Thayer in the Kitchen

This is the first of a couple of sweet potato recipes that I want to post.  We've been getting some great sweet potatoes in our winter CSA share.  This recipe is from our CSA website (Driftless Organics) and is excellent because it makes a great complete meal with some good cornbread. 2 Tbsp. oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 red pepper, chopped (can be frozen) 1 green pepper, chopped (can be frozen) 1 tsp. each cumin & coriander seed 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. chipotle powder (optional, but good) ¼ tsp. each mace and cinnamon 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 can (15 oz.) black beans with liquid 1 can (15 oz.) red, kidney, or pinto beans 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes with liquid OR 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes 1 cup water, tomato juice, or chicken broth Sour cream and cilantro for garnish In soup pot, heat oil and add onions. Sauté until golden; add ja...

I rarely have enough jalapenos that I need to make any sort of recipe with them, but this time I did.  These make a great appetizer. 1 link chorizo, casings removed (I bought mine from Jordandal Farms, a local Dane County farmer) 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 1 egg 1/4 cup cream cheese 2 tablespoon sour cream 1/2 tablespoon Frank's hot sauce (or to taste) Salt & pepper 10 large jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded & halved lengthwise Preheat oven to 375 degrees Brown chorizo and onion in a skillet.  Drain and add to a bowl with beaten egg, cream cheese, sour cream, & hot sauce.  Press filling into jalapeno halves.  Place on a flat baking sheet that you've sprayed with pan spray.  Bake until golden & bubbly and peppers are tender.  20-30 minutes. 

Supper last night was supposed to be turkey fruit salad. It didn't quite happen. Instead I made Celeriac Soup with Cilantro. Celeriac Soup adapted from a recipe on Recipezaar 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I left in all of the seeds in but you can remove them if you prefer a milder soup) 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin 1 1/2 lbs celeriac, peeled,trimmed and cut into cubes If you don't have enough celeriac substitute some potatoes 4 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped or more if you like 1/3 cup milk salt & freshly ground black pepper In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes over a medium high heat. Stir in the cumin and season with salt and pepper. Add the celeriac, along with the chicken broth. Bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let simmer for 10-1...