Seasonal Sundays (Week 29) Summer Suppers

Anyone looking for new dinner ideas? (Aren't we all?!) Today's collection is jam-packed with fresh, seasonal meals to carry us through the summer ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Thanks for your patience! Summer Breakfasts. Summer Drinks. Midsummer. Blueberries. Low-Key Celebrations. Summer Extras. You just knew we were working our way toward the summer meals that can sustain us for the next couple of months, right? Well, here you go, Summer Suppers.

For someone who doesn't really "cook" during the summer, even I was surprised by how many recipes jumped out, tempting me to get them on the menu, asap.

And I've got at least three or maybe four new weeknight-easy recipes scheduled for July and August, the ones that fit into my summer "no cooking" routine. I hope you love 'em!

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Such a sad puppy :-) Right now? Uncertain times at best, outright scary times at worst. It's easy to get down. It's understandable to mourn what isn't. It's natural to be worried. It's confusing / confounding / unsettling to face so much uncertainty on a timeline that stretches ... how many months? years? will it be? And yet ... in this Year that is 2020, I'm taking lessons from a ten-year old. Most days, he and I spend an hour or more on video calls just chatting about our days and then reading Harry Potter out loud. Now this kid's been through – and is going through – really tough times. And he's open about that. But you know what? I've never known a human being happier with what is, appreciating what's good now. For this kid, this wise little ten-year old, that half-full (nearly empty?) glass of his is completely full and spilling out the top.

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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 Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta Shrimp cooked in a nest of tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese.
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Seafood Chowder Shrimp and scallops in a milky broth, with barely cooked tomato, corn and my favorite vegetable this summer, okra.

A Big Week for Compliments!

Thank you to all of you who welcome my recipes into your kitchen, who make those recipes your own and especially those who take the time to write. Your feedback means the world!

"Happened across this while looking for vegan recipes and created it with a jar of pickled beets from a country store. Added gorgonzola for my husband ans son. It was a hit! One person was a professed beet hater and the other two of us had never had pickled beets before."~ Rebecca
• THE RECIPE Pickled Beet Salad with Fresh Blueberries & Mint A surprising crowd favorite in 10 minutes flat.

• "I loved the salad. Can't wait to make it again when Indiana sweet corn is harvested." ~ Songbird
• "I tried your summer salad tonight. Loved the combination of green beans, fresh corn kernels and pickled onion. It was great!" ~ Paula
• THE RECIPE Summer Green Bean Salad with Corn & Pickled Onion Brand-new on Tuesday!

• For the 4th of July, I made your chicken burgers, they were really tasty! I had to use ground turkey as I couldn't find ground chicken. I made them slided sized and also made beef sliders for those beef eaters. No big celebration but it was a yummy meal. Served it with my Nana's potato salad and a blueberry cobbler for dessert." ~ Debbie
• Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce Summery Greek-style chicken sandwich with chunky Greek tzatziki.

Mask Recommendations

Looks like a bunch of us are still looking for the "right" mask. Last week, I asked for recommendations and got just two (thank you!) plus another dozen notes saying, "I'm also still looking."

• Debbie wrote: "I found a mask I really like at Stark's Vacuums in Oregon. It is cotton and very comfortable. It has a little flap that helps some to keep the glass fogging down. Goes through the washer in a mesh bag nicely, I hang to dry. They are now making them in colors too."


• Stephanie wrote: "I bought three masks before finding one on Etsy and love it. There's room around the nose so that it's easier to breathe. Plus I love the African print, a subtle but public way to stand with Black Lives Matter." (Note: I appreciate this sentiment but am not linking to the specific mask because it includes an air valve and air valves should be avoided as they protect the wearer but not the people in their proximity. But Etsy is indeed filled with face masks. To look for masks with African-style prints, search on "face masks kente" or "face masks ankara".)


• Sam's Club: I've been intrigued by the gaiter masks, like a stretchy tube top that starts below the eyes and ends at your neck. Yesterday, a two-mask set showed up at Sam's Club. I like how it can be wet, will keep you cooler. I like how it doesn't use those pesky ear bands. I like how it can be dropped off the face, then quickly returned if need be.


• If you're happy with a mask that can be purchased, send a quick email via recipes@kitchen-parade.com so the info can be shared with others.

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 Oaxaca Tlayuda (Flat Tacos) Easy, healthy build-your-own crispy baked tortillas.
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos So handy to have on hand!

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 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 Easy-Easy Marinated Flank Steak Just two ingredients and about ten minutes of hands-on time.

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 Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers A Quick Supper, easy and refreshing.
• ANOTHER TAKE Arugula Salad with Smoked Trout & Peach Preserve Dressing

Alexa, Call My Phone

Anyone else constantly looking for a wayward phone? That's me, especially since joining the ranks of Apple Watch people that puts calls, texts, notifications, etc on the watch and the phone.

For a lost phone, there's no matching "Find My Phone" app especially if you think your phone's been left somewhere. But for quick finds? Just tell Alexa to call your phone and in two secs, it's ringing! There it is, right where I put it!

Don't Cook, Assemble

• THE RECIPE Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches A towering sandwich, summer style.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce

• THE RECIPE Chicken Nachos with Homemade Pickled Jalapeño Rings Party food in a flash.
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas A quick green chile fix without hours in the kitchen.

