Seasonal Sundays: Dog Days of August (Week 32)

Hey, all. This week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection is for all of us who wrapping ourselves in these last few weeks of summer. The recipes are "all savory" (think dinner) and lean (hard!) into summer's top vegetables (think eggplant, zucchini, corn, peppers) and some summer fruit too. Shall we dig right in? We've got some cooking (but not much) to do!

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

THANK YOU for stopping in today ... and last week and next week too. "I appreciate you." I do ... and always love hearing from many of you throughout the week. Don't be a stranger!

At an autumn hayride some years back, one of the twin grandsons peered into the sky, counting country stars-so-bright, no electric light visible. How many? I asked and he sighed. "I gave up counting at a million."

Respect!

I felt exactly the same way at the kitchen table this week, walking through my 3x5 recipe box to pull out all the summer recipes I'd like to make in the next six weeks. It's like that kid in the candy store, so many colorful goodies! unable to say no! wanting it all! HomeGoods maybe switched to Christmas a few weeks ago but me, I'm hanging onto summer with all I've got.

That list ended up with almost fifty (I know, fifty?!) recipes. I'd best get to cookin', wouldn't you say?!

But. For this week's recipe collection, I made difficult choices, picking just seven, thinking about what YOU might want to cook too: fingers crossed for good decisions.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Yep, that's our dog, lazing pool-side on a hot summer's day like any respectable barnyard dawg.

In Praise Of ...

• ... these wonderful temporary tattoo packets (affiliate link), the three Littles were psyched to find them waiting on the table, asking, "Are these for us???" And so they were, three different versions, all super-cute and high-quality. The kids' mom isn't tatted (tattooed?) but applied a few tattoos with a paper towel and a little water like an ol' pro. So cute, the kids were thrilled and so was I. Much recommended!


• ... "greening" the space outside our kitchen and dining room with grass instead of the existing mulch and m-a-n-y herb and flower pots ... our goal was to minimize ongoing maintenance and while we considered other zero-scape and similar options, in our situation, we quickly realized that grass requires the "least" maintenance because it takes the mowers (who're coming anyway) exactly two extra minutes to mow here too ... and the Resident Dawg loves hanging out on the moist, green grass in the shade ... big win!


• ... the empowerment I feel, sending money to candidates I'm enthusiastic about. It all started the day after "the" debate. (Wow, was it really only 5 weeks ago?) I wanted to show support for President Biden and made a contribution. It felt GOOD. I decided to set aside what for me is a significant amount of money but instead of sending it all to one place at one time, to dole it out in smaller contributions. Me? I was one contributor among the many first-time and small-dollar contributors to the $300 million (wow!!!) war chest as Kamala Harris lifted off. Since? Stormy Daniels. Our local Senate race. A Heather Cox Richardson event for down-ballot candidates. Anything any of the folks below (and other activists I follow) endorse. It FEELS good. It FEELS important. It FEELS American.

Democracy Matters

The country needs calm, thoughtful and assertive voices amid the chaos inflicted by a minority hellbent on taking/retaining generational power by strangling democratic principles and equal rights. None of us have to personally change the world. We just have to do our part. Pick one thing for the top of your To Do List this week.

Every so often, I like to share my favorite sources of information and activism. Hmmm. I just this minute realized that almost all my favorites are ... women.

My #1 pick will always be the brilliant Heather Cox Richardson who has been writing Letters from an American nearly every single day since September 2019. For me, "Heather" (as we refer to her in this house) is a must-read. She cuts through the day's news and presents an interpretation in a calm, history-grounded voice, with an eye/ear for what will matter to historians in future. Facebook people, she also does twice-weekly talks/lectures: she's whip-smart, speaks in plain language without drama. Yes, I'm a big fan.

Joyce Vance writes another Substack newsletter called Civil Discourse. She's a law professor, a 25-year veteran of the Department of Justice, a former U.S. Attorney, a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC – also a knitter and chicken keeper! The chicks and chicken show up every so often. I have increasing appreciation for her intellect and encouragement. "We're in this together," she signs off.

Jessica Craven's Chop Wood, Carry Water comes 5x a week with encouragement (so important!) plus a meaty list of very specific actions individuals can make, from 2 minutes to maybe an hour. But for anyone who's feeling discouraged, her Sunday "good news" newsletter is a must-read. Prepare to feel re-inspired!

Jess Piper is my latest newsletter crush, she calls herself the "Dirt Road Democrat" and is an activist who ran for office (and lost) in Deep Red Missouri. She's a great writer and storyteller and while The View from Rural Missouri covers Missouri, well, its threads are woven into the fabric of this country.

