Seasonal Sundays (Week 6) Early February

Hey all, tis nearly February, how can that be? Today I've gathered together some February-friendly recipes, oranges for Vitamin C, hot appetizers for the Superbowl next Sunday, some mid-winter comfort food dinners. And more, of course. C'mon in ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Question of the Week: "Do you have an appointment yet?"

Some 49 weeks in, something like 7% percent of Americans and 2 percent of Canadians (elsewhere? please chime in!) have gotten at least their first jab. That's a loooong way from hugging grandchildren again let alone the 70-something percent needed to come close to some semblance of normal life.

So millions of people are scrambling, putting themselves and loved ones on list after list, continually refreshing pages, hoping against hope that a vaccination spot will open up sooner than later.

In my husband's family, three have had their first vaccination and are scheduled for the second booster shot. Our first reaction was, "Really? Them? They're not on any of the priority lists, right?" quickly followed by a huge wave of relief that already, our own loved ones are safer than they were last week. (To be clear, all three met work-related criteria in the current priority guidelines.)

At the moment, vaccine production and vaccinator people lag vaccine demand by millions and millions and millions. And millions. And that's just in this rich, resourceful country let alone the whole freaking world.

So it's going to be all too easy to feel elation and relief when we and our own loved ones get vaccinated but resent it when others (less deserving? not on the priority list? jumping the line? and all the 1000000 reasons our brains can conjure) do.

Why them, right? Why not us, right?

And that's the thing, right?

Every single person who wants the vaccine is somebody's kid, somebody's grandkid, somebody's parent, somebody's important someone. They're somebody's family.

We just can't let this latest stage be another bottomless Grand Canyon dividing us into "them" and "us".

We just can't.

I'm talking to myself here: I'm not immune. (Ha. No pun intended.)

Somebody's loved ones will be last. I can't help but hope and pray it's not mine but maybe it will be. And the longer this goes on, the worse this is going to feel.

I just heard something from Dr Fauci that based on the huge 16-64 age group, good health and the ability to work from home, I shouldn't expect to be vaccinated until some time late summer.

How ever do we stay patient? However do we do that?

Individually, we can't do much about vaccine supply or demand. We can't do much about the groups we fall into.

But we can be role models, countering restlessness and counseling patience when others are frustrated and fearful.

That we can do. While we wait.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Not my photo but it does resonate, much like our weekly drop-bys delivering pandemic pudding to my husband's daughter and her sweet family, including the much-adored twin grandsons. We're masked up. We stay outdoors. We don't stay long. And when we depart, we "hug" from afar, wrapping our arms around the air between us, filling it with love.

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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 Sunshine Orange Muffins From the Canadian favorite, The Best of Bridge.

Seasonal Showcase: Just-Picked Fresh Oranges

Forget one or two. Buy a bag!

• THE RECIPE Orange & Cumin Vinaigrette Bright and vibrant with earthy spice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Apple Cider Vinaigrette Sweet with cider and cinnamon, no oil!

• THE RECIPE Savory Orange Slices A simple and surprising orange salad.
• ANOTHER TAKE Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings A simple summer dessert.

• THE RECIPE Winter Greens Salad with Oranges, Avocado, Olives, Feta & Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette
• ANOTHER TAKE Big Cajun Chopped Salad

Compliments!

• "I made this for dinner last night. LOVED it. I've never thought of using anise seeds in anything. They added such a nice touch. Topped with a bit of cheese, it made an excellent dinner." ~ Ann
• THE RECIPE Lasagna Soup with Fresh Spinach

• "I've had a bread maker for 25 or more years but used it mostly to make dough because I didn't like the texture of (most) bread maker breads UNTIL I tried your whole grain bread. Oh my! It must the add in's that give it its special taste and texture but it's SOME good. It's the new favorite in our house." ~ Kate
• THE RECIPE Whole Grain Bread

Mid-Winter Dinners

• THE RECIPE Red Beans & Rice Slow cooked Creole comfort food
• ANOTHER TAKE Black Beans & Rice Skillet Casserole with Smoked Chicken Simple comfort food with smoky flavors.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Cacciatore The classic Italian dish, chicken slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Italian Lemon Chicken Italian-style baked chicken, lemon-y and garlick-y.

• THE RECIPE Hamburger Casserole Weeknight comfort food lightened up.
• ANOTHER TAKE Hamburger Soup A hearty soup with chunks of meat and a cornucopia of bright-colored vegetables.

Public Service Announcement

You know all those dried beans we hoarded bought last year at the start of the pandemic? It's time to cook 'em, stat. Time is running out.

I cooked a beautiful pot of Red Beans & Rice this week, so good. But the year-old beans took an extra hour to cook and even then, weren't quite as creamy as usual.

If you don't know when that stash of beans was purchased, my recommendation is to give them a toss. Or cook them in a simple way (Creamy Slow Cooker Beans, say) where you won't regret the potential loss of the other ingredients.

• GOOD TO KNOW! Why Dried Beans Won't Cook

The Light! The Light!

Take notice!

• This is the time of year when the sunsets are amazing!

• We had snow one day this week and the next morning when the sun came out, oh my, the kitchen just lit up in the morning!
• The days are noticeably longer, right?

Let's Make Some Fun ...

Time is so funny now, right? Christmas feels like ... months ago. But just look what's ahead of us! Put a moment's thought to it and yeah, fun is to be had!

And yeah, these holidays will be shaped by lockdowns and social distancing. SO BE IT. But within your own pod? or in a way that keeps everyone safe? Let's have a little fun, shall we?

Me, I'm totally IN for February 6th. We're already planning an early-morning delivery for the local grandkids! One day, I hope they'll laugh about "pudding Fridays" and that one time when PopPop and Miss Alanna delivered ice cream for breakfast ...