Sheetpan Suppers

• THE RECIPE Quick Supper Salmon with Pesto Zucchini Noodles & Warm Tomatoes Simple-simple summer food.
• ANOTHER TAKE Roasted Salmon with Garden Hash & Creamy Avocado Sauce

• THE RECIPE Roasted Salmon & Asparagus The original sheetpan supper.
• ANOTHER TAKE Maple Glazed Salmon A Quick Supper, sweet & peppery marinated salmon.

Burgers, Baby!

• THE RECIPE Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce Summery Greek-style chicken sandwich with chunky Greek tzatziki.
• ANOTHER TAKE Jerusalem Turkey Burgers with Zucchini Moist, flavorful burgers specked with grated zucchini and fresh herbs.

• THE RECIPE Oil Tanker Burgers Stacked so high, you might call 'em Super Tankers.
• ANOTHER TAKE Minnesota Sloppy Joes Sloppy joes made from scratch in the crockpot.

Salad Suppers

• THE RECIPE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken Greek Salad with Simple Hummus A Quick Supper, just assemble and serve - another good reason to eat at home!

• THE RECIPE Tropical Pork Tenderloin A Quick Supper, a bit of sweet, a bit of heat especially designed to
• PAIR WITH Tropical Salad Supper Itself a stand-along Quick Supper, bright with citrus & tropical fruit.

• THE RECIPE Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables A concept recipe for a supper salad.
• ANOTHER TAKE Red Quinoa Salad Your Way, a Quick Supper, Healthy grains, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs & creamy cheese.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Greek Salad with Simple Hummus A Quick Supper, just assemble and serve, another good reason to eat at home!
• ANOTHER TAKE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato.

Skillet Suppers

• THE RECIPE Baked Chicken with Fresh Peaches Quick-seared chicken breasts amid summer-juicy peaches.
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes

• THE RECIPE Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens A Quick Supper, an unusual combination of familiar ingredients.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet Quick, easy & tasty vegetarian supper.
  

Summer Soups Are Special

• THE RECIPE Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto) Milky broth with the freshest, newest vegetables from the garden.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Seafood Chowder Shrimp and scallops in a milky broth, with barely cooked tomato, corn and my favorite vegetable this summer, okra.

Seasonal Showcase: Cucumbers!

DON'T MISS
• Cucumber Dip with Feta
• Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad
• Julia Child's Cucumber Salad
• Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad)
• Cucumber Lemonade

What's New?!

• THE RECIPE Summer Green Bean Salad with Corn & Pickled Onion
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Green Bean Salad with Asian Dressing

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

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Smashed Potato Salad with Sour Cream & Fresh Mint
• ANOTHER TAKE Finnish Summer Potato Salad

• THE RECIPE Cold-Brewed Coffee Low-acid cold-brewed coffee makes perfect iced coffee for hot summers.
• ANOTHER TAKE Hibiscus Tea with Ginger & Vanilla My caffeine-free coffee substitute.

• THE RECIPE Deviled Eggs with Tomato-Herb Relish Easy but dramatic presentation of everyone's favorite deviled eggs.
• ANOTHER TAKE Estonian Deviled Eggs It's got a secret ingredient!

Quick Navigation Tips

It's called "UX" for User Experience and it's something that writers like me give a ton of attention because we want our sites to be easy for visitors like you to click-click-click around in, finding exactly what you want.

Every so often, I'll share an inside tip about my sites' UX here. I hope these are obvious but just in case, here they are!

Is there something that would make Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture work better for you? Let me know!

• BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE Like the looks of a recipe? Keep scrolling for more ideas. Every month, I change what's shown in the right column (on the desktop) and below the recipe (on mobile). My recipes are so seasonal, what's good in May looks nothing like what's good in November.
• NUTRITION INFORMATION Other bloggers consider nutrition calculations a burden and outsource the calculations or use an app. Me? Nutrition calculations make me a better cook. I take great care to get these right.
• IMAGES Images are hyperlinked, even on email and RSS subscriptions. That means when you click on an image, either with a mouse or your finger on a phone, you'll click straight through to where you wanna be.
• "STICKY NAV" stands for sticky navigation. It means that wherever you are on my site, on whatever device, the main navigation bar at the top remains visible so you can always find your way back to the home page or to another Recipe Box page.
• "MORE" On our phones' small screens, that main navigation bar at the top is pretty small! But just click or touch the "More" button on the right side and you'll see a dropdown box with more navigation options. Cool, eh?
• LOVE VEGETABLES? You know I have two recipe sites, right? This is Kitchen Parade, the food column I've been writing since 2002 and before that, my mom, starting when I was a baby! But way back in 2005, when food blogs were juuuuust beginning to appear, I started writing A Veggie Venture. It was a total lark, I thought I'd just try a new vegetable recipe every day for a month. Somehow one month turned into an entire year and all these years later, I'm still fascinated by, even obsessed, with the limitless ways to cook vegetables. For you, it's easy to switch back 'n' forth between the two sites. Just check the main navigation bar, on mobile you'll need to check the "More" button to see the link. Cool, eh?

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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2020