Thayer in the Kitchen

This is a fabulous salad!  You can change it to suit your tastes.  I've already adapted it from the original recipe which I found on The Food Reference Website. 2 cups diced smoked chicken (more or less is OK) 3/4 cups diced celery, diced 1/4 inch (I used 2 stalks) 1 small-medium diced sweet onion, diced 1/4 inch (original recipe called for over 1 cup which I thought was excessive) 1 cup chopped dried tart cherries (I didn't bother to chop them) 3/4 cups toasted pecan pieces (I didn't have time to toast them--they were fine without) 1/4 cup minced fresh basil--this is essential 1 cup mayonnaise (can be light) 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange peel 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground Combine chicken, celery, onion, cherries, and pecans.  Make the dressing separately and add to the chicken mixture--basil, mayonnaise, orange juice, orange peel, and pepper; stir gently until combined.  If it isn't quite tart enough add a little white wine

We got a large bunch of cilantro from our CSA farm.  Cilantro stays fresh for only a very short time.  I decided to try making cilantro pesto which I hadn't done before.  Its GOOD stuff!  If you like cilantro you'll want to make a patch of this pesto. 1 cup cilantro leaves 2 cloves garlic 2 scallions 2 tbsp almonds 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup canola oil 1 hot pepper 1 tbsp soy sauce juice from 1/2 lime Puree all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or in my case I used my super blender.  I served my cilantro pesto on top of grilled pork chops.  What was left, I put on salmon patties.

I made this dish last weekend for brunch.  I know you're saying stew for brunch! It does have poached eggs on top and I decided that this made it a brunch dish.  It also helped that I had all the ingredients on hand.  This is a very flavorful, satisfying dish which would also be good for supper. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 pound chorizo sausage (try to buy locally made sausage from one of the farmers--it will be much leaner even if not as authentic) 3 cloves garlic 1 large yellow onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped 6 medium size red potatoes, halved and thinly sliced 4 sprigs fresh thyme Salt and pepper 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (recommended: Muir Glen)--I used fresh tomatoes that I peeled and chopped because this is the season for tomatoes 2 cups chicken broth 4 thick slices crusty farm house, country style bread 1/2 cup flat- leaf parsley leaves, a few large handfuls, picked 2 eggs per serving 2