Thayer in the Kitchen

This is a recipe for a vegetarian fruit and vegetable stew: Vegetarian Tsimmes Approximately 1 pound of dried fruit. I used a mixture of prunes, apricots, dried cranberries, figs and a few currants. It probably totals 3 cups. You can suit your own taste in choosing the fruit, although prunes are quite traditional. Chop the fruit coarsely. Soak the fruit in a mixture of brandy and warm water almost to cover the fruit. Its OK to skip the brandy and just use all water if you prefer. 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal chunks 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 3/4 pounds of onions, peeled and diced into large pieces (red or yellow are both fine) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of cayenne Salt and pepper to taste the original recipe called for ground cloves, which I skipped because I don't like cloves juice from 1/2 lemon or about 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1-2 tablespoons butter Fill a large pot with water to cover the vegetables and salt well. Cook the v...

I found this recipe in Farmer John's Cookbook and adapted it slightly. I had never considered eating parsnips raw, but decided to give this salad a try. I took it to a potluck and asked the guests to try to guess what the vegetable was--it took them about 10 guesses. Parsnip & Apple Slaw with Creamy Parsley Dressing Dressing 1/2 sour cream 2 tablespoons minced onion (red or yellow) 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste ground pepper 3-4 medium parsnips, peeled and coarsely grated (a food processor is the easiest way to do this) 2 medium apples (unpeeled) cored and finely diced 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds Combine the ingredients for the dressing and stir well. Mix in the parsnips, apples and cranberries. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Toast the nuts lightly, being careful not to burn them. When you're ready to serve the salad, taste to see if it needs an...

I wasn't allowed to put any weight at all on my left leg for 10 weeks which is a very long time. The work that the surgeon did was successful and now I'm starting to get around my condo with the aid of a walker. I've also started to do some cooking while hanging onto counters, etc. Last night I made a very simple supper but the salad was excellent and the pasta dish quite good as well. Apple Spinach Salad 4 cups baby spinach 1 medium apple, sliced (I also peeled mine because I don't like apple peels) 1/2 small red onion cut into thin wedges 2 tablespoon roughly chopped dried tart cherries 1/4 cup pecan pieces 1/2 cup blue cheese (about 2 ounces) or you could substitute feta Thyme-Dijon Vinaigrette 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt Put ingredients for dressing in jar and shake well. Use the amount you want on the salad. Adapted from a recipe from Hear...