Seasonal Sundays (Week 28) Summer "Extras"

Too hot to cook? If not yet, then soon. So here I've collected some of my very favorite "extra" recipes for summer, the little things that make it extra easy to put together a quick sandwich, salad, taco, pizza or a quick meal with a touch of something special, all without planning. More and more, it's these "little extras that make all the difference" that fascinate me.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Hey, all. How're you holding up? It's going to be a long haul, it seems. Another year? two years? We squandered those first weeks of lockdown. Other places are slowly returning to normal while our numbers go nowhere but up.

The heat's up too. Who wants to stand over a hot grill? stove? when it's that hot? But we still have to eat right? My strategy of relying on what I call "Little Extras That Make a Big Difference" is inspired by my dear Auntie Gloria, my mom's sister. Even as a kid, I was always so impressed that she could pull this and that and a dab of this and a dab of that and voila, lunch was on the table. So when it's too hot to cook, I still make something every day, but something that will make the next meal easier.

Which one will make your next meal easier? There are so many choices!

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Masks. Face Coverings. Whatever we call them, we'd best get used to them because they're the one thing that stands between us and 55,000 (and counting) new cases per day and doubling every two weeks. (And no, it's not just "more testing". The so-called "positivity" rate is also increasing rapidly.) If your current mask isn't working for you? Try another. I'm still experimenting myself, just ordered my third yesterday. If you love yours? Let me know where you got it and I'll share the info with other readers next week. Just leave a comment or drop me a line if it's easier via recipes@kitchen-parade.com.

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PICK ONE

Pick One is for those of us overwhelmed by life's unending choices. If that resonates, then check out this one recipe and then call it a day. It's one that I think could make the most difference, the one I hope will become a regular in your kitchen, as it is in mine.

• THE RECIPE Homemade Ricotta Two ways to make fresh homemade ricotta.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Buttermilk How to make thick & tangy, cold & creamy buttermilk.

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

Here's my appeal for mealtime minimalism, the idea that you don't have to think up a new breakfast or a new lunch every day. It's a way to think less about food rather than more. It's maintains that the ritual of healthy satisfying staples can fill you up in a way that the new and the novel cannot.

• THE RECIPE Best-Ever Lentil Salad
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Lentils

Salad Makers

• THE RECIPE My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing Never the same twice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Blueberry Vinaigrette

• THE RECIPE Spiced Pickled Red Onions A game changer for tacos, salads, eggs and more.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Jalapeño Pickles No canning required.
  

• THE RECIPE Maple-Glazed Pecans Crisp and barely sweet. Pecan Pizzazz!
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles

Sauces for Sandwiches, Pizzas, Meats & Veggies

• THE RECIPE Homemade Fresh Basil Pesto Without Cheese Unleashing sweet, fresh basil flavor.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chimichurri How to make chimichurri, the Argentinian parsley sauce.

• THE RECIPE Lime Crema A DIY Mexican crema for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and more.
• ANOTHER TAKE Ten-Minute Foolproof Enchilada Sauce Perfect for fast enchiladas and any time a "hot sauce" is useful.

• THE RECIPE Chimichurri How to make chimichurri, the Argentinian parsley sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Sazón A gorgeous Dominican sauce, so fresh, so alive.

• THE RECIPE Famous Mustard Sauce (Carolina BBQ Mustard Sauce) A tiny-bit spicy and a tiny-bit sweet and totally addictive.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Finnish Mustard How to make mustard at home, Finnish-style.

• THE RECIPE Green Mayonnaise A whole new way to think of mayonnaise.
• ANOTHER TAKE Almonnaise Vegan mayonnaise Made from Almonds

For the Fridge

• THE RECIPE Refrigerator Pickled Beets No canning required!
• THEN JAZZ 'EM UP Pickled Beet Salad with Fresh Blueberries & Mint

• THE RECIPE Cauliflower Refrigerator Pickles
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Pickled Asparagus

Appetizers for Dinner

• THE RECIPE Roasted Eggplant “Hummus" (Eggplant & Chickpea Dip & Spread)
• ANOTHER TAKE Crazy-Smooth Crazy-Good Hummus

• THE RECIPE My Guacamole Restaurant-style guacamole, our house recipe.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos

• THE RECIPE Best Quick Tomato Salsa (Red Salsa) For chips, tacos, burritos, eggs & more
• ANOTHER TAKE Green Chile Sauce (Salsa Verde) New Mexico-style salsa verde

Summer Meal Prep Favorites

• THE RECIPE Creamy Oatmeal
• ANOTHER TAKE Microwave Creamy Oatmeal with Peanut Butter Try it with half a banana and a few blueberries, morning heaven!

Back-Pocket Recipe

We all keep certain recipes in our virtual back pockets, right? We might not need them right this minute but recognize their usefulness in our recipe repertoires.

• THE RECIPE Easy Apricot Jam with Rosemary Rustic and barely sweet, just five ingredients.
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Make Rhubarb Jam & Rhubarb Jelly

Summer Easy: Less Cookin', More Livin'.

More than a decade ago, I started collecting a certain style of summer dishes that espouse my summer motto, Less Cookin', More Livin'. These are Kitchen Parade's most simple, most fresh, most memorable and most summery recipes, all in one place. I hope you love 'em all! See Easy Summer Recipes!

• THE RECIPE Cantaloupe Smoothie 100% fruit, creamy or frosty.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup So simple and yet ... somehow so unusual, so comforting.

Something New to You? A Challenge!

It's one thing to know what we like. It's another to get caught in a rut of repetition. Every so often, I may offer a challenge to try something that just might be new. The challenge is yours to accept – or y'know, not – but I hope to pique your palate!

• THE RECIPE Homemade Mayonnaise for BLTs Some times, Homemade Mayonnaise is worth just a little extra effort.
• ANOTHER TAKE Green Mayonnaise A whole new way to think of mayonnaise.

Sweet Endings

• THE MASTER RECIPE Rustic Fruit Ice Cream An easy, no-cook rich, creamy and fruity ice cream, here peach but also blueberry, strawberry and banana.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Sauce Simple to make, simple to serve.

Seasonal Showcase: Can't Get Enough!

Soups & Salads Especially for July

• JULY's COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for July, tons of ideas!
• LOOKING AHEAD Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for August, full of tomatoes!

What's New?!

• THE RECIPE Best-Ever Macaroni Salad The summer classic, just better.
• ANOTHER TAKE BLT Pasta Salad A fresh approach for a summer favorite.

• THE RECIPE "Best Ever" New Potatoes & Green Beans
• ANOTHER TAKE Simple Skillet Green Beans

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus or Other Summer Vegetables Tossed in an addictive sweet 'n' sour hot sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta Shrimp cooked in a nest of tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese.

• THE RECIPE Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho A slightly fruity vegetable gazpacho.
• ANOTHER TAKE Fruity Gazpacho A starter, entrée or dessert!

• THE RECIPE Blueberry Jam with Cinnamon Sweet, spicy, summery blueberry jam in 90 minutes.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Apricot Jam with Rosemary Rustic and barely sweet, just five ingredients.

• THE RECIPE Easy Easy Radish Spread
• ANOTHER TAKE Asparagus Tapenade

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, 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, 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 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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