THE THIGHS HAVE IT

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

This colorful and tasty Sunday Supper was perfect for the fall transition!  I had some apples and a couple of peaches just about on their last leg, and half a cauliflower head.  So I got some delectable chicken thighs and created an autumnal appetition of chicken thighs with pan au jus, sauteed apples, and au gratin faux-tatoes, and finished it off with a peach upside-down cake!  OhmuhGAH!!  I.  Can't.  EVEN!!

FRESH THYME CHICKEN THIGHS

1 pkg chicken thighs

sea salt

pepper

6 tbs fresh thyme

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Season chicken thighs with sea salt, pepper, and thyme.  In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!) sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom of the pan and heat on medium-high heat for two minutes.  Add chicken thighs to pan, top-side-down to get a beautiful sear on them.  Cook for two minutes before turning heat to medium.  Cook another six minutes on same side and then turn.  Cook eight minutes on bottom side and remove chicken thighs from pan and let rest.

NOTES:  Remember not to overcrowd your pan or you will not get the brown color you are looking for here.

PAN Au JUS

drippings from chicken thighs

1/2 red onion, diced finely

1 cup broth of your choice (but chicken broth works best here, for obvious reasons)

sea salt 

pepper

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tbs butter

Using the same pan the chicken was cooked in, keep heat on medium and add to the drippings the onion.  Cook for three minutes and add broth, scraping all the meaty bits from the bottom of a pan with a wooden spoon.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste, and then add thyme.  Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly, and remove from heat.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Serve over chicken thighs

SAUTEED APPLES

6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into about 1/2-inch chunks

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

4 tbs butter

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pepper

In a pan on medium heat, add apples to evoo and butter and cook for two minutes.  Add seasoning and cook an addition five minutes.  Serve with chicken thighs and pan au jus.  And then wipe your eyes, because this WILL make you cry a little.  It's THAT GOOD.

Au GRATIN FAUX-TATOES

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 tbs mustard powder

1 tbs garlic powder

Combine all ingredients into a prepared baking dish and mix well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve alongside chicken-thighs-over-apples.  

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

I got this AMAHZ recipe HERE

NOTES:  You're welcome.  ;-)

Left Chop

I was at my local grocery store that happens to carry whole-and-natural foods, and found the most beautiful turkey chops (which actually taste just like pork chops if cooked correctly) so I bought them.  When I got home, I saw I had leftovers that would make this meal something GRAND.  Check this out:  I had leftover roasted potatoes from dinner the night before, leftover unused red cabbage from salad that week , leftover onion and cilantro from a meal train meal, leftover chipotle in adobo sauce from fish tacos, and leftover cream sauce I made for the fish tacos as well.  Woo!  That's a-lotta-leftovers!!  But it was such a beautiful meal no one ever would have known......except I'm sharing the secret with you!

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

SEARED TURKEY CHOPS WITH ADOBO CREAM SAUCE

one package turkey chops

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

sea salt 

pepper

1/2 cup home-made cream sauce from fish tacos (or ranch dressing or sour cream with some seasoning)

2 chipotle in adobo peppers, chopped, with sauce

1 tbs butter

Sprinkle a pan (I use my cast-iron skillet, of course!) with enough evoo to cover the bottom and heat on medium heat for one minute.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the chops with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook in pan for five minutes on both sides.  Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

While chops are resting, in the same pan the chops were cooked in and on medium heat,  add chopped adobo peppers and adobo sauce and cook about two minutes.  Add cream sauce and cook another two minutes until creamy and cooked through.  Add butter to smooth.  Turn off heat and let butter melt.  POUR OVER CHOPS AND BE PREPARED FOR HEAVEN IN YER MOUTH!!

NOTES: For less heat, use one pepper or just the sauce.  I just cannot STAND leftovers and couldn't let those two peppers go to waste!  It was perfect heat for us, but could be too much for others.  If so, add a little cream or more cream sauce.  Serve on top of the leftover roasted potatoes to make it magical.

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

MEXICAN CABBAGE

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

red cabbage, sliced chunky

leftover onion, chopped (about one onion)

leftover cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

sea salt

pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

In a heavy pan, sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom of the pan and heat on medium heat for one minute  Add remaining ingredients and cook for about five-to-ten minutes, or to desired consistency.  

NOTES: Serve alongside chipotle chops and leftover roasted potatoes for an amazing experience.  TRUST ME.

American Pie

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

This was a dessert from a Sunday Night Supper, which I decided was going to be American.  It came after a beautiful chicken and rice dinner, with a side of green beans and yeasty pull-apart rolls, and was actually perfect for our transition into the fall weather.  We had Schmooly-Wooly & The Daughts over, and they LOVED IT!

EASY APPLE PIE

2 pie crusts (home made or store bought - your choice)

6 green apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 stick butter, cut into thin slices

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Put one of your pie crusts into your pie plate, and then add the rest of the ingredients, stirring all of them together so that butter is distributed evenly among mixture and spices are mixed well and covering apples.  Place second pie crust on top and seal edges with a fork to decorate and close up tight at the same time.  Slice three cuts into the top of the pie crust, with the two on the sides, being shorter than the one in the middle.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Top with some ice cream and get ready for yummy tones coming from the people eating it!!

NOTES: For summer, you can omit the cloves, but the flavor of them is perfect for fall. I used home made buttery crust that's super-easy, but most people prefer the ease of the store-bought.  I used organic dairy-free soy vanilla ice cream on top while it was warm so it got all melty.  Okay......it wasn't exactly Blue Bell, but it was delicious!!