Thayer in the Kitchen

I tried this lasagna with Swiss chard that we got in one of our CSA boxes.  I was very pleased with the results. It is quite different than your typical lasagna but very tasty.  It is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup flour 3 cups milk 1 cup grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces) Course salt and pepper 5 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (1 bunch) 1# bulk Italian sausage 1 lemon, very thinly sliced 6 no-boil lasagna noodles Directions: Melt butter and stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in chard. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet breaking up pieces, until no longer pink. Cover lemon slices with cold water by 3 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Spread

I found this recipe on Chowhound and think it is the best recipe for corn chowder I've ever made.  Its thick, rich and creamy with lots of fresh corn.  I'm sure you could also make it in the winter with frozen corn. Ingredients: 2 oz. thick cut bacon diced small 1 medium onion yellow onion, chopped 3 cups fresh corn kernels (this took 5 ears of our corn) 3 cups whole milk (or mix 1% milk with some 1/2 and 1/2) 1 pound potatoes, diced (I didn't bother to peel mine) 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup heavy cream Chopped chives Instructions: Brown the chopped bacon; then remove and set aside.  Add the onion to the bacon grease, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened--about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile place 1 cup of the corn and 1 cup of the milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the corn milk puree, remaining 2 cups of corn and 2 cups of milk, potatoes, and additional salt and pepper.  Stir to combine; bring to a simmer

This is an Iranian recipe from the cookbook, World on a Plate by Mina Holland.  We used the book for one of our Books for Cooks meetings.  For the most part we didn't particularly like the book.  I made this dish and made a number of adaptations.  We all thought it was very good.  It was supposed to be served with chelow rice which seemed too complicated and I substituted some naan that I bought at Whole Foods. Holland said the barbarries can be purchased at Middle Eastern grocers, however Madison doesn't have any Middle Eastern grocery stores.  I ordered mine from Amazon. 1 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup olive or sunflower oil 2 medium onions, thinly sliced sea salt 2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs Penzey's pepper 2 large oranges 1-2 large pinches of saffron 1/4 - 1/3 cup of dried barberries, rehydrated 1/4 cup of sliced toasted almond to garnish (optional)  actually I forgot to add the nuts Strain the yogurt through a strainer lined with a paper towel for sev

This is a recipe that I found on the New York Times cooking website and have adapted somewhat.  In this case it is not a healthier dish than the original but it is delicious and easy! 2 tablespoons butter (divided) 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 1/4 pound cream cheese 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Pinch cayenne (these are both optional--I actually forgot them) Pinch nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I used Hook's white cheddar) 1/2 pound elbow macaroni (I used 2 different whole wheat pastas and it came out fine) 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 inch square baking pan.  In a blender, puree ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 and 1/2, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, and pepper.  In a large bowl, combine all but 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, the liquid mixture and uncooked pasta.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for a few hours. When ready to e

This is a recipe I adapted from a PBS food blog Fresh Tastes by Adrianna Adarme.  My husband loved it and thought it made a great breakfast. Apple Mixture:  1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 apples, peeled and diced  1 tablespoon brown sugar  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Note:  I substituted 1-1/4 tsp. Oatmeal Spice from Just Spices (justspices.com) Oatmeal:  2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup slivered almonds + a handful more for the top  1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups milk or almond milk (I used a combination of both) 1 large egg 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup fresh cranberries (frozen is fine too) Directions To make the apple mixture: In a small skillet, set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until apples have softened. Set aside.  To make the oatmeal: Pre-heat the oven