Fall

I have always loved Fall. As a kid, it meant going back to school, new clothes, great food, and that the holidays were coming.

As an adult, I still love the weather, warm soft clothes, great food.

But it means the holidays are coming.

It's very easy for me to get so wrapped up in planning for all the busyness of the upcoming holiday season (multiplied by impending deployment this year) that I completely forget to enjoy my favorite season. So, this morning, I took a moment to enjoy the sunshine after a week of gray and rain.

A great new Wine Find

I'm a big fan of promoting local businesses. Even better when that business makes my new favorite wine!



With family visiting this past weekend, we stopped by Beachaven Winery on Sunday afternoon. They offer free tours and wine tasting (something we've paid up to $20/person for at other wineries). The winery is very pretty and the staff friendly. They kindly offered to hold my stroller behind their desk since the tour went up and down stairs.

As a bonus to a really pleasant afternoon, Beachaven offers a Chablis style wine that neatly stands in for one my personal favorites at a much lower price. Kevin and I were introduced to Joesph Drouhin Chablis by a server at the Melting Pot in Tacoma, WA on our 1st anniversary. Paired with tart green apples (and a sharp cheese fondue on that occaision), it is fabulous and one of my favorite treats. Beachaven offers a wine with similar notes but a significantly lower price tag in Melody.

Melody, along with a few others, will undoubtedly be taking up permenant residence in our wine fridge.

Chicken Ragout with Polenta

Adapted from a Sandra Lee recipe.

Ingredients
3 C frozen primavera vegetables (I used green beans because that's what I had)
6 naked chicken breasts (I used 3)
Salt and Freshly ground Pepper
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning (I make my own: parsley, oregano, basil, garlic powder)
1 14oz jar pasta sauce (I used one can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp crushed garlic (2 sm cloves or 1 large chopped very fine)
1 24oz tube pre-made polenta, sliced 1/2" thick


Directions
Slow Cooker:
Combine frozen vegetable medley in the bottom of a 5 qt slow cooker. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce/tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic. Pour 2/3 over chicken and vegetables. Top chicken with polenta slices and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 4-5 hours.

In the Oven:
Preheat over to 400 degrees.

In a 13"x9" greased pan, layer chicken, vegetables, and polenta. Stir together pasta sauce/tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic and pour over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

We really liked this recipe. It was easy to assemble. I cooked it in the oven because the little man didn't take a long enough nap until the afternoon. I put it together in minutes around 3 pm and put in the oven at six. I used frozen breasts and it worked perfectly. This was the first time Kevin had polenta and he really liked it. If you've never experienced polenta check here.
It's a great alternative starch that is made REALLY easy if you use the prepared tubes. A great, quick alternative if you really like risotto. It has a similar creamy texture.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Posting the recipe for a friend :) One of our favorite and the meal I used to introduce Kevin to squash and convince him it wasn't "yucky health food".

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients:
2 c water
2 cans veggie broth (about 4 c)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c finely chopped onion
3 c cubed, butternut squash
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 c Arborio rice
grated Parm-Reggiano cheese
3 tbsp butter (i prefer unsalted)
fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
bring 1 1/2 c water and broth to a simmer in a saucepan (without boiling) and keep warm over low heat.

heat oil in a dutch oven (or stockpot) over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 8 minutes or until translucent, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 c water, squash, salt, and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until squash is tender.

Add rice, and stir until mixture is combined. Stir in 1/2 c broth mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 c at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next. Stir in cheese, butter and chopped parsley.

Butternut Squash Penne

Adapted from a Cooking Light Cookbook.

I love Butternut Squash. It is easuly one of my favorite foods and really is the taste of fall for me. The leftovers of this recipe make a great lunch for the next day and I prefer my meals to do double duty ;)

Butternut Squash Penne

Ingredients:
Med Butternut Squash, chopped into 1" pieces
4-6 shallots or 2 sweet onions, juilienned
Sage, 1 tsp
Penne
Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Brown Sugar, 1 tbsp

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Combine Squash, shallots, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper in baking dish and mix well. Distribute evenly throughout the pan. Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

Prepare Penne according to box directions. I prefer whole grain.

After squash is out of the oven, toss with sage and serve over pasta. I also sometimes add a sprinkling of shaved parmesan cheese.


yuuummmm.

If you have leftover squash and shallots, it can make a quick base for butternut squash soup tomorrow. Just mash in a stockpot, add some chicken broth (about a cup for 1 serving) and a couple tbsps of plain yogurt and PRESTO...yummy fall soup!

Quinoa Stirfry

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods- totally verstile and a serious superfood. If you haven't tried quinoa, read about its benefits here.

It's also available in the commissary, but I use it quite a bit so I purchase in bulk from Bob's Red Mill. That website is very, very bad for my bank statement- but great for my pantry.

For tonight, I sauteed a julienned pepper and onion, string beans, diced cooked chicken breast (left over) and cooked quinoa. Seasoned with soy sauce, garlic powder, craked pepper and a little salt- the whole meal took less than ten minutes and is a popular alternative to carb heavy stirfry.

Chicken Bolognese

Ok, so its not really Bolognese- but it's a similar texture. After errands today and with GM being fussy in the evening, I needed an easy dinner. Sticking with my plan of emptying my pantry and fridge, this is what I came up with.

leftover half box of spaghetti, prepared according to box
3 c of basic tomato sauce
1 c cooked chicken breast, shredded

Combine shredded chicken and tomato sauce in sauce pot over medium heat. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Not fancy, but it tasted good, was filling and offered something different than the usual spaghetti and sauce .