Filipino comfort food for breakfast: Lugaw

Lugaw is a savory rice porridge, flavored with ginger and chicken, and served as breakfast in the Philippines. Recipe below.

WE FIRST TASTED THIS CREAMY, COMFORTING RICE PORRIDGE at Uncle Mike’s Place, a diner in Chicago known for its “Famous Filipino Breakfast.” Before you even order from the menu, welcoming bowls of lugaw (LOO-gaw) are placed in front of each guest. At its heart, it is creamy, savory and gingery, rice slowly cooked in broth until it becomes thick and rich, with bites of tender chicken. It’s topped with garlic chips, scallions and a half slice of lemon. No big flavors jumping out at you, just subtle, soothing deliciousness. Continue reading “Filipino comfort food for breakfast: Lugaw” →

Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

Pasta carbonara, a bacon-rich Italian favorite, gets a cross-cultural makeover with kimchi, Korea’s national dish.

Linguine Kimchi Carbonara — Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

WE RECENTLY CAME ACROSS A RECIPE for a kimchi carbonara. It sounded like a terrific mashup of one of our favorite Italian dishes and the delicious tangy funk of kimchi, the Korean national dish made with vegetables—often Napa cabbage—fermented for months with various spices. Looking for other recipes for variations to riff on, we came across our own recipe. Continue reading “Kimchi Carbonara Linguine” →

French-inspired Chicken and Wine

CHICKEN AND WINE IS THE FIRST THING I COOKED FOR MARION. I cooked it on our second date. She had cooked dinner for me on our first date. I’ve read somewhere that cooking for a date is a big deal step that should be saved until you’ve been dating a while, and it’s really easy to scare someone off. I guess Marion and I aren’t that easily spooked. Continue reading “French-inspired Chicken and Wine” →

Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera

Hot giardiniera gives this summery Spicy Chicken Salad a little heat and big flavor. It’s great on sandwiches or on its own.

Spicy Chicken Salad with Hot Giardiniera

WHEN SUMMER TURNS UP THE HEAT, most of us try to turn down the time we spend cooking in a hot kitchen. With store bought rotisserie chicken and a handful of other store bought ingredients, you can make Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera without turning on the stove. And like summer, it packs a little heat, but in a delicious way. Continue reading “Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera” →

Sweet, spicy summer treat: Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF BOUNTIFUL SUMMER PEACHES? Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter is a sweet, spicy treat, perfect for spreading on toasts with goat cheese, as shown above, livening up a peanut butter sandwich, spooning onto ice cream, stirring into yogurt and more. Continue reading “Sweet, spicy summer treat: Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter” →

Simple Japanese finger food: Blistered Shishito Peppers

FOUR-INGREDIENT BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS, simply fried (or grilled), are popular appetizers in Japanese izakaya, casual after-work bars that also feature small plates menus. The slender, pleated green peppers have a delicate peppery flavor. Mostly mild, one in ten randomly packs a tiny bit of heat. Continue reading “Simple Japanese finger food: Blistered Shishito Peppers” →

Sweet summer fruits, deliciously, safely cooked

Six delicious baked fruit desserts to keep us happy and safe from cyclospora.

DELICIOUS SUMMER FRUIT IS IN FULL SWING RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, so is a health alert advising us to cook our fruit as a safety precaution. Cyclospora, the dastardly parasite wreaking digestive havoc across the country, is most effectively killed by cooking fruits and veggies to 158ºF. Well, these desserts bake at 350ºF or higher for long enough to hit that internal temp. Done. Continue reading “Sweet summer fruits, deliciously, safely cooked” →

Protein rich, healthy and delicious: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives

LOOKING TO UP YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE? Try adding some cottage cheese to the mix. Being a source of high-quality protein tops Mayo Clinic’s list of its six health benefits. Just a half cup of cottage cheese provides about 11 grams of complete protein, “containing all the essential amino acids your body needs.” It also supports healthy weight management, helps manage blood sugar and diabetes risk, supports pregnancy and maternal health, promotes bone and dental health, and may support gut health. Continue reading “Protein rich, healthy and delicious: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives” →

Roasted Kimchi Gochujang Salmon

Korean-inspired Roasted Kimchi Gochujang Salmon is weeknight quick, healthy and delicious. Recipe below.

SALMON IS OUR GO-TO FISH, especially if Terry’s cooking. It’s easy to prepare and delicious. It’s also very healthy (more on that later). Looking for a new way to prepare it, we thought about combining it with another delicious, healthy food: kimchi. We now have another go-to weeknight-quick dish. Continue reading “Roasted Kimchi Gochujang Salmon” →

Cool, lively, healthy—Broccoli Mint Soup

Mint and a drizzle of curried yogurt give this creamy (but cream-free) vegetarian soup the vibrant, fresh taste of spring. Serving it room temperature makes it an elegant, surprising first course.

WE’VE BEEN EATING A LOT OF BROCCOLI LATELY, for all the right reasons. It’s super healthy, of course, but it’s also delicious. Recently, it reminded Marion of a soup she’d made with broccoli and mint long ago, like before we met long ago. It was served room temperature fresh and springlike. She thought maybe she would try to make it again to share here at Blue Kitchen. I reminded her that we had done it years ago. That’s the problem with doing a food blog for nearly 20 years—when you think of trying something, chances are you’ve already done it. We’re going to make it again. You should give it a try, for all the right reasons. Here’s the original recipe.