Thayer in the Kitchen

Tonight I had an herb society board meeting after work. I was tired by the time I got home and so I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Very simple but with good Hook's cheddar cheese, fresh farm tomatoes and whole wheat bread, it was quite a nice meal.

We had dinner at a event sponsored by Slow Food Madison. It was pouring rain but they had canopies up which really helped. These are the details from the Slow Food's website: CELEBRATE AUTUMN once again at picturesque CRAWFORD FARM with SLOW FOOD MADISON Members and Supporters SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008 guest chef Tracey Vowell returns to prepare an all-inclusive family-style meal featuring goat slow-cooked in the wood fired pit. In addition to the Basque-Inspired Pit-Roasted Goat served with Pan Juices flavored with Tomato, Onion, Paprika, Thyme & Rosemary, we will have as starters Fried Almonds Tossed with Sea Salt & Lemon Juice and Mixed Olives Marinated in Red Wine with Fresh Thyme & Savory, Lemon, Garlic & Onions Cabbage Soup with Tomato, Carrot, Garlic, Chives & Cilantro, Dutch Oven Bread with Wisconsin Sweet Butter, Slow-Braised Mushroom Stew with Fire-roasted Mild Green Chile, Red Wine, Bay Leaves & Oregano Potato Salad with Butler Farms Farmstead She...

I had dinner at my daughter, Victoria's, this evening. My daughter, Tracy, and her partner Kenny were visiting from Chicago. Victoria & Mike served excellent grilled wild salmon; corn, black bean, tomato salad; green salad and focaccia. I brought over a couple of Festival squash that I got in my CSA box. Victoria baked them. Unfortunately there was something wrong with the squash and they were incredibly bitter and inedible. The farm thought they might have cross pollinated with gourds. I brought over apple crisp for dessert: Apple Crisp with Granola Topping. The recipe was adapted from a food and wine website recipe. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter 2 cups granola 3 1/2 pounds apples, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces, tart crisp varieties work well. I used a mixture of apples from my Future Fruit box 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon j...

Arthur works every other Friday from 11:30 PM until 11:30 PM on Saturday night. I usually try to prepare something that he can stop in, pick up and take with him. Tonight I made Mixed Vegetable Curry from the cookbook Six Spices by Neeta Saluja and a brown/wild rice combination. I won't post the entire recipe because its rather complicated. I used a combination of green beans, yellow summer squash, carrots and potatoes. The seasonings are onions, garlic, fresh ginger, Indian red chili powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin and cilantro. Its intensely flavored and very tasty. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in somewhat simplified Indian cookery.

I made a recipe that our CSA farm, Harmony Valley Farm, posted in one of their newsletters: Tofu Broccoli Cashew Peanut Madness (originally appeared in MACSAC’s A-Z Cookbook) 1 Tbsp butter or oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, cubed 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce, divided ½-¾ cup peanut butter, preferably crunchy 1 cup or more water 2-3 tsp lemon or lime juice ¼ teaspoon cumin or more to taste Cayenne to taste 1 medium head broccoli, peeled and chopped Hot, cooked brown rice (I used a combination of long grain brown & wild rices) Handful of roasted cashews, chopped Heat butter or oil in skillet; add onion and garlic; sauté until soft. Add tofu and 1 Tbsp tamari; sauté until brown. Remove from pan. In same pan, mix peanut butter, lemon juice, remaining tablespoon tamari, cumin, and cayenne. Thin with 1 cup water to obtain gravy like texture. Stir in tofu mixture. Steam broccoli. Serve sauce over broccoli and brown rice,...

I mentioned I was going to a CHEW meeting before I went home last night. I did some shopping at Willy Street Co-op http://www.willystreet.coop/ Its a great resource. I purchased a couple of deli items for my lunch, Curry Cashew Chicken Salad and Caribbean Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad. I'd really like to get the recipe for the sweet potato salad. The presenters at the meeting were Joe and Ruby Cabibbo who run Cabibbo's Bakery. Their main products are biscotti and other Sicilian breads. www.cabibbosbakery.com They had lots of good samples at the meeting. When I got home I roasted the last of the corn on the cob that we got at the farmers' market. I roasted it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. You just put it on the oven rack without husking. Its very tasty and super easy to do. I finally made the Turkey Salad with Cranberries and Pecans (adapted from a recipe from an American Institute for Cancer Research newsletter) 2 cups (8oz.) diced cooked turkey bre...

Last night I made a tasty chicken stew with lots of vegetables for dinner. The name of the game is use those veggies! Chicken Fricassee with Green Peppers and Tomatoes (adapted from LifeScript website) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs Salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup red wine (white would be fine too) 1 large yellow onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes with their juice 12 ounces hot, cooked pasta of your choice I made Trader Joe's multi grain rotini with flax 1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil heats, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides. As the chicken pieces finish browning, transfer them to a plate and set a...