Buttery, airy, slightly tart: Blackberry Lime Scones

Blackberries and lime juice and zest offer a nice tangy balance to these buttery, airy scones. Recipe below.

SO SCONES HAVE APPARENTLY BECOME A THING FOR ME. I like making them and we both love eating them, so I find myself looking for different kinds to make. Our daughter Claire and her boyfriend visited over Thanksgiving and—over our apple cheddar scones, appropriately enough—they mentioned some blackberry lime scones they can no longer get (the place has gone out of business, sadly). Let’s just say some synapses fired. Continue reading “Buttery, airy, slightly tart: Blackberry Lime Scones” →

Four surprising ways to use sweet potatoes—for Thanksgiving or anytime

See you later, sweet potato casserole—with these four unexpected recipes, you can change it up with your sweet potato sides.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

AS A THANKSGIVING SIDE, TOO-SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE does sweet potatoes no favors. It turns these delicious, colorful, super-healthy root vegetables into a cloying, gooey mess. Try one of these surprising recipes instead—you just might start a new holiday tradition. Continue reading “Four surprising ways to use sweet potatoes—for Thanksgiving or anytime” →

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Thighs: a simple marinade, an easy dinner you’ll put on repeat

A simple marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and herbes de Provence makes roasted chicken you’ll happily make again. Recipe below.

“WE’LL DO SOMETHING WITH IT.” We say this pretty much every time we’re grocery shopping, throwing some “it” into the cart without any clear meal or recipe in mind. As often as not, that “it” is a package of chicken thighs. This recipe was born of just such a shopping moment, and it’s so delicious and easy we’ve already made it three times. Continue reading “Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Thighs: a simple marinade, an easy dinner you’ll put on repeat” →

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” →

Cool weather and traveling friends: two perfect reasons for Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

A COLLEAGUE AND HIS WIFE JUST TOOK THE TRAIN TO NEW ORLEANS. They do this every year, getting a sleeping car for the long ride from Chicago and then back again. Besides inspiring a certain amount of travel envy in us, they had us remembering a gumbo we’ve made here. More specifically, Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo. It combines onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic and plenty of seasonings to make big flavored Creole/Cajun comfort food, the perfect foil for chilly autumnal weather. You’ll find the recipe and the inevitable backstory here.

Korean cold-weather comfort food: Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

This traditional Korean stew of kimchi and pork belly is a savory, tangy, spicy dish perfect for cold weather. Recipe below.

THE ARRIVAL OF FALL ALWAYS GETS US THINKING OF STEWS AND SOUPS, hearty cold-weather fare to fill us with warmth in the months ahead. So we’re delighted to add kimchi jjigae, a traditional Korean kimchi pork stew, to our arsenal. Continue reading “Korean cold-weather comfort food: Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)” →

On the road yet again—Columbus, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky

APPARENTLY, WE REALLY LIKE ROAD TRIPS. Just got back from yet another one, first to Columbus, Indiana, and then to Louisville, Kentucky. Columbus, a small city of about 49,000 people, is the improbable home to a collection of modernist architecture by some of the leading international architects of the time. It has been called the sixth most architecturally-important city in the US. Louisville is home to bourbon, of course, and to beautiful, varied neighborhoods tucked into rolling hills. Both cities are home to friendly, smart people and sooo many good places to eat. Hi-Five Doughnuts, a woman-owned shop, was our last stop on the way out of Louisville, heading home. And those doughnuts were among the best things we ate. No recipe this week—we’re still recuperating. Please stop by next week.

Embracing strong flavors: Pasta with Dandelion Greens

Get into the pleasantly bitter taste of super-healthy dandelion greens with weeknight-quick Pasta with Dandelion Greens. Recipe below.

WHEN WE CAME BACK FROM OUR CINCINNATI ROAD TRIP, the cupboard was bare. Even the simple basics for knocking together a quick yay! we’re home! meal were depleted. We ran to the neighborhood market to quickly stock up, dashing around grabbing things because we were so, so hungry. To my amazement, in the produce department, there was a big handsome bunch of dandelion greens. I grabbed that too and said to Terry, I’ve got a bright idea. And here we are. Continue reading “Embracing strong flavors: Pasta with Dandelion Greens” →

A tangy, jammy, versatile condiment: Blueberry Mostarda

Blueberries and whole grain mustard are at the heart of this tangy, jammy condiment. Spoon it over pork chops, chicken, duck… or make a grilled cheese sandwich with it. Recipe below.

“THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES IN MY SANDWICH,” I said to Marion as we ate lunch in the hidden courtyard of The Rhined, a “cut-to-order cheese and wine shop” in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine neighborhood. The sandwich in question was the Campbell Alley—a baguette with serrano ham, herbed goat cheese, arugula, and blueberry mostarda, the tangy Italian blueberry-and-mustard condiment that had caught my attention. Continue reading “A tangy, jammy, versatile condiment: Blueberry Mostarda” →

On the road in hilly Cincinnati

WE ARE TRAVELING, A FUN LITTLE ROAD TRIP through Detroit, Flint, Michigan, and now, Cincinnati. It’s our first time here together and we are absolutely smitten. Amazing food, cool, friendly people, beautiful architecture, and hills, hills, hills. We hope to be back next week with a recipe. And for the record, this is not a picture of our transportation.