Seasonal Sundays: Sweet & Savory Strawberries

Grab a colander, all, it's time to rinse some berries for this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection featuring spring strawberries. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own recipe repertoire.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

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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! PS And if you like this week's recipes, perhaps you'll share this newsletter with a friend or social circle? If you forward this message, others may subscribe for free right here. Thank you!

It's strawberry season! Not the "real" season when the precious local berries show up, if you can afford them. Instead, the season includes the berries that show up in stores about now for a few weeks, and then again midsummer.

They are the reason why nearly all of my strawberry recipes call for "supermarket" strawberries, especially those big containers from Driscoll.

I bought the first box this week and the berries were so big, I had to go back the next day to get another one to make a strawberry pie. 🙄

Dig in!

Just a reminder, click any food photo to navigate straight to the recipe's page, it's especially handy for all of us who do most of our browsing on our phones.

In Praise Of ...

• ... renowned wildlife and nature photographer Jim Brandenburg who died on Friday, I literally gasped when I read the news early Saturday. He's been a fixture in my life for a long while, Amazon reminds me that I bought Chased by the Light (affiliate link) in 1998. It profoundly changed my thinking about nature photography. For this very personal project, he set out to explore the woods and waters near his Minnesota home for 90 days, taking exactly one shot, with one click, every day. Imagine the eye, the skill to accomplish such a feat. Think how many times we click-click-click on our phones, without really stopping to consider the worthiness of the shot but still taking multiple shots. Chased by the Light is a coffee table book, the photos were all taken not too far from where I grew up so I gave it to my parents for Christmas that year. After my dad passed away, I brought it home with me and honestly, it's out allllll the time and I flip through the pages every so often. Tonight I intend to read it again, cover to cover.


• ... St. Louisans who came out to the Hands Off protests in p o u r i n g rain (7 inches in 3 days), joining millions of others in more than 1000 other protests across the U.S. I was thrilled to be present, albeit soaked, especially noting that for the first time in the events I've participated in, there were throngs of young people. Wonderful!

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.

It's hard to know what to do, I get it. It's easy to feel doom and gloom, I feel it too. But things are happening. (Thank you, Wisconsin!)

In a world of RJKs and Hegseths and Musks and Loomers and JDs, be a Cory Booker. Don't you just know that the very idea of speaking on the Senate floor for 25 hours was dismissed at first blush, even among his own staff? But then somebody said, "Wait, what if ..." and it all took off from there.

Be a Cory Booker. Find your something. Do it.

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THE SEASONAL SEVEN: Sweet & Savory Strawberries

For this week's recipes, I aimed for recipes with ready-for-spring flavors and combinations that ...

• ... adds up to an 70:30 mix of sweet:savory and everyday:special occasion
• ... work with good supermarket strawberries, since it's so early in the season
• ... will send you back to the store for just one more container

• THE RECIPE Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler With a buttery cornmeal crumble topping. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothies Spring's favorite couple in a glass.

• THE RECIPE Strawberry Ice Cream No-cook ice cream with big strawberry flavor and pretty pink color.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Milk Not a smoothie, almost a milkshake.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream Just two bites big, just perfect for spring occasions.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crumble Fruity chocolaty goodness.

• THE RECIPE Summer Poke Cake with Strawberries & Blueberries A fun, festive cake for summer. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Shortcake Iowa-Style With shortcake biscuits and half & half.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake A real celebration cake. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Fool An old English tradition, summer berries with a special whipped cream.

• THE RECIPE Seven-Layer Strawberry Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing A fruity riff on the traditional Seven-Layer Salad, colorful layers of fruit plus the usual romaine and red onion.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips A quick fruit salsa with easy baked tortilla chips.

• THE RECIPE Strawberry Vinaigrette with Chipotle Bright with berry color and flavor, spiked with a touch of heat. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Five-Minute Fruit Salad It's all in the presentation! (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE COLLECTION Strawberry Recipes Sweet and savory, both.
• SO USEFUL! All Kitchen Parade Recipes Organized by Ingredient

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 Lemon Cream Pie An irresistible balance of tart and tangy, sweet and creamy. One slice may not be enough! (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Meringue Pie Sunny slivers of the lemony classic.

• THE RECIPE Cauliflower Chopped Salad with Dried Fruit & Nuts The salad so good, my own sister bought a food processor just to make it. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Rainbow Salad Pretty pastel vegetables in a Sweet Lemon Vinaigrette. (PIN This)

Join Me? Pie of the Month Club

Who baked a pie this week?

It's all for fun pie. And it's a club without rules except yeah, make a pie. Make my suggested pie or not. Make your own crust or not. Make it a sweet pie or not. Make it on Friday or not. You get the idea ...

Here's April's pie. Join me, please?!

• THE RECIPE Fresh Strawberry Pie Fresh glazed berries in a homemade chocolate-cookie crust, a real crowd pleaser. (PIN This)
• THIS WEEK I missed this pie last year so was extra-pleased how good this was. I didn't have time to make the cookies for a chocolate crust so instead followed this recipe for My Favorite Graham Cracker Crust but substituted some ginger cookies from Trader Joe's for graham crackers. Raspberry jello was very pretty and we loved the flavor. This is a quick pie, start to finish. And so good!!

April: Reader Favorites

• THE RECIPE Sunshine Orange Muffins From the Canadian favorite, The Best of Bridge. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Orange Julius Drinks With extra protein, no refined sugar.

• FUN for KIDS! Thomas the Tank Engine Vegetable Trains Easy fun for birthday parties, holiday gatherings and more.
• MORE VEGETABLE FUN holiday crudités

Trending NOW ...