Podcast people, you'll appreciate the rich language and extemporary eloquence in Dahlia Lithwick's podcast covering the Supreme Court called Amicus. Isn't that such a great name?! (Amicus is an individual or organization that is not a party to an action but who volunteers or is court-invited to advise on a matter before the court.)

Pepperspectives from David Pepper (the whole piece is worthwhile but here's an excerpt): "One reason 2016 happened is that most didn’t expect it. It was unimaginable. That November, we learned painfully that it can happen. Many probably looked back and thought—if I’d known that the risk was real in 2016, I would’ve done more. But now in 2024, the risk is clear. And yes, it’s even more clear after last night. This is real. This is scary. More real than it felt for most in 2016. So with that reality much more clear, we have the opportunity to not make the mistakes of 2016 over again. Each of us can and must use every part of our footprint to save democracy. And, know that as in recent elections, this will be razor tight. And it will all come down to turnout…. …and one question: Do we (greater in numbers than the other side) care more about protecting democracy and freedom than they do about destroying both? The answer must be yes. Keep going. Do all you can!"

Extra Interesting: David Pepper is intriguing. He's run for (and lost) statewide office in Ohio. He's headed the Ohio Democratic Party. He fights to expose political corruption and limits to voting rights in Ohio. And ... he writes non-fiction about democracy and has authored five novels.

Just this week, he started publishing a new novel entitled "2025: A Novel" online using an, ahem, novel concept: each chapter takes an element of the Republican Project 2025 and imagines its impact in very real human terms.

Is it apocalyptic fiction envisioning what would happen should the U.S. become a failed democracy? I fear so. It's also verrrrry readable. Here's Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.

Made Me Think ...

I was riveted by the premise: What would you do, how far would you go, for your kid? Whoah.

WATCH Your Honor, the Showtime series now on Netflix, the unintended consequences of family and family-like tragedies are also fascinating.

The series also pushed me to think, what would I do, how far would I go, for a cause?

Back in June, the owner of a local high-profile restaurant with national recognition closed down for good. Restaurants close and open alllll the time, of course. But this St. Louis closure was different. The chef/owner called it quits because he wanted none of his restaurant's acclaim to brush off on the State of Missouri which is increasingly anti-democratic, a real cesspool of red-state radical politics. For the chef, it was extra personal: the State's policies affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents. More Info? St. Louis chef closes Bulrush, citing Missouri 'hate politics' against LGBTQ community.

Really. What would I do (or not do) to stand up for a cause?

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THE SEASONAL SEVEN: Especially for the Dog Days of August

For this week's recipes, I aimed for recipes that shout "August" with summer flavors and combinations that ...

• ... are all on the savory side, no sweets!
• ... lean into summer produce without dwelling on summer tomatoes, which I plan to feature soon (after all, if the tomatoes are in, don't we spend the first couple of weeks just reveling in tomato sandwiches?!)
• ... aren't your usual, everyday recipes, some you'll find nowhere but here!
• ... naturally, all so good!

• THE RECIPE Fruity Gazpacho A starter, entrée or dessert!
• ANOTHER TAKE Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup So simple and yet ... somehow so unusual, so comforting. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Summer Vegetable Stew A rainbow of summer vegetables, full of different flavors and colors and textures. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Summer Squash & Tomato Sauté Barely cooked with a pile of garlic and a little tomato.

• THE RECIPE Summer's Tomato Soup Ripe summer tomatoes only, please. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp Familiar ingredients combine into something unusual and surprising.

• THE RECIPE Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches A towering sandwich, summer style. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Green Chili Burgers Just good meat with a good green salsa.

• THE RECIPE Ratatouille The classic French baked vegetables, simplified.
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Eggs with Ratatouille Vegetables Veggies for breakfast and what a breakfast!

• THE RECIPE Fresh Tomato Sauce For summer's best tomato-pasta feast or a creamy-tomato bed for eggs or sausage.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Pepper Pasta Skillet Colorful bell peppers in a light cream sauce. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Grilled Steak with Tomato-Avocado Salad in a Warm Poblano-Bacon Vinaigrette A hearty salad supper, steak with a mess of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado in a poblano-bacon vinaigrette.
• ANOTHER TAKE Loaded Iceberg Steaks with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Fall back in love with iceberg lettuce, loaded with summer goodies.

What's Brand-Spankin' 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 Easy Sautéed Red & Yellow Peppers A simple, colorful side dish. (PIN This)

August: Reader Favorites

• THE RECIPE Light Tomato Basil Quiche Make-ahead, light and healthy. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Farmers Market Quiche with Crispy Potato Crust A CSA favorite, bits of different vegetables in an egg-milk-corn milk mixture.

