“Please, sir, may I have more mushrooms?”

Last week, I explored other food blogs in search of inspiration. Now with a surplus of mushrooms in the house, I’m digging into the Blue Kitchen archives for some ideas.

Chicken and Mushrooms with Farfalle. This dish came together quickly after a last minute smash-and-grab run through the grocery store, improvising the meal in my head as I snatched ingredients. The post is as much about the process of improvisation as it is about the specific recipe. But thanks to a little dried tarragon and some cheap brandy, the end results tasted far more elegant than they deserved given how rapidly the ingredients went from store shelf to table.

In praise of the basic button. Yeah, I know. I used three fancypants mushrooms for my pizza. But two recipes here—Sautéed Mushrooms with Garlic Butter, in which humble buttons mascarade as escargot in an elegant first course, and Julia Child’s Sautéed Mushrooms, which beautifully elevate mashed potatoes—prove that the button has a few tricks up its sleeve. And they’re packed with antioxidants; bet you didn’t know that [me either].

Crêpes with Poulet aux Champignons Filling. Oh, la! Crêpes are fun to make and really fun to eat. And this chicken and mushrooms filling with white wine, garlic, herbes de Provence and cream does them justice. Just toss a small salad, open a bottle of wine, put on some Edith Piaf and you’re set.

A taste of what’s cooking on other food blogs

Im always reading other food blogs. As we all do. So this week for my second post, I thought I’d share some of what I’ve found lately with you. Only instead of just relying on the bloggers in my blogroll [and do check them out if you haven’t already—they’re all great cooks and good reads], I thought I’d snoop around their blogrolls for some new inspiration. You know, kind of a culinary Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon [“Mmmmm, bacon!”]. So let’s get started. All photos in this post are by the respective bloggers, so blame them for any hunger pangs.

Black and White Cookies. These beauties from Danielle over at Habeas Brulee are what got this post started. Food can immediately stir up memories. Danielle calls them classic Brooklyn cookies and says, “The best part for me was offering them to my family, in honor of years of sharing black and white cookies bought from the deli downstairs at 26 Court Street in Brooklyn Heights.” In my case, the photo immediately transported me to Fairway Market on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Marion, daughter Laurel and I discovered them during a wonderful New York visit. And for me, that’s half the pleasure of these delights. I found Danielle thanks to Susan over at Food Blogga.

Flavorful Short Ribs. “Flavorful” indeed! These Asian-inspired short ribs from Katie over at Little Spatula [thanks, Kalyn from your eponymous Kitchen] combine orange juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, red pepper flakes and slow cooking for what has to be a fall-apart tender, delicious meal. I’ve been toying with making some short ribs for a while—this dish just seriously tightened up the timelines. Continue reading “A taste of what’s cooking on other food blogs”