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” →

Livening up a comfort food classic—Kimchi Grilled Cheese

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” →

An Umami-rich Classic Beef Hamburger

Adding fish sauce dials up the savory goodness in this simple classic hamburger recipe. Recipe below.

WE LOVE BURGERS. BIG, JUICY, BEEFY, CLASSIC HAMBURGERS. But somehow, we’ve never made them for the blog. I discovered that last weekend when we wanted to make burgers and could only find turkey and lamb burger recipes here. As I looked for recipes elsewhere, Marion mentioned reading something about dialing up the burger umami with an unexpected ingredient. Continue reading “An Umami-rich Classic Beef Hamburger” →

Middle Eastern Labneh Sandwiches are a creamy, tangy vegetarian delight

Sourdough toast topped with labneh, olives, a mix of pickled vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil makes a tangy, delicious, satisfying vegetarian sandwich.

RAMADAN, A MONTH OF FASTING, PRAYER, REFLECTION AND COMMUNITY FOR MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE, is going on now. Our Detroit daughter Claire has been regularly updating us on the rich offerings of Ramadan food trucks throughout the area helping people break their daily fasts deliciously. One of her favorite trucks, Corn on the Corner, a year-round business that, for Ramadan, pulls out all the stops, with incredible specials created just for the holiday. Continue reading “Middle Eastern Labneh Sandwiches are a creamy, tangy vegetarian delight” →

A tangy, creamy, vegetarian Middle Eastern treat: Labneh Sandwiches

Sourdough toast topped with labneh, olives, a mix of pickled vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil makes a tangy, delicious, satisfying vegetarian sandwich. Recipe below.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STREAMING FROM MUSLIM AND ARAB COUNTRIES to the Detroit area since the1880s—from Syria and Lebanon and Iraq and Egypt and Yemen and India and Bangladesh and Pakistan and many more places, creating the oldest, largest and most diverse Muslim American and Arab American community in the United States. That’s well known. Far less known is one marvelous annual occurrence that our Detroit daughter always speaks of with enormous enthusiasm. I am not talking, yet, about the Hamtramck Yacht Races, but about something far more delicious. I can sum it up in three wonderful words: RAMADAN. FOOD. TRUCKS. Continue reading “A tangy, creamy, vegetarian Middle Eastern treat: Labneh Sandwiches” →

Seven recipes show basil does more than pesto

Soupe Au Pistou

PESTO IS A NOBLE USE OF FRESH BASIL, NO ARGUMENT HERE. But there are lots of other things basil does well. Here are seven recipes to use up the last of this season’s bounty in your garden. Continue reading “Seven recipes show basil does more than pesto” →

Summertime and the sandwich is an easy choice: seven inventive recipes

Spicy Chicken Salad with Hot Giardiniera

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]A[/su_dropcap] recent visit to the Polish market in our old neighborhood hooked us up with a satisfyingly crusty loaf of bread and put us in full sandwich mode. Here are seven inspired ways to turn two slices of bread—or a baguette—into a meal. Continue reading “Summertime and the sandwich is an easy choice: seven inventive recipes” →

Five burgers, no beef

Lamb and turkey stand in for ground beef in these five burger recipes.

I’ve been thinking about burgers lately. Big, juicy, beefy burgers. So imagine my surprise when I dug through the Blue Kitchen archives and didn’t find a single beef hamburger. But I did find these lamb and turkey burgers, and I remember every one of them fondly. Continue reading “Five burgers, no beef” →

Lemony Lamb Burgers with Dijon Mustard

Lemon zest, garlic, fresh parsley, a scallion and Dijon mustard liven up this simple lamb burger. Recipe below.

Lamb Burgers with Lemon Zest and Dijon Mustard

I WAS IN COLLEGE THE FIRST TIME I ATE LAMB. I can’t pinpoint the precise meal. My girlfriend’s family ate lamb frequently, so it could have been leg of lamb for a holiday meal. Lamb chops for a big Sunday dinner. Or ground lamb patties for a quick weeknight dinner. Whatever the case, I was immediately hooked. Continue reading “Lemony Lamb Burgers with Dijon Mustard” →

Six peachy (and apricot-y) recipes for summer

Peaches and apricots each play parts in six breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes that run from sweet to savory and first course through dessert. Recipes below.

Summer is under way, and stone fruits are filling produce shelves. Peaches, apricots and numerous varieties of plums beckon with their rich colors and heady aromas. Sure, they’re delicious to eat out of hand, their juices running down your chin. But they’re also great to cook with. Here are a half dozen recipes from the Blue Kitchen archives that do just that. Continue reading “Six peachy (and apricot-y) recipes for summer” →