August: Lost Recipes

• THE RECIPE Chicken a la King A retro Quick Supper, tender chicken with mushrooms, veggies in a creamy sauce. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Kung Pao Chicken, a Quick Supper, meaty moist chicken in a hot mahogany sauce.

Looking Back ...

THIS WEEK, YEARS PAST
• 2022 Summer Salad Suppers (Week 32)
• hmmm ... apparently I usually take off during the "dog days of august"?

RECENT WEEKS
• Cool as Cucumbers (Week 31) (PIN This)
• Summer Sweet Corn (Week 29) (PIN This)
• Peach Season! (Week 28) (PIN This)
• Red, White (& Blue) (Week 27) (PIN This)
• Let's Beat This Heat (Week 26) (PIN This)
• No-Ordinary Green Beans for Summer (Week 24) (PIN This)
• Summer Easy (Week 22) (PIN This)
• Summery Spreads & Dips (Week 21) (PIN This)

Soups & Salads Especially for August

• AUGUST's HUGE COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for August Take advantage of all that summer produce!
• BUT REALLY, DON'T MISS Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber & Tomato Salad Big chunks of summer veggies in a simple dressing.
• OR Sweet Corn Relish A simple summer relish, no canning required.
• OR Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad) Summer veggies in a lemon-sumac dressing.

Good to Know!

• THE COLLECTION Favorite Seasonal Vegetable Stews 10 recipes plus 10 tips & techniques.

Silly (But Fun?!) Food Holidays

• August 5th — Green Peppers Day (Green Pepper Jelly)
• August 5th — National Oyster Day (Oyster Stew)
• August 7th — National Raspberries & Cream Day (Sugar-Free Raspberry Bliss)
• August 8th — National Zucchini Day (Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad)

• THE RECIPE Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad A sexy, seductive zucchini-noodle salad. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Spiral Zucchini Noodle “Zoodle” Greek Salad A big jumble of zucchini, tomatoes and olives in an oil-free Creamy Feta Vinaigrette.

The Best No-Recipe Recipe I Made This Week

Good Bread with Duke's Mayonnaise + A Thick Slice of Home-grown Tomato + Good Salt = Died & Gone to Summer Heaven

Now you know what's for lunch every dang day until the tomatoes give out.

Trader Joe's Test Kitchen

For years and years, I've loved a red pepper spread from the Balkans called "ajvar" -- one year, one of my Winnipeg cousins even flew home with multiple jars (pre 9/11, of course) and then in 2008, I featured it on A Veggie Venture, Product Tip: Ajvar Red Pepper & Eggplant Spread on FinnCrisp.

But now! There's a similar product at Trader Joe's, no trekking across town to an international market, no stocking up by the shelfful. It's comes in a 12-ounce jar labeled Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic and has a very slight kick, way less than the imported jars of ajvar I once purchased.

For a quick 'n' easy appetizer, I like to spread some cream cheese whipped with milk until silky on a big platter, then top it with a layer of ajvar, sprinkle it with feta and a few herbs. Easy-peasy. Drop-dead delish!

It's also great tossed with hot pasta, spread on crackers with a little cheese, as a sandwich spread, dolloped into eggs. Much recommended!

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from this week.

• THIS WEEK Finally! My husband's vegetable plants are going into high gear. The very first thing I always make with the very first green peppers? (Not into green peppers? Know that home-grown or farm-grown are so much better than the store-bought ones!) So good!
• THE RECIPE Green Pepper Frittata Perfect for late-summer breakfast.

• THIS WEEK Is anyone else having trouble finding tahini? I've long been wanting to try peanut butter instead of tahini in hummus and so an appetizer version seemed just the moment. I used peanut butter one-for-one and added 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Decent! Unless you're really paying attention, I'm not sure you'd notice. That said, I'm not giving up my search for tahini, there's just no matching that slight bitterness.
• THE RECIPE Easy-Easy Hummus Salad Another Quick Supper, just a light, loose hummus topped with chickpeas, fresh summer vegetables and feta. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK These were a real hit the week my sister visited. I gifted a bunch to our nearby niece/family, she later confessed, "I might have eaten most of them myself." So good!
• THE RECIPE Fresh Blueberry Cookies A fun summer cookie, bursting with blueberries. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK For several days, there were just no blueberries to be found: was the season really over so too soon? Good news, cherries are almost as good against the foil of sweet peaches. So good!
• THE RECIPE Simple Sliced Peaches Just four ingredients, turns tables to silent. (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 advice for Seasonal Sundays?
• Just one thing that would make it more useful for you?
• 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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