Thayer in the Kitchen

Our last gourmet dinner was an upscale soup and sandwich supper with appetizers and desserts.  I made this chicken noodle soup and thought it was excellent. Stock 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken 3 1/2 quarts water 1 onion, peeled and diced 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 bay leaves 1 tablespoon chicken stock base Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Soup: 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops 2 1/2-3 cups uncooked egg noodles 2 cups sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/3 cup cooking sherry 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional Seasoning salt Freshly ground black pepper For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. You should have approxima...

This is one of those comfort food kinds of recipes, but great to make and serve with a protein for a simple supper. Although the original recipe called for frozen chopped broccoli, I used (and prefer) fresh broccoli when its available. 1 1/4-2# fresh broccoli 1 can cream of mushroom soup 3/4 cup of mayonnaise 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or whatever cheese you have available 3 eggs 1 medium onion chopped 1/2 package of cornbread stuffing mix (or whatever dry crumbly topping you want to use) 1/4 cup of butter Steam broccoli until barely tender.  Mix together all the other ingredients except for stuffing mix and butter.  Pour into a greased casserole.  Top with stuffing mix and sliced slivers of butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is a recipe from the King Arthur Flour catalog.  I made the biscuits for breakfast.  They were tender and flaky.  I used cooked red kuri squash from 1/2 of a squash.  I cooked it in the microwave while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup  cheese powder , optional; for enhanced flavor 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon  pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter 3/4 cup (3 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup pumpkin or winter squash purée 1 to 2 tablespoons milk       Position a rack in the top third of your oven, and preheat the oven to 425°F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine the flour, cheese powder, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in your food processor.  Cut up the cold butter into squares and add it to the processor.  Pulse until the butter is cut in as you would for pie crust. Toss the cheddar with the f...