Thayer in the Kitchen

This recipe doesn't use strictly all local ingredients. However, even now at the end of February I was able to get several of the ingredients at the winter farmers market. Its a delicious salad with a super easy but tasty dressing. large bowl of mixed salad greens (we have a vendor at the winter farmers market with a very nice salad mix) 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, juice reserved 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese (from another vendor at the market) small red onion, sliced (left from our CSA produce) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (sunflower seed oil from Cherokee Bison) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons reserved mandarin orange juice, oil, and vinegar. In a large salad bowl, toss together the toasted almonds, mandarin oranges, mixed salad greens, onion and Gorgonzola cheese....

January 2011:  This is an update to my earlier recipe.  This time the biscuits were perfect, but the gravy for the stew could have been a little thicker. Note:  On the topic of the vegetables, use about 2# of whatever root vegetables you have available.  This time I used sweet potatoes, celeriac, the last of my unloved winter radishes, plus carrots. Gravy:  I didn't use wine this time because I wasn't going to open a bottle of wine for 1/4 cup.  I would start with 2 cups of chicken broth.  You can always add more if it seems to need it.  I would use 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch and see if the gravy has the consistency you want. I am adding my new biscuit recipe for baking on top of the stew.  They came out perfect with baking them for 20 minutes and then adding the cheese.  I think 5 minutes to melt the cheese might be enough. I hesitated to post this recipe because it was not a success, but it has the potential to be very go...

The original recipe called for pumpkin and lentils. But I have this huge squash that I need to use, so I substituted 1/4 of the squash for the can of pumpkin. I cooked the squash in the microwave until it was tender, scooped out the flesh and pureed it in the food processor. This is a very healthy low-fat soup. 1 large onion (about 1 cup) chopped 1 cup chopped celery 1-2 beauty heart radishes, peeled and chopped (this is another addition of mine since I have quite a few radishes I'm trying to use up) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced 6 -7 cups or more chicken broth (or vegetable) 1 pound red lentils, rinsed 1# cooked winter squash, whatever variety you have available Sea salt and black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (original recipe called for parsley , but I happened to have dill) Sour cream to dollop on top (optional) Heat olive oil and saute the onion, celery and radish (if using) until tender but not browned . Stir in garl...

I made this great stew yesterday for supper. Of course, I made changes to the original recipe. I used bison which I purchased from Cherokee Bison Farm instead of beef. They are at the Dane County farmers market every Saturday including the winter market. Bison is extremely lean and at least in the stew you can't tell the difference between beef and bison. The original recipe called for butternut squash. We bought a wonderful squash at the winter farmers market from one of the newer vendors. Its over 6#! I have no idea what the variety is. I used about 1/4 of the squash in the stew. Aromatic Bison Stew with Winter Squash 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound bison stew meat, cut into cubes (you could use beef instead) 2 tablespoons flour 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger 1 pound butternut squash or whatever winter squash you have available, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups--more is OK) 1 can (14.5 oz) di...

These tasty muffins have a fresh apple flavor and aren't too sweet. They're also a great muffin to make in the fall or winter when both carrots and apples are abundant. 1/3 cup raisins 2 tablespoons hot water 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 cup coarsely grated apples 2 cups coarsely grated carrots 1 large egg 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 2 tablespoons canola or sunflower seed oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup honey or molasses (I used honey) 1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts--pecans or walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter or spray one 12 cup muffin pan. Place the raisins in a small bowl, add the water and set aside to soak. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the lemon zest, apples and carrots, then toss ge...

Do you still have a rutabaga lurking in your frig from your fall/winter storage share? I did and actually still have more to use. This is a good recipe to use some of that rutabaga. Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque 1 tablespoon butter 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped 2 medium celery stalks, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 pounds rutabaga, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 4 1/4 cups) 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth 2 cups half-and-half (fat-free works just fine) 2 1/2 teaspoons high-quality smoked paprika (Penzey's has a great smoked paprika) 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (you can use more if you like it especially spicy) Salt to taste Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add rutabaga and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until rutabaga is tender when pierced with a fork, a...

I am posting this recipe for cherry pie because it is my daughter-in-law, Jenny's, absolute favorite kind of pie. I've found it hard to find a good recipe for cherry pie using fresh or frozen cherries. I buy 5# pounds of frozen Door County pie cherries at the end of the season. These are the best cherries to use for pie if you can find them in your area. Be sure to buy them without sugar so that you can control the amount you want. Prize Winning Cherry Pie 1 cup Sugar 1/4 cup Cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon Salt 2/3 cup Grenadine syrup 2 pounds frozen cherries, thawed 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract 2 tablespoons Butter Pastry for double-crust 9-inch (recipe below) 2 teaspoons Milk Baking sugar or Raw sugar crystals Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan; stir mixture to remove lumps. Stir grenadine syrup into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Add cherries; simmer until liquid is thickened and transparent (about 4 minutes), stirri...