Seasonal Sundays (Week 45 Early November)

Hey, here's an idea. Let's call this the "Thirty Days Has November" edition of Seasonal Sundays. That's because it's completely focused on putting real food on the table for the other 29 days, ignoring the 30th day looming out there, you know, Thanksgiving, the holiday that shall not be named.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays!

Good News, Bad News.

Last week a reader bemoaned that there were "so many" recipes she wanted to try in last week's edition.

#IHearYa #IFeelYourPain.

"Too many choices" is perhaps better than no choices at all but it's not better than a well-curated list – which is what I'm already aiming for with Seasonal Sundays, a short list of recipe and life ideas.

But for those of us who stand before store shelves overwhelmed by too many choices (anyone? everyone??), let's try something new.

Enter "Pick One".

Every week, right up front, I'll share a single recipe, just one, the cream atop the milk, the right hand that always delivers, the sister who says just the right thing.

So here goes. Let me know how this works for you, okay?

Just a reminder, I personally select everything that's mentioned here — nothing is sponsored, nothing is paid advertising. Oh and if you happen to buy something via a link to Amazon (just Amazon, no others), Kitchen Parade may earn a small commission. Zero pressure, just an FYI that's required by law and good manners. My Disclosure Promise

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PICK ONE, JUST ONE

Once upon a time, I published a recipe for pumpkin muffins. It was a perfectly good recipe. Then a reader laid down a challenge, "My pumpkin muffin is better than your pumpkin muffin."

Turns out, she was right!

This recipe can take almost anything you throw at it. Back in 2010, I challenged readers to come up with their own variations and man, did they ever.

Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins, super adaptable, stay fresh for days.

Something For Supper Dinner

Who calls the evening meal supper? Or is it dinner?

Content creators like me spending lots of time, money and effort to get noticed by Google. And apparently, Google has decided (because it knows you, me and all of us collectively) that dinner is preferred.

But call it dinner, call it supper, do put Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken on your list. It's full of rich spices and the "sweet" is a touch of honey. So good!

Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken, a chicken & vegetable one-pot stew with honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, paprika.

Something for Meatless Monday

More spices! It must be fall!

Keep this recipe handy whenever you're feeling less than svelte, it'll fill you up but is super healthy.

Better still, two versions, one for the stovetop, another for the slow cooker.

Squash & Carrot Stew, rich with world spices.

There's an App for That

New Baby? Family Loss? Medical Issue?

My sister's colleague just had a baby – and already has two little Littles at home. "Are you taking food over?" I asked.

"I did one better," she answered. "I signed her up for MealTrain.

Here's how MealTrain describes itself, "Mealtrain.com simplifies the organization of meal giving around significant life events. We strive to simplify and promote interpersonal relationships between friends, families, and neighbors through meals.".

Here you go, Meal Train.

Something for the Slow Cooker

This is not a Thanksgiving recipe! A turkey breast makes for a great dinner all winter long!

But for anyone whose head is already heading into Thanksgiving Lala Land, cooking a turkey breast will move you down the road.

Because the best way to make the best turkey gravy? Make turkey stock ahead of time and then freeze it, here's How to Freeze Stock in Canning Jars.

In the words of my author friend Sally, "I made your turkey gravy which was THE BEST!!!!!!"

Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast, including Turkey Stock and Turkey Gravy.

Something for the Soup Pot

I tried so many different ways to make black bean soup before finally finding my way, hence, the name "At Last" Black Bean Soup. But once found, I've never strayed.

It makes a bunch but does freeze well, I just pulled a two-year old container from the freezer a couple of weeks ago and while it wasn't "just as good" as fresh, it made for a couple of mighty fine, no-effort meals.

PS I almost made this the "Pick One" recipe and if I'd done one sweet and one savory recipe, this would have been the savory. Accck, too many choices is hard but so is picking just one!

At Last! Black Bean Soup, vegan or flavored with ham hocks, either one.

Compliments!

"I made the lasagna soup for the second time this evening. Absolutely delicious and one I will keep making."

'Nuff said.

Lasagna Soup with Fresh Spinach, homemade lasagna in a bowl, all the flavors, for Weight Watchers, just 2 Freestyle points.

Beautiful Writing

Some writers stop me in my tracks, especially the ones that express everyday moments in evocative ways, especially the ones who explain the sometimes inexplicable.

Here's on from the food blog Not Without Salt.

It starts off like this:

"I stare at the computer screen practically paralyzed by the mounting list of to-do’s. Ivy’s half-finished Halloween costume sits dormant in the corner, a few dishes from last night’s dinner linger on the table, and dinner tonight? There are no plans yet.

In this moment I put the computer down, bound into the kitchen and set the oven to 350°F."

To continue, head over to Not Without Salt. Lovely, just lovely.

November's Fence Straddlers

I have t-o-n-s of recipes of probably-Thanksgiving-only recipes.

But a Thirty-Days-Has-November mindset got me to taking a second look at the recipes in my collection which could work for Thanksgiving but don't shout Thanksgiving in the way the World's Best Green Bean Casserole or a Sweet Potato Casserole would.

So here are three recipe ideas for the 29 days that aren't Thanksgiving.

Mashed Potatoes with Vegetarian Apple Cider Ginger Sage Gravy, the gravy is amazing!

Simple 'Sweet Potato' Potato Salad with Hardly Any Mayonnaise, all about the sweet potatoes.

Cauliflower Cream, a great substitute for mashed potatoes, especially the rustic version.

If You Only Knew: Revealing the Humanity of Mental Illness

• What It Is: A powerful collection of interviews and photographs depicting what mental illness feels like
• Its Aim: To encourage us to see beyond the illness.
• What's Inside: Artful images and real-life stories of people with mental illness, here's a preview


• Pre-orders through November 14th at Barb Kellogg Photography


• Full Disclosure: The photographer and author is a talented photographer and also my youngest and much-adored cousin. :-) It's been such an honor to watch her move from pain to idea to inspiration to execution and now into the reality of a physical book.

Soups & Salads Especially for November

May we please ignore the fact that I put out A Veggie Venture's list of Seasonal Soups & Salads for October two days before Halloween? But there was a good reason. October finished an entire year of focusing on seasonal soups and salads.

The very first of month of the year-long series from 2018?

Seasonal Soups & Salads for November, a deeper dive into just soups and salads, all from A Veggie Venture.

Guilty Pleasures

"Go live your life!" the doctors have told me after a long summer dealing with breast cancer. "And start exercising!"

Enter "Shameless" – the Showtime soap opera hit that makes me laugh and cry and gets and keeps me on the exercise bike and TotalGym. Extra motivation? I only let myself watch while exercising.

My favorite characters are Lip and Fiona and V and Carl and Debbie and Ian and anybody but Frank. Anyone else?

Shameless, seasons 1 - 9 on Netflix and hey! very cool, Season 10 begins November 10th! Mo Exercise!

Something(s) Updated

• How to Roast a Whole Butternut Squash, yes, whole, no knives, no cutting, no risking fingers.
• Vegetables 101: What Are Crudites? How to Create a Colorful Instagram-Friendly Platter of Raw Vegetables
from A Veggie Venture


• Pork Chops & Rice Oven Dinner, a one-pot oven dinner, pork chops and rice cooked together.
• Pan de Muerto (Bread for Day of the Dead), the traditional bread from Latin America to communicate with loved ones who have passed on.
from Kitchen Parade

Text Me Back!

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, whatever.

• How many days in November 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 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. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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