• 2/2 Groundhog Day
• 2/6 Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
• 2/7 Superbowl
• 2/14 Valentines
• 2/15 President's Day
• 2/16 Fat Tuesday / Mardi Gras / Pancake Day
• 2/17 Ash Wednesday
• 3/14 Pi Day
• 3/17 St Patrick's Day
• 3/27-4/3 Passover
• 4/1 April Fool's Day
• 4/2 Good Friday (aka Hot Cross Buns Day)
• 4/4 Easter
• 4/22 Earth Day
• 4/25 The Oscars
• 5/1 Derby Day
• 5/5 Cinco de Mayo
• 5/9 Mother's Day
• 5/31 Memorial Day

Hot Appetizers

Let's start with a (just us) Superbowl party?

A side note. Is anyone else aware that we're coming up on the one-year-ago moments? The ones where we remember that last year, at this time, life was still in the Before Times? We hosted a small Superbowl thingie last year, just nine of us, a far cry from the two who'll gather this year.

You too? Similar situation? Anyway my goal here is to offer up some appetizers that you won't be sorry to have hanging around later in the week.

• THE RECIPE Buffalo Chicken Dip with Spaghetti Squash
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach & Artichoke Gratin

• THE RECIPE Hot Corn Dip
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach, Artichoke & Bacon Dip

• THE RECIPE Easy Easy Grilled Mushroom Appetizer Two ingredients and a real crowd pleaser.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cucumber Dip with Feta Creamy dip for vegetables or steak.

Better Hummus ...

Basics matter. Yeah, you can buy decent-but-not-great hummus already made. And even a simple homemade hummus made with canned chickpeas can be pretty special.

But I'm here to tell you, cooking dried chickpeas especially for hummus is a game-changer. Go ahead, cook a whole pound of chickpeas, they freeze well. I like to freeze them in containers that hold 271 grams, the equivalent of a drained can of chickpeas. Very convenient for recipe conversion!

Or just make this trio of homemade hummus. Hmmm, hummuses?

• Crazy-Smooth Crazy-Good Hummus

• THE RECIPE Roasted Eggplant “Hummus" (Eggplant & Chickpea Dip & Spread)

• THE RECIPE Red Pepper Hummus

Made Me Think ...

• How Do You Preserve Family Recipes? from Cup of Jo, the comments are a goldmine. I just looked through our family cookbook published 19 years ago. It's still totally relevant!


• 4 Nutrition Trends to Watch in 2021 TAKE-AWAY "From scratch cooking with whole foods, an influx of fortified foods and supplements with immune-enhancing nutrients, a return to plant-forward eating, and the embrace of the concept known as intuitive eating, 2021 is already shaping up to be a year of embracing total wellness over the concept of fad diets."


• Am I Wrong to Tell Someone to Pull Up Her Mask? TAKE-AWAY "Silence means tacit approval of a situation that puts other people—especially other workers—at risk. We shouldn’t be so concerned about mishandling the situation that we choose to do nothing at all."

Veggies Forever

To mark A Veggie Venture's 15th anniversary in 2020, I took a hard look at the first 365 vegetable recipes from the first year to select just 15 which, all these many years and recipes later, remain ever so useful. The result is a fascinating collection of recipes, 15 Favorite Vegetable Recipes, Still Useful After 15 Years. Here's just one.

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

PS Who's noticed? I'm big on "usefulness". See? Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes 2002 – Present, just one recipe per year from Kitchen Parade.

Soups & Salads Especially for February

• THE COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for February
• LOOKING AHEAD Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for March

Not to Miss!

• THE RECIPE Light Red Cabbage & Carrot Salad
• ANOTHER TAKE Mighty Perfect Cabbage & Broccoli Coleslaw

Timehop

Who else loves seeing old photos pop up, quick memories from years past? Welcome to a recipe timehop ...

• THE RECIPE Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries Glorious color and brightness!
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter Apple Butter as it should be, naturally sweet with just a touch of butter.

• THE RECIPE Quick Ways to Doctor a Bag of Green Beans
• ANOTHER TAKE Frozen Sweet Potato Fries: Are They Worth the Price? the Calories?

Trending

My Top 10 Recipes are predictable, hello Ripe Bananas for Baking: How Ripe Should Bananas Be? and (Sloooow) Baked Potatoes (How Long to Bake a Baked Potato). But every week, seasonal recipes catch the internet's attention and start to trend.

• STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash and Keep All Ten Fingers
• ALSO USEFUL How to Roast a Whole Butternut Squash

What's New?!

• THE RECIPE Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables A casual feast, even mid-winter.
• ANOTHER TAKE Tourlou Tourlou (Greek Baked Vegetables) A rainbow of vegetables slow-cooked in the oven.

• THE RECIPE Broccoli Tapenade
• ANOTHER TAKE Asparagus Tapenade

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Crockpot Chili with Spicy Sausage Brown the meat, dump and go.
• MORE IDEAS Chillin': Favorite Chili, Chowder & Cornbread Recipes

• THE RECIPE Spanish Stew with Roasted Pepper (Chilindron) With a mysterious dark-red color.
• ANOTHER TAKE Picadillo (Cuban Ground Beef Skillet Supper) Homey comfort food from Cuba.

• THE RECIPE Make-Ahead Bran Muffin Batter Mix now, bake later in small batches including a single mug in the microwave.
• ANOTHER TAKE Hearty Heart-Loving Muffins Moist and flavorful with all the traditional Morning Glory goodies.

• THE RECIPE How to Make Homemade Applesauce No added sugar!
• ANOTHER TAKE Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries Glorious color and brightness!

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Pudding English-style pudding cake with butter sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce My sister's simple, rustic apple cake.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

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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