Thayer in the Kitchen

  This is a great recipe for macaroni and cheese. Healthy from the addition of the butternut squash (or whatever kind you have available), but still delicious with all the extra sharp cheddar cheese and bacon. I guess you could skip the bacon but why would you want to? INGREDIENTS 8 oz. medium pasta shells (or whatever short pasta you have available) 6 slices bacon, diced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small shallot, minced 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (you could substitute another herb) 1-1/4 cups half and half 1 cup whole milk 1 15 oz. can butternut squash puree* 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 10 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, about 2-1/2 cups Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onion tops * Note: I used fresh squash. I cut a squash in half, removed the seeds and roasted it in the oven until tender.  You could probably also steam it or cook it in your instant pot. I had a big squash so I only n

  Pumpkin Waffles 3 eggs 1-1/2 cups buttermilk 1/2 oil (I used sunflower oil) 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned) 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour  2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1-1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnut or pecans (optional) You could substitute 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour instead of the whole wheat pastry flour if this is what you have available. Mix the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and pumpkin in a bowl. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice blend. Stir the flour mixture and mix into the liquid mix until blended. Do not overmix. Add the nuts if using and blend lightly. Preheat waffle iron. I sprayed the waffle iron, set it for the desired setting and poured in about 1 cup or less of batter. You will have to use the directions for your own waffle iron. I need to spray mine between waffles. I was pressed for time so I did not make t

I had some fresh corn on the cob but the kernels were overly filled out and not as tender as I prefer for eating as corn on the cob. I thought they were a bit starchy, but I decided they would be perfect for soup. I found this great recipe online. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 # bacon, diced 1 cup chopped onion Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4 cup chopped colored pepper (red or green) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons flour 3-4 cups chicken broth 4 cups diced potatoes (I didn't peel mine) 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (preferably fresh) * 1 cup half and half 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme) Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Note: We got enough corn from 2 ears of corn for the soup. Directions Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove. Add the onions and peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft; add garlic. Cook for about a minute. Sprinkle in t

This is a recipe that I found on Chowhound and decided to try since I had a bunch of rhubarb. It is really very tasty. If you decide to make it you should be aware it makes a lot of servings. INGREDIENTS: 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper or Penzey's coarse ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil (or organic sunflower oil) 2 medium shallots, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger * 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 cup dry sherry 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup orange juice  1 pound rhubarb, thinly sliced * I have been known to substitute The Ginger People Organic Grated Ginger in a jar  1 Instructions, adapted: Brown the chicken thighs until brown on both sides and season with salt and pepper. 3 Reduce the heat to medium and remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the shallots, ginger, and cardamom, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. P

  I was asked to bring potato salad to a Memorial Day barbecue cookout.  I have a number of potato salads that I like but I wanted to use one that called for dill and found this one on line. It sounded good and easy and had been well reviewed. I would definitely recommend it. Ingredients: 3# Yukon gold potatoes, peeled Kosher salt and Penzeys coarsely ground black pepper 2-3 stalks celery 1 cup mayonaise 1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1/4 cup tightly packed chopped fresh dill 1-2 tablespoons vinegar 1/2 lemon, fresh for juice 1 tablespoon grainy or regular Dijon mustard Directions: Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with about 1" of cold water. Leave the potatoes whole. Season with salt and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork--20-25 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and leave them in the pot until they are room temperature. Finely chop the celery and combine with the remaining ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold all the pota

  This is a recipe for a pie that I made for Arthur's birthday and took to a Memorial Day gathering at Victoria and Mike's. It was very well received. I got the recipe from a book, Pie for Everyone, Recipes and Stories from Petee's Pie, New York's Best Pie Shop by Petra "Petee" Paredez. It was slightly adapted here and there. I did not use her pie crust recipe since I didn't have the correct kinds of flour. I used a recipe from an excellent baking website, Sally's Baking Addiction:  https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/ I already have a number of pie crust recipe on the blog which would also work fine for this recipe. Here are the ingredients needed for the filling for the pie: 1-1/4# rhubarb, cut into 1/2" slices 1 tsp. lemon juice 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons + 2 tsp. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt Combine the rhubarb and lemon juice. Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt and pour it over the rhubarb.

This is a delicious breakfast/brunch dish of baked eggs with fresh spinach. It also happens to be very easy to prepare., another plus in the morning or whenever you may be preparing your first meal of the day. Ingredients 1 slice of bread torn into rough crumbs 3 T. oil (I used sunflower oil) 1 t. thyme (2 t. fresh thyme if available) 2-3 cloves garlic 1 shallot 5-6 oz. baby spinach or large spinach torn into pieces (remove tough stems) 4 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 t. tarragon (! T. fresh tarragon if available) pinch of freshly grated nutmeg if available salt and pepper Instructions Set oven to 375 F Brown the bread crumbs in 1 T. of the oil for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and thyme. Heat the remaining oil and sauté the garlic and shallot for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.. Put the spinach in the bottom of a gratin dish. Make four dips in the spinach for the eggs. Place an egg in each hollow. Pour the cream around the eggs. Top with the tarr