Thayer in the Kitchen

I found this recipe in the magazine Midwest Living and made it for dinner. Arthur loved it and said he wanted me to save it in my blog so that I could make it again.  Typically I make a recipe once and unless it is really good I throw it away.  With so many recipes available it is hard to keep track of the really good ones which is one of the purposes of my blog. This one is interesting because the vegetables are made into vegetable ribbons and serve as a bed for the salmon.  The salmon steams on top of the vegetables and remains very moist. 1 lemon 1 medium zucchini 1 medium yellow summer squash 2 medium carrots, peeled 1/4 teaspoon salt 1-1 1/4# s almon fillets (if the salmon has skin it can easily be removed after cooking) 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2...

At this time of the year you will probably consistently see either summer squash or zucchini in your CSA share.  I can never get too much of either one because it is so versatile. You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash to make this squash casserole.  It is a very basic casserole but to me it is really comfort food. 2 pounds squash thickly sliced (7 cups) 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream 1 cup shredded carrot 1/4 cup butter 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (about 1/2 of 8 ounce package)  I prefer Pepperidge Farm brand   Cook squash with onion in boiling salt water for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Combine soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrot. Fold in drained squash and onion. Melt butter; toss with stuffing mix. Spread half of the stuffing in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish (about 1 1/2 to 2-quart size). Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining st...

Mario Batali is promoting once a week meatless meals.  I liked the recipe but felt it needed a bit of tweaking.  Since I decided to add chicken sausages, I no longer had a meatless meal, but it was a tasty easy one and helped use a lot of our summer squash. 2 cups fresh ricotta 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1⁄2-1 cup freshly grated Parmigiana, plus extra for serving 2 to 3 tablespoons pasta water, more if needed 2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, or a combination, cut lengthwise in half and sliced into 1⁄3-inch-thick half-moons sea salt 1 pound penne or other pasta, whole wheat pasta works fine in this dish 6 tablespoons or more to taste coarsely chopped fresh mint Coarsely ground black pepper Optional, but a good addition:  1# fully cooked chicken sausages, any flavor you like, sliced. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just...

We had dinner with friends yesterday. I was asked to bring a vegetable dish. Our hostess served grilled chicken, yellow rice and black beans. This was a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the meal. 2 1/4 pounds summer squash or zucchini or a combination, thinly sliced (about 10 cups) 2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies 1/2 cup chopped picked jalapenos 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup salsa (I used a locally made fresh hot salsa) 4 scallions, sliced with the green tops 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 2. Combine squash, onion, chilies , jalapenos, salt and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour; toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. 3. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the squash is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Spoon salsa over the ...

We loved this dish of roast vegetables and Italian sausage served over polenta. Italian Sausage and Vegetable Roast 1 pound sweet or hot Italian chicken or turkey sausage, cut into 1inch pieces 1 medium red pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 fennel bulbs, cut into slices 2-3 medium Italian plum tomatoes, cut into wedges 1-2 sweet onions, cut into wedges 4 or more garlic cloves 1-2 zucchini squash, cut into thick slices 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed or fresh if available 1/2 cups chicken broth 4 cups hot cooked creamy polenta* Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray roasting pan with vegetable cooking spray. Mix sausage, vegetables and oregano and 1/2 cup broth in pan. Roast 30 minutes or until done, stirring once. Serve with pan juices over polenta. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. * I made my polenta using 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken broth. At the end I stirred in some soft goat cheese, not necessary but delicious. Adapted from Allrecipes.com

This is a recipe that another member of Harmony Valley Farm and fellow blogger, The Green Adventures of a City Girl, posted on her site. I made a few changes to use ingredients that I had on hand. I recommend giving it a try. I think you can probably vary it quite a bit and still get good results. The picture is also from her website, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the finished dish looks like. Layered Parmesan Polenta Bake 1 c milk 2 c water 1 t salt 2 c polenta or coarse ground cornmeal 1 t fresh sage, chopped 1 t fresh rosemary, chopped 1 T olive oil 2-3 c sliced green cabbage (about 1/4 of a small head) 3 spring onions, chopped - bulb and stalk portions kept separate 2 garlic scapes, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 2 zucchini or summer squash, sliced thin 3/4 - 1 c Parmesan cheese, finely grated (I used a mixture of Ricotta Salata and Parmesan) Preheat oven to 400. Combine milk, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sage, rosemary and ...

This is a picture of what's in the CSA box that we're picking up today. I normally go to the farmers' market first and then go and pick up my box of produce. Today there's a change in plans, Arthur and I are going to volunteer at Bike the Barns, a fund raiser for Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. We're volunteering at Blue Skies Berry Farm in Brooklyn, Wisconsin from 9:00 AM-Noon. We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day for the event. We helped serve granola bars made by Underground Catering. They tasted great but a lot of them were very crumbly and hard to serve. Arthur was kept busy refilling the water jugs for the bikers. Next we went to Tipi Produce in Evansville for lunch. Lunch was not great. Arthur and I decided sprouted lentils are not our thing. Supper on Saturday was Summer Squash Sloppy Joes. This is a great way to hide a few veggies for non-veggie fans. Summer Squash Sloppy Joes adapt...