Kimchi puts a tangy, slightly spicy, umami-rich Korean spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. Recipe below.
IS THERE ANYTHING KIMCHI CAN’T DO? When we first heard the words “kimchi grilled cheese,” we thought perfect. Take a classic American comfort food favorite, the grilled cheese sandwich, and add kimchi to it? We’re there.
Continue reading “Livening up a comfort food classic—Kimchi Grilled Cheese”
WE WERE ON THE ROAD LAST WEEK, not in the kitchen, a long overdo revisiting of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Fall colors were everywhere, as were signs about places closing soon for the season—end of October or even earlier. Like the wonderfully weird Mystery Spot. Continue reading “Notes from the Upper Peninsula”
A mix of African and global ingredients bring big flavor to this creamy, spicy, hearty stew. Recipe below.
WE CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS STEW. Thick and creamy and spicy, it is an absolutely satisfying meal in a bowl, filled with a mix of big flavors that all blend into a delicious ensemble dish, with nothing grabbing the spotlight. As we ate it the other night, we kept saying “this is so good” over and over. Continue reading “Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk and Berbere”
EVENTS SEASONAL AND OTHERWISE CONSPIRED to keep us busy in the kitchen this weekend. First, our friends and fabulous block party throwers Al and Kelly were coming for dinner. On-again, off-again cool weather got Marion thinking of serving a hearty beef and pork ragù she’d made long ago. Continue reading “A weekend of seasonal cooking: a hearty ragù and heaps of pesto”
Canned green chiles, cumin, oregano and aromatics make for a chicken soup that will warm up even the coldest night. Recipe below.
OFFICIAL AUTUMN IS JUST DAYS AWAY, and weather in Chicago has already been hinting at the crisp, cool days and nights to come. Perfect weather for warm, comforting soups. The canned green chiles in this soup dial up the warmth, adding spiciness and lively flavor. Continue reading “Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Soup”
This light, not-too-sweet peach cake makes a nice dessert or a swanky treat for breakfast. Recipe below.
THIS WAS A THREE PEACH CAKE WEEKEND FOR US. We had overnight guests and went to a fun block party (sans guests) and a big family barbecue (with our guests). So Marion baked a peach and plum bundt cake for our guests and two of this lovely one to bring to the events. Continue reading “Making the most of summer stone fruits: Peach Cake”
For a perfect summer dish, thin slices of salmon cooked quickly slightly warm the mixed greens, green beans and snow pea pods tossed with a Japanese-based miso vinaigrette.
IT IS OFFICIALLY TOO HOT TO COOK HERE NOW. OR EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. That of course had me looking back at things we’ve cooked when it was too hot to cook. When you’ve been writing about cooking for almost 18 years, you actually forget a lot of your former exploits. Like this recipe from 2008, with a salad of mixed greens, snow peas, barely blanched green beans and a miso vinaigrette topped with quickly cooked slices of salmon. You’ll find the summer-easy recipe here.
Check out the Blue Kitchen profile! We were recently interviewed by DeliveryRank for their ongoing blog that covers people involved in food in many roles. They asked great questions that really made me think about our approach to cooking, creating recipes and talking about food—including our penchant for borrowing ingredients from the global pantry and using them in unexpected ways. You’ll find the interview here. Thanks for the opportunity, DeliveryRank!
Six dishes showcase the versatility of mustard as a key (or minor) ingredient.
Yes, there is a mustard museum. The National Mustard Museum. We visited last weekend on a short Wisconsin road trip. The museum is a charming mustard-filled monument to one man’s obsession: former Assistant Attorney General of Wisconsin, Barry Levenson. How obsessed? Before giving up practicing law to devote himself “full-time to collecting mustards and mustard memorabilia,” he successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court with a jar of mustard in his pocket. Continue reading “Six mustard museum-inspired recipes”
Four Blue Kitchen recipes create a delicious company dinner.
FOR YEARS NOW, BLUE KITCHEN HAS SERVED AS OUR FAMILY COOKBOOK. We’re not being sentimental when we say this—just practical. We really do cook from it at least once a week. This weekend, when we had our friend Casey over for the first time in too long, we made four dishes from the blog, often with both our laptops open to recipes in the kitchen at the same time. Continue reading “One Sunday dinner, four favorite recipes”
A braise of oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce and (optional) cayenne pepper gives chicken thighs a delicious, sticky Chinese barbecue sauce finish. Recipe below.
ASIAN CUISINE IS RICH WITH UMAMI DELIVERY SYSTEMS in ready-made form. Soy sauce, fish sauce, miso paste and oyster sauce are some of the usual suspects you’ll find in our fridge or pantry. We recently used fish sauce to dial up the savoriness of already savory classic beef burgers. This week, oyster sauce is giving weeknight-quick chicken thighs the umami treatment. Continue reading “Savory, sweet and (optionally) spicy—Oyster Sauce Chicken Thighs”