Thayer in the Kitchen

The combination of fish and potatoes in a creamy broth makes a very comforting meal for a winter night.  I found this recipe in a copy from a page of a cookbook: Blue Plate Specials.  Apparently it was a special on Friday at a cafe in Portland.  I have adapted it somewhat for our tastes. 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup onion 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 cups diced potatoes (1/2") no need to peel if the potatoes are organic 1# cod fillets or haddock if available chicken broth 1 can evaporated milk 1 cup whole milk or 1/2 & 1/2 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled Melt butter and cook onion until transparent.  Add pepper, garlic powder, salt and potatoes, plus enough chicken broth to barely cover the potatoes.  Boil until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.  Check to make sure there is enough broth and add more if needed.  Lay the fish on top of the cooked potatoes and onions.  No need to ...

These pancakes are similar to latkes and gluten free.  The pancakes & salad make an interesting breakfast but would also be good for lunch or supper. The other good thing about them is they use a lot of carrots.  If you belong to a CSA farm you probably get a lot of carrots in your fall boxes. The chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is available from Bob's Red Mill.  It is also available in Indian grocery stores where it is called besan or gram flour.   Ingredients 4 large eggs, beaten to blend 1 pound carrots (about 8 medium), peeled, coarsely grated ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup chickpea flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional) 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 3 tablespoons (or more) sunflower or olive oil, divided 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek yogurt works well 1 cup spicy greens (such as baby mustard greens, watercress, or arugula) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ...

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...

This is a recipe I made when I was getting a bunch of cucumbers from my CSA farm.  I liked it because it was easy and incorporated cucumbers in a cooked dish.  Arthur liked it and said I should make it again.  It is gluten and dairy free. 1/4# or 50 g of masoor dal (red lentils) 1-1/4 cups coconut milk (I just used the whole can) 500 g or 1# of cucumbers, no need to peel if they're organic.  Cut in half, remove seeds and cut into crosswise slices 2-4 fresh green chilies, cut in half lengthwise (I used 2 and removed the seeds since Arthur is not a big fan of dishes that are too spicy) Salt to taste For tadka ( A Tadka is a ghee   or oil based spice mix added to a curry at the end of the cooking. It adds a wondrous taste to the dish, so do not skip this step) 8-10 curry leaves 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil Wash the lentils.  Pour 1/2 c. of the coconut milk and 1-1/2 cups water.  Add the lenti...

This super easy breakfast dish has become one of my husband's favorites.  You just need to remember to start it the night before you want to serve it for breakfast. 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed 1 pint fresh raspberries 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 3 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds 1 cup buttermilk (I think yogurt would also work OK) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla blueberries or blackberries for garnish (optional--I didn't use) Combine oats and flax.  Mash 1 cup of the raspberries with the honey.  Set aside remaining berries for garnish. Toast coconut and almonds in skillet and add to the oat mixture.  You can reserve 1 tablespoon of the nuts for topping the cereal if you like.  I have made the dish without toasting the nuts and it is still good.  Add buttermilk and vanilla to the oats.  Add raspberry mixture and stir to combine.  Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.  Serve topped with re...