Seasonal Sundays (Week 1) January Bucket List

Seven recipes that top my "make now" list as we break open the grab bag that is a new year, a breakfast (or two), a soup (or three), a supper (or four) to set a-simmer to the stove. Here's to 2024 ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

~ PIN This ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

THANK YOU for stopping in today ... and last week and next week too. "I appreciate you." I do ... and always love hearing from many of you throughout the week. Don't be a stranger!

Dark Early. The big evergreen out in front is as pretty and sparkly as the holidays come to a close as it was at their start. I shall miss it, come January 6th. I'm not looking forward to "taking down Christmas" inside but can already imagine the empty walls, the clean surfaces, where I leave things for a week or two or more until slowly returning a few (and definitely fewer) objects to their place. Every year, post Christmas, it's my way of house hushing.

Contemplation. It's the word of the day if not the year.

Resolution. It's a mindset not a line item.

Connection. It's elusive but worth reaching for.

I love January. I really do.

The Words of Wise Women

• "This was the year that outlets like ProPublica, kind of newcomers to the scene, and the New York Times, the old guard, if you will, decided that the Supreme Court deserves to be treated like a branch of government rather than a temple of mystics, deserves to be investigated and probed like any part of government does, and deserves to be treated skeptically and should be interrogated not just in terms of what its members are doing, but in terms of how it exercises its power, where that power comes from and where it leads." ~ Dahlia Lithwick, Canadian-American lawyer, journalist, author, now writing for Slate.
• Listen to her year-end podcast, The Very Worst of SCOTUS, this is a meaningful round-up, smart and , that condenses the U.S. Supreme Court's annus horriblis in a single place.

Useful Links This Month

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 recipe ideas 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.

JANUARY: RESET & REJUVENATION
• The Famous Weight Watchers Zero-Point Soups The Original plus Mexican, Italian & Asian variations
• Rethinking Fruit Written for people who count points via WW but an interesting read for anyone who, like me, can eat fruit like candy. (PIN This)
• Hibiscus Tea with Ginger & Vanilla Staying hydrated, either hot (hello, winter chills) or cold.
• Quick Suppers Since 2005, easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher.
• Slow Cooker & Oven Slow-Cooking Maybe just maybe, your oven is the better slow cooker.
• Chillin': Favorite Chili, Chowder & Cornbread Recipes Stayin' warm from the inside out. (PIN This)
• Football Fever! Game-changing recipes for Playoff Games & Superbowl Parties.

January: Reader Favorites

• IT'S NOT FOOD, IT'S DIY Homemade Foot Lotion Take care of your feet, three easy-to-find ingredients. (PIN This)
• MORE IDEAS The Homemade Pantry Recipes for foods (and lotions!) we could buy but choose to make at home.

January: Lost Recipes

• THE RECIPE Beef Stew with Cranberries A Scandinavian classic.
• ANOTHER TAKE Beef & Mushroom Stew On the table and flavorful within an hour.

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: January's Post-Holiday Bucket List

• THE RECIPE Spin Dip Baked Eggs A traditional North African and Israeli dish.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cabbage & Pepper Chakchoukah aka OogaChaka Eggs A savory Tunisian stew, perfect for nesting runny eggs.

• MASTER RECIPE How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup Never the same twice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Winter Tomato Soup Roasting, slow-cooking draw out summer flavor. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet Quick, easy & tasty vegetarian supper. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables A casual feast, even mid-winter. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Tuscan Vegetable Stew A melange of vegetables, detox with big bright flavor.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cabbage & White Bean Stew Spartan and spare, a welcome reset for our bodies and tastebuds.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Curry Reminiscent of London's curbside curry take-away.
• ANOTHER TAKE Italian Lemon Chicken Italian-style baked chicken, lemon-y and garlick-y.

