Seasonal Sundays (Week 49) Taking It Sloooow

Seven slow cooker or slow-cooked dinner recipes for healthy cold-weather meals, an antidote to the festive cocktails and rich appetizers to say nothing of the butter and sugar of the holidays. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own family favorites.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

~ PIN This ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Seasonal Sundays is 100% written by a real, live human, no blah-blah copycat ChatGPT AI plagiarism, thank you very much. Any awkward phrase, unclear meaning, misspelled word, mistaken fact, bad punctuation or overwrought alliteration is the clean, proud product of my own inadequacy as a wordsmith and oversights as an eagle-eyed editor. But when that human says she's grateful that you're here, reading, well, please know, she really truly and authentically means it. 100%.

Harumph. It's the third day of December and if it weren't for the twinkly lights and Santa believers and my Christmas playlist, I just might be ready to hit the snooze button until January 2nd.

But ...

In between it all, we still have to eat but I'm thinking that all of us might appreciate that bit of simplicity and flexibility offered by slow cooking, whether in a crockpot or in the oven.

So here you go!

In Praise Of ...

• ... these colorful jumbo shopping bags (affiliate link), perfect for not only big presents but also sturdy enough to store Christmas pillows, blankets, etc. come January
• ... a dog who knows his safe place, sitting straight up and alert, back resting between my knees, leaning in, a position he's never taken before but moved into as if trained as soon as we moved into the vet's office this week. Who has a similar safe space? a place where you know you'll be protected? comforted? connected? Twas a lovely moment.
• ... our kitchen turned into a pastrami factory, my husband's son-in-law contributing 16 pounds of deer meat, me contributing math skills and alllllllll the spices, my husband the silverskin knife skills. It'll brine for five days, then get smoked for ... not my department! Come Sunday, it'll be a Pastrami Palooza! Everybody's hot for hot venison pastrami sliders but I'm also imagining slices of warm pastrami with good beans, some coleslaw (or maybe sauerkraut?), some good mustard, maybe a wild game of Aggravation.
• ... come Saturday, returning to our 2020-style tradition of Charcuterie for Two every weekend in December.
• ... the neighborhood horses are back! There's even a third, whose name I don't yet know but "Ruby" lifted her head and rushed to the fenceline when I called out to her that first day back.
• ... the neighborhood turkeys are back too, it looks like seven in this year's flock, it's like living with dinosaurs.

The Words of a Wise Woman Fun-Loving Kid

Life Lessons. We all collect them, formally and informally.

Here's a big one from years back. This "kid"? He's now closing in on the tallest guy in the extended family, that's about 6'8".

But back then, he was maybe eight and visiting before Christmas. We'd just been to the dollar store where he'd walked the aisles, carefully and intentionally picking out the "perfect" gift for everyone on his list, parents and grandparents plus all the cousins and aunts and uncles and even a buddy or two. (Yeah, it's an old family tradition, teaching kids how to "give" and not just "get" presents by taking them to the dollar store. There's no forgetting my little nephew exclaiming with excitement, "Auntie Al, we have soooo many presents to give!" )

Energized by gift-giving, this kid and his grandpa and I were at the kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate and cutting into colorful wrapping paper for our gifts.

Me: So which is better, lots of presents or one big present? Him: Lots of presents!

Me: So which is better, lots of presents or a few presents with lots of ribbons? Him: A few presents. Ribbons are the best!

Ever since, I stock up on ribbons and bows so that once our gifts are wrapped, we can Go.To.Town with ribbons, putting minimalism to the wind and maximalism to the test.

When it comes to ribbon, more is definitely better. You learned it from a kid.

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: Taking It Sloooow with Slow Cookers & Slow Cooking

The slow cooker goes dusty during the summer months. So it must be that time again, now, because this week I pulled it out twice, once to meal prep some sweet potatoes, then to make No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock when the oven was otherwise occupied. (FYI 24 hours on medium heat since the technique isn't updated yet).

So this week, Seasonal Sundays is focused on slow cooking, using not only slow cookers (people do love their Crockpots!) but also slow cooking in the oven. As regular readers know, I do find that ovens yield much more consistent and tasty results.

