Thayer in the Kitchen

Some time ago I posted a recipe for Cream of Broccoli Soup on the blog.  At that time I was still looking for an even better recipe.  This recipe that I found on Mel's Kitchen Café website is excellent.  Give it a try when you've got a bunch of broccoli and are craving a warm thick comforting soup.  The author said it was hearty and delicious.  I also like this soup because it has other vegetables besides the broccoli and I'm all about using vegetables! 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots, diced small 1 cup chopped celery, diced small 3 cups chopped potatoes, diced small 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 4-5 cups coarsely chopped broccoli; peel the outside of the tough stalks before using 4-6 slices bacon, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk (I used 1/2 skim milk and 1/2 half and half) 3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese   1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard In a ...

This  is a very good vegetarian recipe using Delicata Squash.  I loved it!  I'm not sure Arthur did, but he ate it--just not with as much enthusiasm as I did. The recipe calls for a variety of nuts.  Some of which I had and others I didn't.  Just use 1 1/3 cups of whatever nuts you have on hand.  A variety is nice but probably not essential.  3 tablespoons butter 1 medium yellow onions, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or fresh thyme leaves or a combination of both     1/3 cup chopped walnuts 1/3 cup chopped pistachios 1/3 cup chopped almonds 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (you can also substitute sour cream)     2 eggs, lightly beaten About 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese 2 D e...

We got a bunch of radishes in our first CSA box of the season which had the radish greens with the radishes.  The radish tops were much too nice to just toss into the compost.  I found this recipe for Radish Top Soup on allrecipes.com that I adapted.  It is a tasty soup that's very easy to make.  Another use for the green tops are in green smoothies.  I tried it today with a another bunch of radish tops that I had.  I used the greens (about 2 cups), 1 cup each of mango and pineapple (frozen), 2 bananas and some vanilla almond milk.  The greens added color but didn't change the flavor of the fruit. 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil 1 cup (approx.) chopped onions 3 green onions or you could use 1 or 2 green garlic stalks 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped 4 cups raw radish greens (if you don't have enough you could add turnip tops or spinach) 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth 1/3 cup heavy cream (or...

I found this recipe in the magazine Midwest Living and made it for dinner. Arthur loved it and said he wanted me to save it in my blog so that I could make it again.  Typically I make a recipe once and unless it is really good I throw it away.  With so many recipes available it is hard to keep track of the really good ones which is one of the purposes of my blog. This one is interesting because the vegetables are made into vegetable ribbons and serve as a bed for the salmon.  The salmon steams on top of the vegetables and remains very moist. 1 lemon 1 medium zucchini 1 medium yellow summer squash 2 medium carrots, peeled 1/4 teaspoon salt 1-1 1/4# s almon fillets (if the salmon has skin it can easily be removed after cooking) 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2...

This very simple recipe is a favorite of my 11 year old grandson.  Who would have thought it! 1/4 or less red onion or yellow onion, finely chopped or chopped green onions  1 1/2 cups frozen corn (no need to cook) 1 can drained & rinsed black beans 1/4 cup or more roughly chopped cilantro 1 can Ro*tel tomatoes with green chilies or any available brand Juice of 1 lime (or lemon) Salt to taste 1/4 t. black pepper 1/4 t. ground cumin 1/8 t. cayenne pepper (optional)   Mix it all together and allow to sit for 30 minutes for the corn to defrost and the flavors to blend.  Serve with corn or taco chips.    The quantities are all adjustable to suit your own tastes. Adapted from Ten Dollar Dinners on the Food Network

This recipe is a great way to use a substantial amount of rhubarb.  I made it for my book club when the meeting was at our place and everyone really liked it.  There is one caveat--the recipe uses a cake mix!  I never use store bought cake mixes but did make an exception with this recipe.  You could probably use homemade yellow cake batter, but I caved in and used a cake mix.  The three yellow cake mixes receiving the best reviews were: King Arthur Flour All-Natural Golden Vanilla Cake Mix - I think this is only available through the King Arthur catalogue Betty Crocker SuperMoist Golden Vanilla Cake Mix (reviewed well on Good Housekeeping.com; this is the one I used) Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Mix (reviewed the best on Epicurious) 1 yellow cake mix 5 cups chopped raw rhubarb 1 cup sugar (or a bit less) 1 pint heavy whipping cream (2 cups) Additional whipping cream for serving Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cake mix ...

