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”
Shrimp, white beans, lemon, paprika and a mix of aromatics create a hearty, big-flavored stew that is weeknight quick. Recipe below.
EVERY TIME WE HAVE SHRIMP, WE WISH WE MADE IT MORE OFTEN. Shrimp is deliciously versatile, quick and easy to cook, low in calories and high in protein. Having tried it once, this weeknight-quick stew is something we’re definitely going to make more often. Continue reading “Weeknight-quick Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew”
Lemon juice, zest and extract brighten this light, fragrant, summery cake. Recipe below.
INSPIRATION FOR OUR RECIPES COMES FROM MANY PLACES. THIS ONE STARTED IN OUR GARDEN. The thyme in our garden, which for years has been a charming, compact clump, has all at once gone crazy. It’s surging onto the walk; it’s galumphing up to its neighbors (aster and coneflowers) in an entirely too pushy way; it’s become completely overconfident and obnoxious. Continue reading “Extra lemony Lemon Thyme Bundt Cake”
Spicy Lemon Maple Salmon fillets have a subtle but lively flavor and just a hint of heat. Finishing them under the broiler caramelizes the glaze.
SALMON IS OFTEN OUR GO-TO FISH WHEN WE WANT SEAFOOD. It’s easy to prepare, foolproof delicious and, frankly speaking, more affordable than many other choices. The only downside for me is that I can go on autopilot when preparing it—olive oil, salt, pepper, tarragon and a hot skillet. Again, foolproof delicious, but looking to change things up recently, I poked around in our archives and found this. You quickly marinate salmon in lemon juice, maple syrup, cider vinegar, oil and cayenne pepper, start it in a skillet, finish it under the broiler and you’ve got a real weeknight-quick treat. Bonus? This recipe was inspired by a tuba museum. You’ll find the recipe and backstory here.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS THE UNOFFICIAL START OF SUMMER. For us, summer is potato salad season, and weekend events conspired to confirm that. First, we were invited to an out-of-town birthday barbecue. Because we were traveling, we didn’t want to do anything mayonnaise based that needed refrigerating. Our Mark Bittman-inspired Potato Salad with Capers, Shallots and Mustard does not. Continue reading “A weekend of potato salads”