Seasonal Sundays (Week 5) Late January

Well, hey, January. Yes, you demand pots of chili and bowls of soup and let's not forget to cook all the winter favorites because before we know it, it'll be .... spring again.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

After ten days without a working furnace plus five days with a know-it-all thermostat that just couldn't heat the house, we are finally w-a-r-m again.

Here's a heads up. Along with a new furnace, we okayed a pricey thermostat hoping a particular feature would solve a problem that's long plagued this house but even if it had worked (it didn't) there was no way to overcome (1) literally needing the manual to figure out how to adjust temps up/down and (2) an unresponsive touch even once I knew how and (3) the "eco" features which somehow thought we were away when we really weren't and automatically turned the heat way down. No wonder the house wouldn't warm up, with two people working in other parts of the house, invisible to the thermostat.

Luckily the furnace people came back right away and re-installed our prior thermostat and within a couple of hours, the house was fully warm again.

I'm grateful that, for once, it was the least expensive, least technical solution that works the best.

Two employees of the furnace company both bought the same thermostats. One said it took six months to get used it. The other said he bought his on a Black Friday sale but uses zero features. I'm pretty sure I paid about $50 for our old/current thermostat, that's 1/7th the price of the one that was returned.

Anybody with a similar story?!

PS Not to worry, during the 15 days, we still heat from a second furnace in our family room and holed up there 24x7. Twas cozy! In a good way! I couldn't help but think of so many families living-working-schooling in small spaces for going on two years. There are just two of us here and we didn't exactly trip over one another but still ...

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: Just some cookies I baked for the grandkids this week, my sister's peanut butter cookies plus a touch of vanilla that somehow, whoah, make these way-too-irresistible. Sorry to tease, no recipe online ...

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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 Chocolate Chili My long-time recipe, meaty and full of spices and a touch of chocolate.
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW The calendar's flipping by so-so fast. How many weeks of chili weather are left? Best get on it! I sure intend to ...

What's 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 Warm Baked Feta & Tomatoes with Shrimp The TikTok phenomenon plus shrimp.
• ANOTHER TAKE Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta Shrimp cooked in a nest of tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese.

Meal Prep

• THE RECIPE Spinach Brownies
• ANOTHER TAKE On-the-Run Breakfast Bars

Non-Alcoholic Drinks for "Dry January"

• THE RECIPE Hibiscus Tea with Ginger & Vanilla My caffeine-free coffee substitute, served hot and cold.
• ANOTHER TAKE Pumpkin Spice Lattes Fall's favorite coffee drink, made at home with real ingredients including my very own DIY pumpkin pie spice.

The Dinner Bell

Seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, the dinner bell rings. If we're gonna eat, somebody's gotta cook, some nights fuel, some nights a feast. Let's make it good, a welcome end to our days.

• THE RECIPE Cast Iron Meatloaf My go-to recipe for meatloaf.
• ANOTHER TAKE Elk Meatloaf Adapted from the easy Quaker Oats meatloaf with ground beef, elk, bison, venison or even turkey.

• 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.

• THE RECIPE Weight Watchers Spinach & Tortellini Soup
• ANOTHER TAKE Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup Famous for taste, famous for results.

Good to Know

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

Working from Home? Lunch at the Kitchen Table

• THE "RECIPE" Quick 'n' Easy Raw Salad My own "healthy habit" that I hope will inspire yours, too.
• YOU'LL NEED A LITTLE DRESSING My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing Never the same twice.

Put an Egg on Top aka "How About Eggs for Dinner?"

Why should breakfast get all the eggs?! If eggs for dinner were a club, I'd be president, chief marketing officer, resident evangelist, public advocate and ... hey, wanna join my club? Start here!

• THE RECIPE Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs A soup flushed with spring.
• ANOTHER TAKE Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup Creamy without a drop of cream.

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! I'm thinking this will be our Valentines at Home for Two in 2022 ...

• THE RECIPE Beef Bourguignon (French Beef Stew) Three days of preparation, one magnificent feast.
• ANOTHER TAKE Winter Stew A master recipe, on the table in 90 minutes.

Finnish Food

• THE RECIPE Cabbage Noodles Ribbons of soft, silky cabbage, almost like pasta.
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Cabbage Wedges Healthy cabbage slow-roasted with carrots and onion.

Soups & Salads Especially for January

What sparks you in January? Warms you from the middle out or nourishes you from the outside in? Soup, of course! Salads, of course! 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.

Dig into Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for January, tons of ideas!

Here's a sample!

• THE COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for January, tons of ideas!
• LOOKING AHEAD Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for February

• THE RECIPE Homemade Minestrone Soup Classic Italian, light but filling.
• ANOTHER TAKE My Chicken Noodle Soup The way I make it, meaty and noodle-y with just a few noodles.

• THE RECIPE Daikon & Pepper Salad Crisp bites, vibrant colors.
• ANOTHER TAKE Carrot & Daikon Refrigerator Pickle For Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches.

Feeding a Sugar-Conscious Sweet Tooth

You too? We're cutting back on sweets without demonizing dessert, usually with smaller batches, smaller servings, shareable desserts or fruit desserts in addition to limiting frequency. But some times?

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Apple Crisp A wintry take on fall's favorite, my signature dessert during cold weather.
• ANOTHER TAKE Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp My very own "perfect" recipe, barely sweet apples firm and tart, topped with an extra-crispy topping, thanks to a secret ingredient.

Timehop

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

• THE RECIPE Winter Stew A master recipe, cook with confidence, no recipe required.
• ANOTHER TAKE Beef & Mushroom Stew On the table and flavorful within an hour.

• THE RECIPE Braised Collard Greens Slow-cooked on the stove until almost buttery.
• ANOTHER TAKE Simple Swiss Chard How to sauté chard in a skillet, just three ingredients.

Trending

My Top 10 Recipes are predictable, hello Should Cooked Pork Be Pink? 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.

• THE THINKING Rethinking Fruit for Weight Watchers Weight Watchers works. But free fruit might not work for everyone.
• MORE INSPIRATION How to Lose Weight with Weight Watchers Tips from Alanna & Kitchen Parade readers.

• THE RECIPE Butternut Squash Soup that Actually Tastes Like Butternut Squash Just three ingredients + an unusual technique bumps flavor.
• ANOTHER TAKE Butternut Squash Soup with Mango & Toasted Coconut

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Broiled Grapefruit Three ways to broil winter's best fruit.
• ANOTHER TAKE Orange Julius Drinks With extra protein, no refined sugar.

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, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, 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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