About


Kitchen Riffs is both the name of this blog and the nom de plume of its author, John Griffin.  That’s me, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri, with my wife — who makes frequent appearances on the blog as “Mrs. Kitchen Riffs.”  To learn a bit more about Kitchen Riffs the person, you might want to take a look at my introductory post, Who is Kitchen Riffs?

Kitchen Riffs (the blog) is an outgrowth of my fascination with food.  A long time ago, I started messing about in the kitchen because I wanted to learn how to cook the wide variety of foods that I had read about or sampled in restaurants.  Over the years (many years!) I developed decent cooking skills.  And I learned how to change or adapt — riff — recipes so they’d suit my taste.  Often this riffing would lead to entirely new recipes.  The blog is a way to record and extend my food explorations.

My “food philosophy” is straightforward:  Food should be easy to prepare.  But most of all, it should taste good.  Flavor is the theme of Kitchen Riffs:  What is it?  Where is it?  How to achieve it?  How to enjoy it?

No food-related subject — from aperitifs to zabaglione — is off topic for Kitchen Riffs.  My underlying principle is to discover and discuss what makes a recipe tick, what makes it flavorful.  Sometimes that means recognizing what I don’t yet know, but need to learn in order to cook (and eat) better.  The idea for me (and I hope for you) is to find out what is important in cooking, and why.

And above all, to discover which foods and recipes make our tongues happy.

34 comments:

Bam's Kitchen said...

You have done an amazing job with your website. It is very informative and food and drinks are out of this world and your photos say it all. I just wanted to let you know that I hope you always keep writing. Say hello to Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. Take care, BAM

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Bam, thanks for the comment! I finally got around to putting up this "About" page only 2 days ago! Although I had my post on Who is Kitchen Riffs up from the beginning, and that became my unofficial About page, I guess. Anyway, thank you so much for the kind words, and I'll certainly say hello to Mrs K R from you.

Anonymous said...

what a nice blog - thanks for letting us enter YOUR kitchen - but where is MRS Kitchen Riffs?
Like your photos. Btw - I am now a follower. Ciao, Carin
PS for Cauliflower, lot into my site tomorrow
PPS I will have to check YOUR Pfeffernuesse recipe - as a German, they are of course an integral part of my own childhood memories. Thanks

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi anyone4curry, thanks for the comment! One of these days I need to talk Mrs K R into allowing me to put her picture up. It's quite possible in the future she'll become much more active on the blog, possibly doing some posts herself. We'll see. Thanks for following, and I'll definitely check out your cauliflower - love that veggie! The Pfeffernuesse are really good - hope you enjoy them. Do let me know how they stack up against your memories.

Anonymous said...

Hi John, sorry have to use this mode, my computer is playing up on my own site. No cauliflower, as mentioned, something else went wrong, fridge this time. All this constant powercut does not do electrical things any good! But will do it soon, big promise. Btw - any 'german' blood in your family, because of the many german recipes? Love your coleslaw recipe - will have this tomorrow. Thanks. Ciao, Carina

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Carina, loads of German blood on the sides of both parents. Other stuff too - Irish, French, British - I'm a mongrel. ;-) Sorry to hear about your electrical problems. I am looking forward to the cauliflower!

petit4chocolatier said...

Mr. and Mrs. Riff,

I love your recipes, pictures and style of writings! Superb blog!

Sincerely,
judy

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Judy, thanks so much for your very, very kind words! I (we!) really appreciate them.

Ali said...

Hi John! I've nominated you for a Kreativ Blogger award: http://yorkesgirl.com/2012/12/21/7-random-things-about-me/ :)

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Ali, that's so kind! I'll check out your post. Thank you.

Marsita Yahya said...

Hi Dear Kitchen Riffs,
need yr permission to use one of you nice pic to put on my blog post title...
Thank U.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Marsita, thanks for asking! I do need a few more details, however. Please email me, kitchenriffs (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know which picture, and specifically what usage you're asking for. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Do you have any sourdough recipes? I've started a culture and now need to find recipes for things other than bread.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Anonymous, I don't do much with sourdough. I know there are recipes that use it in things like waffles or English muffins, but I'm not that familiar with them. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Nice blog. Glad to have found it.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi marinatingonline, thanks! And I'll certainly check out your blog.

Tonette Joyce said...

I spotted your comments on a friend's blog and came to take a look..."season to taste, cook until done"! I love it! I have been glancing in on your recipes and expect to have fun doing it more.

( I have no idea why Blogger will never let me log in with my WordPress account)
http://tonettejoycefoodfriendsfamily.wordpress.com

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Tonette, pleased to meet you! Glad you enjoy the blog. When you're commenting, if you expand the menu box next to "Reply as:" you'll see can reply using your name and URL. Blogger can be buggy sometimes (as can WordPress) but this option always seems to work. Thanks for the comment.

Unknown said...

Great website, I stumbled on this when searching for the Kale salad recipe that Pastaria has. Your page layout, instructions and images are really nice and include a lot of detail.

I wish the "search kitchen Riffs" option worked better. When I type in "kale", it keeps me on the same page instead of directing me to your recipe. This would make it easier for followers to search and find recipes that you have posted.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi David, the search function on Blogger (the hosting platform I'm using) is miserable, isn't it? I just checked it, and it's basically not working at all - I'll try reinstalling. Ironic, since Blogger is owned by Google! BTW, using Google's "site" command makes searching a specific website pretty easy (I haven't used it for awhile but I think it's something like this: "kale site:www.kitchenriffs.com"). No quote marks, though. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks for leaving a comment.

Jessica said...

I just discovered your blog and love it! You have beautiful photography and I can't wait to try some of your recipes. Thank you for sharing!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jessica, welcome! I hope you enjoy yourself here, and thanks for the comment.

dawnofhope said...

Hi John. Happy Thanksgiving. Keeping a low profile over here in Ireland, enjoying your beautiful recipes and cocktails none the less ! Keep up the good work, Jim

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jim, welcome! And thanks so much for letting me know you enjoy the recipes. I've never been to Ireland -- would love to go someday.

Frank said...

I just stumbled onto your blog! Fantastic! And you're a fellow Missourian, to boot! I'm down in Joplin, and also write a blog. Nothing the quality of yours, but at least a place to park some of my thoughts. Looking forward to exploring your blog further!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Frank, welcome! Hope you enjoy it here. And I'll definitely be checking out your blog! Thanks for commenting.

Malathi Ganesh said...

First time into your blog space.. Previously had replied for your comment in my blog. You have a wonderful blog with pretty clicks....FAbulous work !!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Malathi, welcome! And thanks for that kind comment.

monica rampo @ Monic's Simply Kitchen said...

Hi John,
Greetings from Indonesia..
First time visiting your blog...next time I will keep coming here. Looks like you are a friendly person.
I love all your cocktail photos, all of them so beautiful and look so fresh...


Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Monica, welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here. Thanks for the comment.

smitha said...

First time here and i loved the blog. I think iam late in visiting your blog. Will stay connected

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Smitha, welcome! Enjoy your stay here, and thanks for the comment.

Gerlinde de Broekert said...

I love your blog and your sense of humor. I made quite a few of your recipes and enjoyed them.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Gerlilnde, what an incredibly nice comment! Glad you like the blog, and thanks for letting us know how much!