Weekly Wrap-Up: 5/19-5/25

In case you missed them, here’s a wrap up of our favorite blog posts of the week. Read, get inspired, and start cooking!

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh Here’s a gluten-free version of a favorite dish, substituting high-protein quinoa for traditional bulgur. The recipe gets a flavor boost from feta cheese, fresh mint and lemon juice; serve with romaine hearts to make it a meal.

Ingredient Spotlight: Radishes Spring is the best time to find small, rosy, tender radishes — they add an irresistible crunch to seasonal salads. Read on for our best tips for choosing, storing and working with radishes, plus some of our favorite ways to use them.

Recipe Roundup: Easy Weeknight Dinners What’s cooking tonight? From springtime pastas to dinners on the grill, these simple recipes will inspire you.

Flank Steak Salad with Arugula & Blue Cheese The steak in this salad can be grilled a day ahead of time and makes for excellent leftovers in sandwiches and stir-fries. This salad features shallots, so thinly sliced they lend a raw crunch that’s not too sharp.

Beer 101 Outdoor parties call for cold brews! To get you started, here’s an overview of some of the most popular styles of beer, plus serving tips to bring out the best in each one.

Q&A with Chef Ben Ford Meet Ben Ford, chef at Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, CA and author of the new book Taming the Feast. Here, we ask Ben all about the first feast he ever cooked, his approach to food and ingredients, and what he cooks at home for his kids (turns out he’s adventurous there, too). Read on!

Chocolate Chip-Pecan BarsChocolate chips and pecans add texture and contrast to this big batch of blondies. Make them your own with a custom combination of your favorite ingredients.

Q&A with Phin DeMink of Southern Tier Brewing Company This year, we partnered with three of our favorite breweries to create a new line of BBQ sauces featuring a not-so-secret ingredient: craft beer. Our Southern Tier IPA sauce has its roots in genuine Western Carolina barbecue, where mustard sauce reigns supreme. Here, we talk to Phin DeMink, Southern Tier’s founder and president, all about summer beers, BBQ and more. Read on!

Grilled Whole Fish Grilling a whole fish is the final frontier of mastering the modern grill. If using fresh woody herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, save the sprigs after you pluck off the leaves and toss them onto the fire to add a subtle flavor to the smoke that surrounds and imbues the food.

Weekend Project: Brew Your Own Beer There’s a new wave of craft brewers at work — right in their home kitchens. With our beer-making kits, it’s never been easier or more convenient! Keep reading to learn how to do it yourself.

Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip Grilling chicken wings instead of frying them gives them a wonderful charred smoky flavor. This recipe is in the style of the famed buffalo wings, smothered in a spiced BBQ rub and served with a creamy, tangy blue cheese dip.

Q&A with Jeremy Danner of Boulevard Brewing Company Our Boulevard BBQ Sauce is smoky and sweet, made from tomatoes, molasses and spicy chiles and enriched with the crisp KC Pils Lager from Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Company. For more summer cooking — and sipping! — inspiration, we chatted with Boulevard brewer Jeremy Danner all about beer, barbecue and what he’s drinking now.

Party Planner: Memorial Day BBQ Wind up your spring in style with this satisfying menu. Prepare a few pitchers of fragrant Meyer lemonade or sangria before gathering around the grill to nibble on colorful crudités – but save plenty of room for the hearty grilled steak and potatoes.

Cheeseburgers The cheeseburger is an American culinary icon. Anyone who’s firing up a grill for Memorial Day needs a recipe that honors that status! Here’s our take, as simple — and as flavorful — as it gets.