I love sweet potato soup.  I wanted to try this recipe because I had spinach from the farmers market as well as a jar of harissa.  Harissa is also known as Tunisian chili paste. This spice mixture originated in Tunisia. It contains chilies, cumin, garlic, coriander, caraway seeds, cinnamon, olive oil and sometimes tomatoes.  The harissa that I have is quite hot.  The first time I used it, my husband said he couldn't eat the dish.  I didn't think it was quite that hot, but now I use less then the recipe calls for and add more after tasting.  This recipe originally called for 1 1/2 tablespoons of harissa.  I cut it in half and used 2 teaspoons.  Your harissa may not be as hot as mine or you may have a higher tolerance than Arthur. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 3 tbsp tomato paste 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter (chunky is OK too) 2 teaspoons harissa paste (read...

Although I'm posting this recipe out of season I didn't want to lose it.  It is a great recipe to use tomatillos which if you are a CSA member you may receive in one of your boxes.  Otherwise you can find them in the grocery store in the produce department, often with other Latino vegetables. They are most often used for green salsa but this is a great recipe if you want to try something different. 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup 1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 lb tomatillos, chopped (see note below on preparing the tomatillos) Salt 1/4 liquid (water, chicken broth or clam juice) 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined 1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Lime juice Black pepper   An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan 1 Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to...

This is an excellent recipe for a cornbread made with sweet potatoes.  This recipe uses no flour which is a consideration if you have an issue with gluten.  Butter 5 large eggs, whisked 1 cup sour cream (low fat is OK) 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 2 cups (16oz) cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (see note) 1 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt Set oven at 425F. Rub a cast iron skillet with butter and place in the oven to heat up along with the oven. If a cast iron skillet is not available you could use a 9" square pan. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the sour cream and sugar, then the butter and sweet potatoes. Measure the cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl.  Combine the baking powder and salt with the cornmeal. Then whisk the cornmeal into the wet mixture, whisking just until combined. Turn batter into the hot skillet and ...

This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Cook's Country.  I served them when my family visited from Chicago.  They are very adaptable.  You can use different types of sandwich buns; cook the eggs however the eater prefers; and use whatever variety of cheese you like and have available.  The arugula and sliced tomatoes are also optional. 4 English muffins, split (I used Brownberry sandwich thins) 3 tablespoons softened butter 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 4 large eggs Salt and pepper 4 slices of thin deli ham 4 ounces shredded or sliced Gruyere cheese 1 1/2 cups arugula 4 thin tomato slices Butter the English muffins or sandwich buns (split) and broil until lightly brown.  Mix mayonnaise and mustard.  Cook eggs however you like.  I made poached eggs for one, scrambled eggs for another and sunny side up eggs for the third.  Essentially I doubled the recipe because each person ate 2 sandwiches.  Take a muffin...

What another pancake recipe!  Yes, this one incorporates strawberries which I think are a wonderful addition to pancakes.  The recipe was adapted from a blog entitled Simply Scratch.  The author Laurie comments, "I think I could survive on pancakes alone."  I recommend checking her blog out because she has wonderful pictures of the whole process of making the pancakes.  http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/06/strawberry-buttermilk-pancakes.html Ingredients: 2 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tablespoons Vanilla Sugar (available from Penzey's Spices)* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 2 cups Buttermilk 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt {heaping} 2 whole Eggs 3 tablespoons Melted Butter {cooled but not solidified} 1 cup Chopped Fresh Strawberries (heaping) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional) Directions: Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees and wipe with a little oil or spray with organic pan spray.  In a large bowl;...

Looking at the recipe I posted last time it appears that I'm on a bacon kick.  This recipe is for some delicious and very unusual pancakes.  I borrowed the recipe from the Recipe Girl website.  Check it out she has lovely pictures of the pancakes.  http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/02/16/bacon-and-corn-griddle-cakes/ 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2/3 cup milk 1 large egg, beaten 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (Driftless Organics) or other vegetable oil 1 cup frozen or fresh corn 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese  maple syrup and/or sour cream for serving In a medium skillet, cook the bacon pieces until they begin to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is softened. While the bacon is cooking, combine the flour, chi...

We have been getting quite a bit of red cabbage from our CSA farm.  I find it a bit more challenging to decide what to do with red cabbage than green.  This was a recipe that I found that sounded promising. It was a success and got Arthur's vote of, "put it on your blog."  This is easily adjusted for more or less cabbage. 1 small head of cabbage 3 slices  (or more) bacon cut into thin slices 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 cup chicken broth Salt & pepper to taste Slice the cabbage into quarters, remove the core and slice into 1/4" strips.  This can be done quickly with a food processor. Cook bacon until browned and remove from pan.  Cook onion in the bacon fat until it is tender and slightly brown.  Season with a bit of salt.  Add cabbage, stir to coat with the bacon fat.  Cook until it begins to wilt.  Sti...