Seasonal Sundays (Week 20) Seven Spring Recipes ...

... to Make a Mom's Life Just a Little Bit Easier

From quick suppers to easy before-dinner healthy snacks to salads that keep to a spring fruit cobbler that's ultra flexible and not overloaded with sugar.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

~ PIN This ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

And Happy Mother's Day to all those who mother: the moms, the moms-in-name, the wishful moms, the auntie moms, the grandmoms (and the Nanas, Gigis, Babas ...), the neighbor-who-steps-in-after-school-sometimes moms. I see such fierce gentleness (or is it gentle ferocity?) in the many young moms in our family circle: tis truly lovely to have so many Littles around again.

For many of us, our own moms are gone, so too even are those who stepped in to mother us afterward. I find myself playing that role myself, now ... in tribute, in gratitude.

The lessons from my own mother are so ingrained, it's hard to know what started with her, what started with me. I do know that when she exhorted me to Wear the Hat, Dammit, what she really meant was ...

As ever, thank you for welcoming me into your InBox and RSS feed reader. It's your kitchens, your lives, I conjure while writing ...

In Praise Of ... Kitchen Tools That Make Life Easier

• ... for years, I followed the two-spoon method for meting out drop cookies, muffins, etc. But cookie scoops really do go quicker and create more even measures. I have two, a smaller scoop (affiliate link) for small cookies and a larger scoop (affiliate link) for larger cookies and muffins.


• ... these Kona Non-Stick Grill Mats, first recommended by my Toronto cousin, we're now on our third year of using these on the gas grill, especially handy, if, um, some, um, body, isn't, um, faithful, um, about, um, cleaning the grill grates.


• ... One-Piece Plastic Canning Jar Lids, not used for "canning" per se but as lids for wide-mouth canning jars for decanting grains, pastas, dried fruit, sprinkles, so many things.

Made Me Think ... of Girls & Women

• Dear Little Girl ... from storyteller Sean Dietrich aka Sean of the South. It starts off a discussion about body image like this: "Dear Little Girl, You are not ugly."


• An Apology for Saying "Sorry" by Anglican priest Tish Harrison in the New York Times (no paywall). She ends a thoughtful discourse about how two simple words may both be heartfelt and fraught with guilt, "I know I apologize too much. And at the end of the day, I think I’d rather err that way than not say “sorry” enough. And if that is wrong, which it may be, I’m very sorry."


• When to get first mammogram? Doctor explains latest advice., The Harvard Gazette, with a huge takeaway: "Women should start getting regular mammograms at the age of 40, according to a new recommendation being drafted by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This is a reversal from the previous recommendation of age 50 ..."
  I am the daughter of a survivor, the granddaughter of a survivor, the niece of a survivor. My sister is almost one year into recovery. I am almost three years into recovery. Please, heed this new health advice, spread the word, save lives.

,

May I Suggest ... a Link?

Let me just presume that if you're reading this, well, you're both a cook and a recipe collector. Don't the two kinda go together? And that means you tuck aside interesting recipes all over the place and then, dang, where is that chicken recipe that looked so good anyway? Here's an idea. Start a folder on your phone, call it "Kitchen Parade" or "Alanna" or whatever makes best sense to you. Then save the recipes you're most interested in right there in one place. Easy Peasy.

• Start here?
• Quick Suppers from Kitchen Parade

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: Seven Spring Recipes (to Make a Mom's Life Just a Little Bit Easier)

• THE RECIPE Easy Spinach Nests Eggs cooked in nests of spinach.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Egg McMuffin A family favorite! (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Chive Chicken Salad Chicken breasts poached in lemon water, light and summery. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Easy Garlic-Herb Mediterranean Chicken ("Med Chicken") A real crowd pleaser!
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies Just deli turkey, honey mustard and a few veggies.

• THE RECIPE Spinach Burgers A meaty burger laced with fresh or frozen spinach, moist & juicy.
• UP YOUR BURGER GAME? Ten Tips for Better Burgers Ten easy tips for grilling juicy burgers. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Cucumber Dip with Feta Creamy dip for vegetables or steak.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips A quick fruit salsa with easy baked tortilla chips.

• THE RECIPE Pinto Bean Salad 2020's salad of the summer, so fresh and flexible.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Lentils aka the "Great Big Vegetable Salad with a Few Lentils Thrown In Just for Fun".

• THE RECIPE Roasted Rhubarb Rhubarb cooked until just soft in the oven. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Custard with Rhubarb Sauce Creamy custard topped with sour rhubarb.

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 Raspberry Muffins A small batch, pretty for spring. (PIN This)

Looking Back ...

• Strawberry Season (Week 19) (PIN This)
• Mexican Meal Prep (Week 18) (PIN This)
• Feta Lovers (Week 17)
• Asparagus Season! (Week 16)
• Quick Pickles (Week 15)
• Celebration Breads & Cakes (Week 14)
• Sides for Spring Celebrations (Week 13)
• Cabbage Fever (Week 12 & apparently we're fellow cabbage lovers!)
• Spring Pies & Tarts (Week 11)
• Rotisserie Chicken Recipes (Week 10)
• Dried Beans for Bridge Season (Week 9)
• Breakfast Occasions (Week 8)
• Dinner for ♥♥ (Week 7)
• Winter Salads (Week 6)
• Leaning into Lentils (Week 5)
• Quick Breads (Week 4 & your favorite topic so far this year!)
• Winter Dinners (Week 3)
• Winter Plant-Based Dinners (Week 2)
• A Cozy Cool Down (Week 1)

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from the last week, not including the oatmeal, salad dressing and sautéed greens on repeat this time of year.

• THIS WEEK Thank heavens for refrigerator salads! We happily ate off a big container all week. And no, you don't taste the "sauerkraut" – it's just cabbage, right? that's been softened a bit so the salad isn't coleslaw either? Anyway. MUCH recommend.
• THE RECIPE Sauerkraut Salad LIght and fresh, packed with crunch and flavor. (PIN This)

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothies Childhood's favorite PB&J sandwich in a glass. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Milk Not a smoothie, almost a milkshake.

• THE RECIPE Healthy Smoothies A Smoothie Lover's Take. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Rethinking Fruit for Weight Watchers

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), 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, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. 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. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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