I make the case for Slow Cooking in the Oven here ...

Soup for Supper

• THE RECIPE Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup Creamy without a drop of cream. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Paleo Carrot Soup Quiet-inducing, spoon-clinking good.

Meatless Monday

• THE RECIPE Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes A little bit spicy, many rave reviews.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato Curry with Red Lentils, Roasted Peppers & Spinach

Cooking Down Your Bean Stash

• THE RECIPE Red Beans & Rice Slow cooked Creole comfort food. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Cook Dried Beans Mexican-Style from Scratch (Slow Cooker or Oven Slow-Cooking) Easy, economical, delicious. (PIN This)

Southern Specialties

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooked Greens & Smoked Turkey So good, you'll want to eat the pot. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables A healthy stew, packed with cooked beans and root vegetables.

Meaty Mains

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooked or Slow Cooker Pot Roast Three easy tricks for tender, moist and flavorful pot roast. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos So handy to have on hand!

A Chicken in Every Pot ...

• THE RECIPE Chicken Cacciatore The classic Italian stew, chicken slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Crockpot Chicken Goulash A one-pot meal for extra-busy days. (PIN This)

... And A Pig in the Poke

• THE RECIPE Milk-Braised Pork Roast Be it ever so humble, milky good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Ribs & Sauerkraut for Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven Easy supper for home or camping.

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 Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn No mess, no fuss in a paper bag. (PIN This)

Compliments!

• THIS WEEK "We loved the mashed potatoes ... I did pack them into the crockpot after mashing, and brought it out of the fridge in time to reheat on Thursday. Even the leftovers were moist and great! I did use Yukon golds! I hand mashed, and they were absolutely amazing. I would have left on those tender skins if it had not been for company!" ~ Laurie
• THE RECIPE Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes) Make-ahead mashed potatoes for a crowd, traditional or slow cooker. (PIN This)

The Kitchen Parade Almanac: Looking Ahead ...

• December 1 - 23 - PikkuJoulu (Finnish "Little Christmas")
• December 21st (Thursday) - Winter Solstice (Official First Day of Winter)
• December 24th (Sunday) - Christmas Eve
• December 25th (Monday) - Christmas Day
• December 26th (Tuesday) - Boxing Day
• December 31st (Sunday) - New Year's Eve
• January 1st (Monday) - New Year's Day
• Jan 7th (first Sunday) - Alanna's Take Down Christmas (or Else) Day

• A COLLECTION OF MANY YEARS My Christmas Recipes
• ALL THINGS SWEET Holiday Baking

• THE COLLECTION New Year's Recipes Bringing the year to a close in style.

Looking Back ...

• December Bucket List (Week 48) (PIN This)
• Holiday Salads (Week 47) (PIN This)


• Sweet Potato Season (Week 45) (PIN This)
• November Bucket List (Week 44) (PIN This)
• Chickpeas (Week 43) (PIN This)
• Soups to Sustain the Spirit (Week 42) (PIN This)
• Special Sweets for Fall (Week 41) (PIN This)

Holiday Versions of Year-Round Favorites

• SPECIAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS Christmas Banana Bread My favorite banana bread, all dressed up for Christmas. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Shhh Banana Bread Delicious, low-fat banana bread. (PIN This)

• HOLIDAY READY Gingerbread Granola All dressed up for Christmas. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots Just a little sweetness, just a little oil.

• LADIES' LUNCH, ANYONE? Christmas Chicken Salad Chicken salad all dressed up for Christmas.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken Salad for Sandwiches Makes up in minutes with pantry ingredients. (PIN This)

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger That old-time recipe with a whole orange, skin and all. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce for the Slow Cooker Sweet aroma of cranberries, fresh ginger and orange zest! (PIN This)

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.

• Any ideas for Seasonal Sundays? Share away!
• It's December. What's In your slow cooker?
• Who collects food-related tree ornaments?
• Who's stocked up on butter? Who's baking cookies?!
• For those who celebrate, is there a certain moment when Christmas somehow just begins?
• Anything else? Chime in, chat away.

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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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