit better, thank you very much.
• THE COLLECTION Best Recipes of 2015 from Kitchen Parade, just one recipe for every month.
• THE BEST OF THE BEST Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes 2002 – Present

Something to Read

DEMON COPPERHEAD Two weeks ago, I recommended Barbara Kingsolver's latest and very long novel because the young character, Demon, was so intriguing, the writing so fluid and clever.

What I didn't see coming were rich, compelling descriptions of drug addiction and rehab. For anyone who struggles to understand, Demon may help.

THE BOOK Demon Copperhead (affiliate link) by Barbara Kingsolver, currently 4.5 stars on Amazon, it's also appearing on several "Best Books of 2022" lists.

EVERY SUMMER AFTER On the other hand, I flew through the story of a teenage summer romance that goes upside down. This isn't my usual kinda book but it was an easy listen, with just enough intrigue to keep you wondering what'd really happened.

THE BOOK Every Summer After (affiliate link) by first-time author Carley Fortune, currently 4.5 stars on Amazon.

• 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.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), 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, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. 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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