• IT'S FOR THE BIRDS Hummingbird Food Just sugar and water in the right ratio. It's fun! (PIN This)
• MORE OUTDOOR LIVING Never Buy Fresh Herbs Again How to grow a few favorite fresh herbs at home, the soil, the planting, everything you need to know.

• THE RECIPE Roasted Broccoli with Lemon & Garlic A splash of lemon makes all the difference. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemony Broccoli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Think lemon on lemon, simple and surprisingly substantial.

April: Recipes Lookin' for a Little Love

• THE RECIPE Mojito Strawberries Just six ingredients, inspired by a mojito, the Cuban cocktail.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crumble Fruity chocolaty goodness, oh my.

• THE RECIPE Greek Rice Salad with Artichokes & Feta Inexpensive rice packed with vegetables. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Tomato & Rice Salad A refreshing summer salad, just leftover rice and tomato. (PIN This)

The Kitchen Parade Almanac: Looking Ahead ...

• April 12 (Saturday) - 20th - Beginning of Passover
• April 20th (Sunday) - Easter (yikes! in two weeks!)
• April 22nd (Saturday) - Earth Day

• THE COLLECTION Easter Recipes From brunch to bunny hunts and much more.
• ALL THE HOLIDAYS All the Holidays Year-round food for fun and celebration.

Looking Back ...

THIS WEEK, YEARS PAST
• 2020 Early April & Easter (Week 15)
• 2021 Early April (Week 15)
• 2022 Easter Ideas (Week 15)
• 2023 Quick Pickles (Week 15)

RECENT WEEKS
• Spring Asparagus! (Week 14) (PIN This)
• Save Room for Dessert (Spring Edition) (PIN This)
• Green Food (Just for the Fun of It) (PIN This)
• Pasta You'll Love (Week 11) (PIN This)
• Fish for Lent & Spring (Week 10) (PIN This)
• Everyday Cajun (Week 9) (PIN This)
• Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner (Week 8) (PIN This)
• Sweet Little Somethings (Week 7) (PIN This)
• Spinach for Any Occasion (Week 5) (PIN This)
• Project Cooking (Week 4) (PIN This)
• Snow-Day Suppers (Week 3) (PIN This)
• Feeding Our Vegetable Cravings (Week 2) (PIN This)
• Best of 2024 (PIN This)

Soups & Salads When It Feels Like Spring But ...

April is such a frustrating month, vegetable-wise! Many days are so warm and almost summer-like but of course, gardens may not even be planted yet, let alone producing food for the table. That's why I spent a year gathering all of A Veggie Venture's best soup and salad recipes into easy-to-scan month-by-month collections.

• THE COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for April Especially for the warmer days, so many choices!
• BUT REALLY, DON'T MISS Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad Addictively good, so many variations.
• OR THIS Cream of Dandelion Soup A spring surprise with a peppery bite.

Good to Know!

• THE RECIPE Hot Cross Buns Sweet buns traditional for Easter.
• ANOTHER TAKE Armenian Easter Bread The buttery sweet bread called choereg or choreg. (PIN This)

Silly (But Fun?!) Food Holidays

• April 6 — Fresh Tomato Day (Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta)
• April 6 — National Caramel Popcorn Day (Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn)
• April 7 — Coffee Cake Day (Overnight Coffeecake)
• April 7 (1st Mon) — Sweet Potato Day (Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots)
• April 12 — Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (Artichoke & Pepper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches)

The Best No-Recipe Recipe I Made This Week

Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins + Peanut Butter + Banana + Cinnamon => Morning Pleasure (Even Before the Coffee Kicks In)

Trader Joe's Test Kitchen Bathroom

Not food but ... toothpaste! We were out and I'm boycotting Walmart so I tried the Trader Joe's toothpaste. I love that there's just one toothpaste, not a bewildering number of brands, flavors, sizes, blah blah.

If a Trader Joe's were within walking distance and I could save a trip elsewhere, sure, I would buy this again.

But it's also way more water-y than paste-y so I went through a tube in like a month where Crest/Colgate and the like last for several months.

So no bargain, this ...

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 I tried a new way of cooking a beef roast this week. I'll work out the kinks in the end but oh my, that first roast was ever so salty. I used an entire pound in this beef salad, a recipe from my mom that we gobble up. So good!
• THE RECIPE Simple Beef Salad Retro good with veggies, rice and a savory soy dressing. (PIN This)

Something to Read

It's a conservative estimate: I've read 2500 books. That's about 50 books a year for more than 50 years. How many do I remember? Maybe 50.

I read Leif Enger's first book Peace Like a River almost two decades ago but it remains vividly etched in my brain. We share Minnesota roots but it's more than that. He's a storyteller. He's a poet. He's an observer of living beings and skies and waters and sands.

So I've been weaving in and out of Leif's (pronounced Lafe, rhymes with safe) newest story, I Cheerfully Refuse.

The book might be pegged as apocalyptic or dystopian fiction in an America in the not-too-distant future where life is little like we live today, where a new class system has emerged, the wealthy Sixteen Families (also called Astronauts) who control all the resources and power and the Invisibles, yeah, that's the rest of us; decades after library defunding but before the hard-shell Patriots got in.

But really, life in the new system is accepted if not acceptable. People are carrying on, one foot ahead of the other. If this sounds bleak, in many ways it is. In others? To quote my mom, and many other wise women, Life goes on.

Much recommended.

• HIS MOST RECENT BOOK I Cheerfully Refuse (affiliate link) by Minnesota author Leif Enger
• HIS FIRST BOOK Peace Like a River (affiliate link) by Leif Enger


• 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.

• 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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