This light, not-too-sweet peach cake makes a nice dessert or a swanky treat for breakfast. Recipe below.
THIS WAS A THREE PEACH CAKE WEEKEND FOR US. We had overnight guests and went to a fun block party (sans guests) and a big family barbecue (with our guests). So Marion baked a peach and plum bundt cake for our guests and two of this lovely one to bring to the events. Continue reading “Making the most of summer stone fruits: Peach Cake”
For a perfect summer dish, thin slices of salmon cooked quickly slightly warm the mixed greens, green beans and snow pea pods tossed with a Japanese-based miso vinaigrette.
IT IS OFFICIALLY TOO HOT TO COOK HERE NOW. OR EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. That of course had me looking back at things we’ve cooked when it was too hot to cook. When you’ve been writing about cooking for almost 18 years, you actually forget a lot of your former exploits. Like this recipe from 2008, with a salad of mixed greens, snow peas, barely blanched green beans and a miso vinaigrette topped with quickly cooked slices of salmon. You’ll find the summer-easy recipe here.
Check out the Blue Kitchen profile! We were recently interviewed by DeliveryRank for their ongoing blog that covers people involved in food in many roles. They asked great questions that really made me think about our approach to cooking, creating recipes and talking about food—including our penchant for borrowing ingredients from the global pantry and using them in unexpected ways. You’ll find the interview here. Thanks for the opportunity, DeliveryRank!
A mix of Asian cuisines and ingredients creates a flavorful, spicy, satisfying soup. Recipe below.
OUR RECENT WISCONSIN ROAD TRIP ended with a quick swing through Madison, where Laurel and Raffy took us to the amazing, delightful Ahan for lunch. Our takeaway? WOW! Continue reading “Many inspirations, one delicious bowl—Asian Fish Soup”
Six dishes showcase the versatility of mustard as a key (or minor) ingredient.
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”
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”
A braise of oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce and (optional) cayenne pepper gives chicken thighs a delicious, sticky Chinese barbecue sauce finish. Recipe below.
ASIAN CUISINE IS RICH WITH UMAMI DELIVERY SYSTEMS in ready-made form. Soy sauce, fish sauce, miso paste and oyster sauce are some of the usual suspects you’ll find in our fridge or pantry. We recently used fish sauce to dial up the savoriness of already savory classic beef burgers. This week, oyster sauce is giving weeknight-quick chicken thighs the umami treatment. Continue reading “Savory, sweet and (optionally) spicy—Oyster Sauce Chicken Thighs”
Store-bought barbecue sauce and stovetop cooking make the summery taste of barbecue pork chops weeknight quick and easy. Recipe below.
SUMMER AND BARBECUED PORK CHOPS JUST GO TOGETHER. Unless, like us, you still haven’t gotten your grill out (patio redo delays), or you don’t/can’t grill where you live. These skillet barbecue pork chops give you delicious summery saucy flavor with the bonus of being truly weeknight quick. And the bonus bonus of leaving you with just a skillet to clean, not your grill. Continue reading “Nice and easy, like summer: Skillet Barbecue Pork Chops”
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”
Thai basil adds a savory, anise-like, slightly spicy note to this flavorful shrimp stir-fry. Recipe below.
THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE’VE PLANTED THAI BASIL IN THE GARDEN and it is not disappointing. Our Italian basil is still in the ehhhh, whatever mom sullen teenage phase, but the Thai basil is doing just great, thanks—growing taller and branching and just generally being cheerfully, eagerly productive. It wants to flower, so every few days I hack off the buds, to keep the leaves nice and tender. And every few days, we are rewarded with enough basil, plucked from our one plant, to make a vibrant, tasty dish. Continue reading “Quick, flavorful stir fry: Thai Basil Shrimp with Rice Noodles”
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”