Six mustard museum-inspired recipes

Six dishes showcase the versatility of mustard as a key (or minor) ingredient.

The National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin

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” →

One Sunday dinner, four favorite 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” →

Six dishes guaranteed to make you the best barbecue guest

IT’S BARBECUE-HOSTING SEASON. And for the lucky ones among us, that means it’s being-invited-to-barbecues season. Of course, that also means it’s what-can-I-bring-to-the-barbecue season. Don’t be the guy who brings a big bag of chips, even the fancy kind. Unless your host specifically tells you to bring chips—in which case, maybe you should ponder the things you’ve brought in the past that were not as good as a bag of chips. For the non-chip bringers among us, here are six recipes that will absolutely shine. Continue reading “Six dishes guaranteed to make you the best barbecue guest” →

8 recipes for celebrating Chinese New Year at home

CHICAGO IS BLESSED WITH A LARGE CHINATOWN FILLED WITH AUTHENTIC REGIONAL RESTAURANTS. Unfortunately for us, during Chinese New Year, those restaurants are more than filled with celebrants. So if like us, you’re looking to celebrate the Year of the Dragon at home (February 10th through the 16th is the public holiday this year) here are eight Chinese and Chinese-inspired recipes. Why eight? It’s considered a very lucky number in many Asian cultures. Continue reading “8 recipes for celebrating Chinese New Year at home” →

Vibrant and delicate—cooking with vinegar delivers both

Three recipes show how vinegar can bring lively, surprisingly subtle finishes to your cooking.

THERE WAS A QUARTER-CUP OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR in last week’s Balsamic Mushroom Sausage Pasta recipe, added at the very end. When faithful reader Dani commented that it wouldn’t have occurred to her to add vinegar, we thought of how often we actually do that here. Continue reading “Vibrant and delicate—cooking with vinegar delivers both” →

Lentils, beans and peas—seven recipes deliver the pluses of pulses

PULSES ARE THE EDIBLE SEEDS OF PLANTS IN THE LEGUME FAMILY. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas and such. Food Network calls them a superfood. They’re good for you—high in fiber and protein, and packed with nutrients and antioxidants. And they can help you lose weight. They’re also inexpensive and versatile. Here are seven delicious ways to get more of this superfood on your table. Continue reading “Lentils, beans and peas—seven recipes deliver the pluses of pulses” →

Step aside, corned beef—seven recipes that make cabbage the star

WITH ST. PATRICK’S DAY UPON US, MANY ARE THINKING CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE. Which is fine, except it puts cabbage in an undeserved supporting role—the romantic lead’s goofy buddy. That’s just wrong. In a recent issue of Taste, Rachel Wharton rightly proclaimed “Cabbage is Always King.” She dives deep into cabbage’s history (we’ll share the link further down). But for now, we’d like to share seven recipes that show off the healthy brassica’s flavor and versatility. Continue reading “Step aside, corned beef—seven recipes that make cabbage the star” →

Six refreshing go-to mezcal cocktails for summer

Mezcal’s smokiness adds a touch of summer—think campfires and grilling—to six very different, very drinkable cocktails.

WE LIKE TEQUILA, BUT WE LOVE MEZCAL. The smoke infused into it during the fire pit roasting of the key ingredient, agave piñas, elevates mezcal’s flavor for us, whether sipping it over ice or mixing it in a cocktail. In fact, a couple of the recipes here are adapted from ones usually made with tequila. Continue reading “Six refreshing go-to mezcal cocktails for summer” →

Recipes for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner at home

VALENTINE’S DAY IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING. And if you’re like us, your inbox is stuffed with dinner recipes to cook for your valentine. In searching through our own archives, we came across a post from several years ago that gathered some of our favorite courses for a romantic dinner. Take a look. We hope you’ll find something you like. And Happy Valentine’s Day, all.

Six recipes to help you tap into the autumn bounty of apples

Apples at their seasonal best are suddenly everywhere. These six recipes will help you make the most of them—sometimes in unexpected ways.

Roast Duck with Pears, Apples and Potatoes

BEEN APPLE PICKING YET? Neither have we. But with September here, billboards relentlessly announce apples for picking. As do travel emails and social media ads. But even if you prefer to pick yours in the produce department, as we do, there are many ways you do with them besides just, well, eating them. Continue reading “Six recipes to help you tap into the autumn bounty of apples” →