• THE RECIPE Karelian Borscht (Finnish - Russian Beet Borscht Soup) Rich beet color, big earthy flavor, either meaty or vegetarian. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Crockpot Chili with Spicy Sausage Brown the meat, dump and go. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Detox Chopped Salad The salad so good, my own sister bought a food processor just to make it.
• ANOTHER TAKE Winter Greens Salad with Oranges, Avocado, Olives, Feta & Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette Bitter greens plus juicy oranges tossed with a long-time favorite no-oil salad dressing.

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.

• HOW TO How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds, Three Quick & Easy Ways Easily separate the seeds (technically, arils) from a whole pomegranate. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Cut an Orange for Slices

The Kitchen Parade Almanac: Looking Ahead ...

• January 1st - New Year's Day
• Jan 7th (first Sunday) - Alanna's Take Down Christmas (or Else) Day
• Jan 15th - MLK Day
• February 10th - Chinese New Year
• February 11th - Superbowl Sunday
• February 13th - Mardi Gras / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Night
• February 14th (Wednesday) - Valentine's
• February 14th - Ash Wednesday / Beginning of Lent
• Fridays During Lent - Friday Fish
• February 19th (Monday) - President's Day
• February 29th (Thursday) - Leap Day 2024
• March 1st - Alanna's Unofficial First Day of Spring
• March 10th - "spring forward" time change
• March 14th (Thursday) - Pi Day
• March 16th (Saturday) - St. Urho's Day
• March 17th (Sunday) - St. Patrick's Day
• March 19th (Tuesday) - First Official Day of Spring
• March 28th (Thursday) - Baseball Opening Day!
• March 31st - Easter (yikes! soooo early!)

Looking Back ...

• Best of 2023 (Week 52) (PIN This)
• Taking It Sloooow (Week 49) (PIN This)
• Sweet Potato Season (Week 45) (PIN This)
• Chickpeas (Week 43) (PIN This)
• Soups to Sustain the Spirit (Week 42) (PIN This)

Trader Joe's Test Kitchen

Oh my. What a sweet treat ... Double Chocolate Croissants. I kinda like that they require some planning. They come four to a box, frozen. They must be thawed at room temperature for NINE hours before baking. Serving them for breakfast? Plan ahead.

PS Not as good nor as crispy as my favorite good-bakery croissants but not bad for boxed and frozen and ...

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Cast Iron Meatloaf My go-to recipe for meatloaf. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Mini Porcupine Meatballs A retro recipe updated for contemporary tastes. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Winter Pesto with Spinach Familiar pesto with a spinach twist. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Leek Sauce for Pasta A Quick Supper, pasta hugged by a gentle leek sauce. (PIN This)

• THE COLLECTION Slow Cooker & Oven-Slow Cooking Recipes Supper saver recipes & more. (PIN This)
• MORE RECIPE IDEAS Cooking for One or Two Recipes easily divided and/or freeze well.

Something to Read

My older nephew asked for books for Christmas, mostly about investing, entrepreneurship and wine and mostly the Xxx for Dummies-style books. I just couldn't do it ... so I sent him my favorite book of all time, a book that changed my life.

Now you may look at The Sparrow's billing as "science fiction" and roll your eyes. And yeah, there's some science-y fiction-y in this first of two books.

But mostly, it's about Faith. Loss of Faith. Redemption. Evangelism. Imperialism. Linguistics. Friendship. The Expression of Love. The Nature of Truth. Slavery. Music. Scent. And sooooo much more.

And so I ordered the book for him and began re-reading (listening) to it again for the umpth time.

You'll be glad to know there's a second book, Children of God. Because once you've read The Sparrow, you'll want to keep reading. And then? Your life, too, might change forever.

• THE BOOK The Sparrow (affiliate link)
• THE AUTHOR Mary Doria Russell is a living author but in the last year or so, has chosen retirement. She's active on Facebook if you're so inclined ...


• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

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.

• Any ideas for Seasonal Sundays? Share away!
• Who's on Team Resolution? Word of the Year? Just carrying on?
• Who's dieting? Just cutting back? Just staying mindful?
• Who's still writing 2023 on checks? LOL who's still writing checks?
• Anything else? Chime in, chat away.

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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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2024