Thayer in the Kitchen

This isn't a summer produce recipe.  In fact I made it in the cold weather, but I really thought it made a great weekend breakfast and don't want to lose it.  Biscuits are one of my favorites.  I also discovered I love sausage gravy over biscuits.  Definitely not something I grew up with.  It isn't always easy to get good sausage gravy and biscuits in northern  restaurants.  This recipe steps it up a notch and adds herbs to the biscuits and chorizo to the sausage gravy.  If you aren't able to get chorizo, Italian sausage also works well in this recipe. Herbed breakfast biscuits (12)   Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour (or more all-purpose flour) 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 2 to 3 teaspoons sugar, to taste ½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced 3 tablespoons trans fat-free vegetable shortening, very cold 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or chives (or a combination) ¾ cup w...

At this time of the year you will probably consistently see either summer squash or zucchini in your CSA share.  I can never get too much of either one because it is so versatile. You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash to make this squash casserole.  It is a very basic casserole but to me it is really comfort food. 2 pounds squash thickly sliced (7 cups) 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream 1 cup shredded carrot 1/4 cup butter 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (about 1/2 of 8 ounce package)  I prefer Pepperidge Farm brand   Cook squash with onion in boiling salt water for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Combine soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrot. Fold in drained squash and onion. Melt butter; toss with stuffing mix. Spread half of the stuffing in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish (about 1 1/2 to 2-quart size). Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining st...

We went to my son and daughter-in-law's for the July 4 weekend.  I was asked to bring potato salad, but my son doesn't like mayonnaise.  I found this recipe for French Potato Salad on the Food Network.  It was originally a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I made a few adaptations. This is a great salad for picnics because you don't have to worrry about keeping it cold. It is good at room temperature. I love the variety of fresh herbs in this version.  I have an herb garden on my deck so at this time of the year fresh herbs are readily accessible. If I made this recipe again I would double the recipe. 2# white or red potatoes or a mixture (if organic, no need to peel) 2 tablespoons dry white wine 2 tablespoons chicken stock 3 tablespoons white wine or tarragon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 tsp. black pepper 1/2 cup good olive oil 1/4 cup green onions (white and green parts), chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill...

Unfortunately we are coming to the end of the strawberry season.  It is so short, at least here in Wisconsin.  If you still have a few berries available this is a great recipe to use them.  I brought a sample to work today and the response was, "I must have that recipe!"  1 1/2 Cups fresh strawberries, sliced 1 Cup granulated sugar, divided 1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon (Ceylon Cinnamon from Penzeys if available) 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract  1/2 Cup melted butter (1 stick) 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional but good) Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a standard glass (8x5”) loaf pan. Rinse, core and slice the strawberries, place in a small bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 Cup sugar. In a large mixing bowl, blend together the remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, ...

I found myself with some leftover cottage cheese in the frig.  I'm not a cottage cheese fan, but I like it in food where I don't have to deal with the strange consistency.  These pancakes sounded promising and they turned out to be very good, especially after I added some fresh strawberries to the batter.  I also added some coarsely chopped pecans, both are totally optional. I know that some people don't like "stuff" in their pancakes.  The cottage cheese also adds some protein to the pancakes. 1 cup unbleached flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 eggs 1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons oil (canola or sunflower seed) 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, milk and oil.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk just until blended.  At the this point you can ...