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” →

Your new go-to snack/starter/condiment… Butter Bean Hummus

Canned butter beans create a fresh new take on hummus. Recipe below.

LATELY, WE’VE BEEN ENJOYING BUTTER BEANS—feed-me-in-a-hurry canned butter beans—and using them in some simple, delicious ways. Continue reading “Your new go-to snack/starter/condiment… Butter Bean Hummus” →

An easy peasy spectacular side dish: Quick Charred Brussels Sprouts

These burned-looking Brussels sprouts are actually perfectly done—and delicious. Extremely simple recipe and variations below.

SOME HOME COOKS ARE VERY SIDE DISH-FOCUSED. ME, NOT SO MUCH. I want sides to be healthy and delicious, of course, but I also want them to appear magically while I’m working on the main course. These quick charred Brussels sprouts come close. Continue reading “An easy peasy spectacular side dish: Quick Charred Brussels Sprouts” →

Your delicious little secret: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives

This simple vegetarian pasta dish is creamy and flavorful, really good for you and—bonus—quick and easy to make. Recipe below.

TO BE HONEST, THIS RECIPE IS SOMETHING I INVENTED A LONG TIME AGO, I don’t even remember how or why, and I always kind of kept it secret. To be completely honest, for a very long time it was kind of my weeknight-easy secret shame. I mean, pasta with cottage cheese. Continue reading “Your delicious little secret: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives” →

For an almost no-cook dinner, just boil water: Pasta with Pecan Pesto

Basil, Parmesan, garlic, pecans and olive oil create a fresh, lively summer meal without heating up the kitchen.

SUMMER HEAT HAS US ALL COOKING LESS. Or at least trying to not heat up the kitchen. Pesto in its various forms is an ideal compromise. It’s essentially a salsa cruda—a raw, uncooked sauce. And besides quickly pan roasting the pecans, the only thing you cook is the pasta. Continue reading “For an almost no-cook dinner, just boil water: Pasta with Pecan Pesto” →

A simple, seasonal, sensational side: Eggplant with Dill and Yogurt

Roasted eggplant, fresh dill and Greek yogurt make a delicious summery dish that can be served warm or chilled. Recipe below.

THE SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF MASSIVE RAINS turned around the scary drought we’d been experiencing here in Illinois, and it had a more intimate effect: our Japanese eggplant, which had been struggling and miserable, suddenly and eagerly began producing. Continue reading “A simple, seasonal, sensational side: Eggplant with Dill and Yogurt” →

A Michigan road trip and simple Penne Alla Vodka

THE LAST TIME WE MADE PENNE ALLA VODKA, we had just come from a four-day final push of helping our Detroit daughter move. So it seems somehow fitting that we made it again after being in Michigan, albeit purely for recreation this time. Marion and I took a little day trip to Kalamazoo. Continue reading “A Michigan road trip and simple Penne Alla Vodka” →

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” →

Amish soul food from a Top Chef semi-finalist: Johnnycakes and Apple Butter

Johnnycakes and apple butter create a delicious breakfast that straddles traditional Southern and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Recipes below.

LIKE MANY CHEFS, CHRIS SCOTT DEVELOPED HIS LOVE FOR COOKING IN HIS GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHEN. And like many Black Americans, his life has been shaped by migration. After the Civil War, his great grandfather left the South and moved to work in a steel factory in “the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country,” as Scott puts it. So when Scott learned to cook at his grandmother’s side, he picked up traditional Black Southern recipes, of course, but also those of the family’s adopted home, Amish country. Continue reading “Amish soul food from a Top Chef semi-finalist: Johnnycakes and Apple Butter” →

Seasonal, savory and sweet: Apple Cheddar Scones

Chopped apple provides a sweet foil to the savory cheese and buttermilk in these crisp outside/airy inside scones. Recipe below.

A quick note: with this post, we have now been doing Blue Kitchen for 16 years. We’re as surprised as you are!

THESE SCONES WERE INSPIRED BY AUTUMN AND A READER’S COMMENT. The changing season has filled farmers markets and supermarkets with apples. Falling temperatures have put us in the mood to bake, which for me, often means scones. Which reminded me of a comment by Sherry when we posted lemon lavender scones here last spring. She said she tended to like savory scones, with herbs and cheese. We’d never done savory. Continue reading “Seasonal, savory and sweet: Apple Cheddar Scones” →