Thayer in the Kitchen

Apparently my CSA farm had a bumper crop of Asian eggplant this year.  A book club friend mentioned this recipe which I decided to try with some of our eggplant bounty.  I highly recommend it.  The original recipe included a recipe for a homemade Mexican red sauce.  I purchased a can of enchilada sauce and think it works quite well.  I used a can marked medium (heat).  I guess next time I would use mild because Arthur thought the sauce was too spicy.  If you like spicy I'd go for it because I thought it was just fine.  8-12 tortillas (I used Gitto Family Farms 8" whole wheat tortillas--which are available at the Madison farmers' markets)  1 package was just the right amount for the filling 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onions 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 6 cups cubed eggplant (approx two medium sized ones) into 1/2 in. pieces 1 chopped sweet pepper (red or green) 1 cup toasted almonds (finely chopped) black pepper to t

This is recipe that I borrowed from Martha Stewart.  We really liked this combination of mashed potatoes and kale.  I used less bacon than the recipe originally called for.  You could certainly use more if you wanted to.  The quantities in this recipe are quite flexible.  This would be a good brunch dish with fried eggs.  The patties are also tasty for supper.  2 pounds potatoes, peeled or not--your choice coarse salt and ground pepper 1 leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed well and sliced thinly.  I used some baby leeks from our CSA farm that looked like green onions.  I used the entire bunch. 1 bunch kale (3/4 #), be sure not to use the stems which are too tough.  Chop the leaves coarsely 1/4# bacon, diced 2 tablespoons butter A little flour Cook the potatoes, kale and leeks until tender in boiling salted water probably for about 10-15 minutes.  Drain and mash vegetables.  The mixture does not need to be smooth.  Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Add to the