Thayer in the Kitchen

This may sound weird but give it a try.  We got some fabulous blueberries from Michigan and I wanted to try using them in a breakfast cereal dish.  This dish is quite unusual but my husband loved it!  He wantd to make sure I posted it so that I would be able to make it again.  I doubled the recipe which you may not want to do the first time you try it. 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or you could substitute butter or a diffrent oil such a sunflower) 3/4 cup raw quinoa, rinsed and dried (my package of quinoa said the rinsing was unecessary) 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk (or regular) pinch of salt 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (or sweetened if that is what you have on hand) 1/2-3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen,preferably fresh) Melt the coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until it is toasted and golden brown, about five minutes.  Next, add the coconut milk and a pin...

I found this great salad in my travels through recipe trolling on the web.  There is a salad dressing recipe provided on the web page that I have not tried.  Here is a link to the original recipe which includes a picture: http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2011/07/tricias-delicious-summer-berry-salad/ Large bowl of mixed salad greens or butter leaf lettuce if available 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup blueberries 1 cup raspberries 2 scallions (red or green) thinly sliced 1/2 cup blue cheese, chopped or crumbled 1/2-1 cup roasted pecans (recipe below) Pecans 1 cup pecan halves 2 teaspoons sunflower oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Combine nuts, oil and salt.  Bake for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally or until deep golden brown.  Check at around 20 minutes to make sure the nuts are not getting too dark.  Remove from oven and cool. Assemble salad and use Annie's Raspberry Vinai...

I grow sage in my container herb garden but don't use sage nearly as much as some of the other herbs (such as basil).  This is an excellent soup that uses one of my favorite vegetables, asparagus, but also lots of sage.  The soup is thickened by using a little bit of rice which you'll never notice. Fried Sage Leaves Oil (sunflower oil is a good choice) for frying 24 sage leaves Soup 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lightly packed and coarsely chopped fresh sage 4 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons white rice (I used arborio rice which is the only kind of white rice I have) 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel, divided 2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced in 1/2-1" pieces 3/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shaved Parmesan cheese (available in large square jar at Costco) or you could do it yourself with a vegetable peeler Fry sage leaves in hot oil until sizzling stops.  Drain on paper towels. Melt butter ...