A Fabulous Fall Saturday

Today was a perfect Saturday. The air was cool and crisp and the sun was shining. Mom and I went to a few antique shops this morning. I found a great vintage amber candle holder, which is perfect for my fall decor; A black iron basket with a golden fall leaf tile, a perfect place for fresh fruits in the kitchen; A great chenille autumn round pillow, and I've got just the perfect spot for it in my new club chair; and last but certainly not least, I happened onto a mountain of new fall-themed magazines for fifty cents each. Each season I watch for Country Home, Southern Living, and Paula Dean magazines to fit the current season and place them in my favorite relaxing spots for a nice read with a cup of coffee. The simplest things can give me the greatest pleasure! Five antique shops later, we wondered into Country Java, a cute little hole in the wall eatery where mom and I split their signature meat & cheese board complete with homemade bread, then shared a slice of chocolate chip espresso pound cake with a delicious cup of their coffee of the day. It was perfect! I slowly wandered back home where minutes later I found myself curled up on the couch with my favorite throw & one of my new Country Home magazines. I slowly drifted off to sleep for a wonderful Fall afternoon nap.

Okay so I rested up & now it was time to create a fabulous dinner for our at home date night. (Date night...I cook dinner & my sweetheart two-steps me around the kitchen to George Strait!)

Our menu for this evening Southwest Chipoltle Chicken with Oven Roasted Potatoes. (Four Servings)

Ingredients For Southwest Chipoltle Chicken: two to four boneless skinless chicken breasts (two if they are really large, four if they are small), sea salt, Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipoltle seasoning, garlic powder & olive oil

Ingredients for Oven Roasted Potatoes: two large baking potatoes, one small red onion, one bell pepper, ten cherry tomatoes, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper & olive oil



Oven Roasted Potatoes:
Cut each potato in half lengthwise then cut each section in half lengthwise again, and cut each section into one-inch chunks, then cut the onion and bell pepper into strips and then into one-inch chunks.


Place the potatoes, onions and bell pepper chunks onto a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. After the initial 20 minutes, toss veggies with a spatula, add in cherry tomatoes and return to oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes. (Cook until potatoes are golden brown.)

The Result...


Southwest Chipoltle Chicken:
Rinse and pat dry each chicken breast. Sprinkle each breast with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipoltle seasoning, sea salt, and garlic powder on each side. (NOTE: If you are using two large chicken breasts as I did, a helpful cooking tip to speed the cooking process is to butterfly each breast to make it thinner, then cut each in half.)

Using a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, add your chicken breasts and cook chicken on each side until golden brown, approximately five minutes per side. Reduce heat to low, add a couple of tablespoons of water to skillet to deglaze, cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for ten minutes to cook through.



The Result...


Now that's better than take-out any day of the week & I didn't have to break a sweat or the bank to make it! Enjoy!