And Summer Fades

We survived!  Temps got down to about 37 degrees last night at my house, so no frost was to be found.  On my commute into work this morning, I did see patchy frost in a few low-lying areas.

The 10-day forecast doesn’t appear to have any additional threats for frost, so let the gardens continue.  Woohoo!

With a super chilly night, it was time to break out official fall-inspired eats.

A weekly staple during cooler months in the LinG house is a simple roasted bone-in, skin-on chicken breast.  Coat that baby with olive oil, salt and pepper liberally and shove some smashed garlic underneath and you’ve got a nice formula for a tasty bird.

Roasted for around an hour at 375 degrees, the chicken comes out perfectly golden.  It’s usually a mad dash to pick off the crunchy, flavorful skin.  But the real key to a good roasted breast is to let it sit.  And after you let it sit… let it sit for a little bit longer.  We try to wait at least a good 15 minutes, because all the juices that prevent the chicken from being dry and tough seem to take a long time to re-circulate through. 

But once they do, you get a wonderful juicy chicken breast that peels apart easily.  I’m telling you bone-in is the way to go.  If you’re watching fat intake, give your crunchy skin away, but believe me I never do that…it’s as good as dessert.

To accompany roasted chicken, you must have at least some kind of roasted vegetable – it’s got to be a food law or something.  I picked a recipe out of my new awesome cookbook and can’t wait to try it again with my own spin.

Last night’s pick: roasted cauliflower steaks.  They were ‘whoa’ good.

Add an acorn squash fixed the classic way with brown sugar and butter, and I had myself a warm and cozy fall meal. 

I did rebel with a summer-y gin & tonic though.  Not ready to give up on summer just yet.

What fall-inspired meals do you look forward to most?