This pretty much defines our life at the moment. All good, but zero time to cook tonight’s post, let alone photograph it and write about it. See you next week.
Author: Terry B
Not weeknight quick, but company worthy: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries
The signature tartness of fresh cranberries turns pan-roasted chicken, potatoes, shallots and herbs into a complex, company-ready meal. Recipe below.
SOMEWHERE IN OUR STASH OF VINTAGE ADVERTISING EPHEMERA is a cardboard novelty sign that probably hung behind a bar somewhere in the fifties, or maybe the forties: “I’m not a slow bartender. I’m not a fast bartender. I’m a half fast bartender.” That pretty much describes my cooking style. Continue reading “Not weeknight quick, but company worthy: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries”
Breakfast for dinner: Breakfast Pasta with Bacon and Kale
Bacon, kale and a freshly beaten egg give this weeknight-quick pasta a satisfyingly breakfasty flavor. Recipe below.
Our younger daughter just moved to a new city and started a rewarding, but demanding, job. To her credit, she is still managing to cook at home more often than not. Sunday evenings will often find her cooking a batch of something that will serve as at least a few lunches. For dinners, she frequently improvises something like this quick pasta. Continue reading “Breakfast for dinner: Breakfast Pasta with Bacon and Kale”
Fried Green Tomato Soup, inspired by Toledo
Green tomatoes make this creamy soup less tomato-y, more vegetal. Leeks, garlic, thyme and bacon add to its savoriness. Recipe below.
We seem to have a natural affinity for the Rust Belt. Marion grew up in Detroit, me in St. Louis. And while our ultimate destination on our recent road trip was Washington, DC and the Virginias, stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toledo moved us every bit as much. Continue reading “Fried Green Tomato Soup, inspired by Toledo”
The Anniversary Edition: 11 Years, 11 Recipes
Eleven years ago this month, we started Blue Kitchen. We really had no idea exactly what we were doing or any clue we’d still be publishing it now. But our love of food—eating it, making it, thinking, talking and writing about it—has kept us going. Today, we launch into year 12 with a look back at the first 11 years, one recipe per. Continue reading “The Anniversary Edition: 11 Years, 11 Recipes”
Sipping autumn: Apple Cider Old Fashioned
A seasonal spin on the classic old fashioned, made with bourbon, apple cider, maple syrup and rosemary. Recipe below.
Our recent road trip had a definite autumnal feel, everywhere we traveled. Crisp, chilly mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons with deep blue fall skies. Followed later by rainy, misty gray weather the last two days on the road. Continue reading “Sipping autumn: Apple Cider Old Fashioned”
Sweet home Chicago
We are home again after having driven precisely 2,200 miles in 11 days. An amazing trip through Pittsburgh; Washington, DC; various points in Virginia; Charleston, West Virginia; and Cleveland (with an art stop in Toledo this afternoon). Tuesday nights are when we write our posts that go up on Wednesday, but we’ve seriously been home an hour and a half now. See you next week with a recipe and a travel story or two.
Another road trip, more random thoughts
We are on the road again, right now in our nation’s capital. In the next week or so, we’ll talk about some of the food we ate, the cocktails we drank. But for now, just a few thoughts about one place we visit every time we come to Washington, D.C. Continue reading “Another road trip, more random thoughts”
Making the most of the cheap cuts: four recipes for braised short ribs
IT’S BEEN A SLOPPY COUPLE OF DAYS HERE AS FALL SETTLES IN—rainy, blustery, chilly. That might get some people thinking about warm, sunny climes somewhere. What I’m thinking about is short ribs. Meaty, flavorful and, yes, a little chewy, short ribs are one of my favorite “cheap cuts” of beef. Here are four recipes perfect for cold, rainy days. Continue reading “Making the most of the cheap cuts: four recipes for braised short ribs”
A simple, versatile sauce makes this dish: Seared Scallops with Orange Gastrique
Orange gastrique—a simple, classic French sauce of reduced sugar, vinegar and orange juice—adds an elegant touch to quickly pan-seared scallops. Recipe below.
You never know what will send us down some culinary rabbit hole. This week’s recipe was inspired by a restaurant review in a back issue of some magazine, now misplaced and forgotten. What caught my eye was the term gastrique. Unrepentant Francophile that I am, I had never heard it. Continue reading “A simple, versatile sauce makes this dish: Seared Scallops with Orange Gastrique”