Give Thanks 1 + Chicken Thighs over Butternut Squash

Fall is a season of orange. Seriously. Look at the leaves, the pumpkins, the recipes on my page.  Today I have another orange-colored recipe for you.  I also have some "thanks" to give out.  Because Fall is also a season of thanksgiving.

This year, instead of finding something I am grateful for (a warm bed, a home to call my own, etc.), I am focusing on someone that I am grateful for.  Many posts this month will be include these mentions of gratitude.  And I hope you will join me and share your person that you are grateful for in the comments.

Day 1: I am grateful for the legacy of a pastor I had when I was 20 years old. He didn't get to see it play out because he (along with his life and son) were taken long before anyone expected, but I am thankful for him recognizing leadership ability in me when nobody else did, myself included. He sought me out to and gave me responsibility, and I grew in ways I never would have if he had not seen that potential in me.  Some day I will be able to say thank you to his face, but until then I will never forget that he was the one who started that area of growth in my life.

Day 2: I am grateful for my dad, whose words of pride started off my day.

Day 3 (today): I was going to wait until a specific date (one with great significance) to say this, but everyday it is the truth: I am grateful for my husband. BEYOND grateful. He loves me with a full love, truly is my best friend, my laughing buddy, my fellow adventure planner, and my shoulder to cry on. I am a blessed woman, and I am aware of that every day.

Who have YOU been grateful for these past three days?

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CRANBERRIES

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food,October 2011

SERVES 4 •  PREP TIME: 45 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES

ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, cut into ½-inch wedges
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup dried cranberries

directions

1. Cut the squash into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
2. In a large pot with a heavy bottom, heat 1 T. of oil over medium-high.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and, in two batches, cook skin side down, until skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate; pour off fat from pot.
3. Add 1 T. oil, squash, and onion to pot and cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add sage, flour, ginger, and nutmeg.  Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, 1 minute.  Nestle chicken, skin side up, in squash mixture.  Add cranberries and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

                                                                                                         

COST: $11.93              COST PER SERVING (4): $2.98

Unprocessed    //    Fall Food    //   Dairy Free

It's KALE Day! Woot-woot! (Kale Hand Pies)

Do you know what today is?  It's Kale Day!

I know, I know.  That is a silly thing to be excited about.  Kale, Tiffany?  Really?

Yes, really.  We LOVE kale in our family.  Blame it on the Brazilian, but we love kale.

In honor of this very special day, I made some kale hand pies.  This was seriously one of the most time consuming recipes I have made recently.  And my kitchen was covered in flour afterwards.  But our taste buds and bellies were happy, so it's all good.  ALL good.

As the kale lovers we are, we have lots of great kale ideas:

Click any picture to be taken to the recipe.

White bean soup with kale and chicken sausage

Kale and cheddar biscuits

Kale quesadillas

Potato and kale pancakes

Kale and spinach green smoothies

Chicken and kale casserole

Sauteed kale with garlic

I told you we love kale ;)

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, November 2011

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 ounces (about 1 1/2 links) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (I used chicken sausage)
• 1 medium onion, diced medium
• 1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled and diced medium
• 1 bunch kale (3/4 pound), tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Egg yolk, for brushing

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse flour, butter, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. With machine running, sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water; pulse just until dough holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to overnight).
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add apple, kale, and cranberries and cook until kale is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. With a large round cookie cutter or small bowl, cut out eight 6- to 7-inch rounds (reroll scraps if necessary). Place 1/2 cup kale mixture in center of each round and fold over filling to form half-moons. With a fork, press edges firmly to seal. Place pies on baking sheets and brush with egg yolk.
4. Cut a small vent in each pie and bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook's Note

To save time, use store-bought rolled pie dough to make the crusts for these hand pies.

COST: $7.28   COST PER PIE (8): $0.98

Apple, Chicken, and Cranberry Salad with a Creamy Homemade Dressing

Whoa.  I just typed the title and it was LONG.  Anyway...

I made some dressing today.  A ranch-type of dressing.  And I feel pretty darn cool right now.

What can I say?  Simple pleasures, my friends, simple pleasures.

It was pretty easy actually.  Just a few ingredients --

Buttermilk (or in my case milk plus some white vinegar, because I didn't have buttermilk), mayo (organic and unprocessed from Trader Joe's, since this is October Unprocessed month), white wine vinegar (um... champagne vinegar -- it's what I had), parsley (at least I think that's parsley... I just pulled it from my mini-herb garden), and some (sea) salt.

At least I got the salt part right.

I also made something like fried chicken.  Just not too fried.  I feel so domestic today.  All these new things that I have never done before...

The rest?  No brainer.  Throw some greens down, slice some apple and put on top, add a handful cranberries and the chicken, and drizzle the dressing on top.  A complete meal in a salad.  Score.

Simple pleasures.  They're a good thing.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, November 2011

PREP TIME: 20 min      TOTAL TIME: 30 min       YIELD: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs -- Trader Joe's has completely unprocessed ones)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 pound fresh spring greens
• 2 apples, such as Gala or Fuji, cored and cut into thin wedges
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. On a plate, season flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a shallow dish, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. On another plate, season panko with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat chicken dry. Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Coat with panko, pressing gently to adhere.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken; cook until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total, flipping once. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Arrange greens, apples, and cranberries on a platter. Slice chicken, add to platter, and drizzle with dressing.
   
   

   COST: $7.97   COST PER SERVING (4): $1.99