Thayer in the Kitchen

I've tried a few recipes in the past to make creamed spinach and never been satisfied with any of them.  This one was very good.  There may be a better one, but this is the best so far.  The reason I've tried so many times is that my husband is a big fan of creamed spinach.  He thought this dish was delicious. 10 oz. of spinach (the original recipe called for baby spinach, but that isn't what I had from my CSA farm) 2  tablespoons  unsalted butter 2  tablespoons  finely chopped onion 2  teaspoons  minced garlic (a little more is OK) 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour 1  cup  half-and-half 1/2  cup  finely grated Parmesan cheese 1/4  teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg 1/2  teaspoon  dry mustard Pinch  of cayenne pepper 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper Instructions Cook the spinach:  Bring a 4-quart po...

These pancakes are a great way to use some of the rhubarb that may be growing in your backyard or you got in your CSA box (which is how we got ours).  We love pancakes and I like to find different versions which this one is.   Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 2 cups rhubarb, chopped fairly small 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1-1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half unbleached white) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, separated and at room temperature 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled For the crumble: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar pinch of salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter, melted Melt the butter and add the rhubarb and sugar.  Cook until the fruit is tender.  Add a spoon of water if the mixture gets too dry.  Mine didn't. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk the ...

Its the time of the year when our CSA share is over but we still find quite a few root vegetables lingering in either our frig or in a dark corner of our closet.  I'm always looking for new, creative and tasty ways to use them.  In this recipe, I think I have found a good way to use a rutabaga.  The original recipe suggested that pears would also work instead of apples.  I think I would prefer to stick with somewhat tart apples. Sunflower oil or extra virgin olive oil 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 1-1/2# rutabaga, peeled, and cut into chunks 2 large tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4-1 cup diced cooked ham 1 tablespoon apple cider or balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon butter Put a glug of oil in a large frying pan that has a lid and heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook slowly until its soft, but not too brown about 5 minutes. Add the rutabaga to the pan.  If you don't have quite enough rutabag...

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. ...

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 ...

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...

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 hour...