Sunday Supper

A tradition that I sincerely want to incorporate in my household someday is the tradition of Sunday suppers. An evening to inaugurate the week (or close the week depending on which end your looking from) where loved ones -- family and friends alike -- join together to enjoy each others' company and indulge in a delicious meal. An essential part of life is being in the presence of those you love, and nothing brings people together (and holds them captive!) like a good meal.

We celebrated the beginning of this week with a fabulous Fall supper tonight. That plethora of apples I have acquired is hardly dwindling. I do believe the apples are multiplying, producing baby apples, as they lie in the bag waiting to be cooked. I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve, but am failing miserably. ;-p Hence, I browsed my cookbooks searching for a recipe combining apples and chicken. Voila! Success!

Normandy Chicken and Apple Saute

adapted from The Rustic Table

4 T. butter

8 small chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3 cooking apples (I used Granny Smiths)

1 large onion, cut into thin wedges

1 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. apple cider (or original recipes calls for Calvados if you have it)

1/2 c. half and half

1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides about 7-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add apples to the pan and saute in the juices about 2 minutes. Remove to separate plate.

Place remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter into saucepan and saute onions until golden, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan and add stock and cider. Bring to a slow boil, then place lid on top and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add apples cooking until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Strain and reserve cooking liquid. Place chicken, apples and onions on platter, and cover to keep warm. Return liquid to pan and add half and half. Let boil over medium heat about 3 minutes until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle walnuts on top and serve immediately.

I was a tad leery of adding walnuts to the dish, but they were the perfect complement to the chicken and apples; it wouldn't have been the same without them.

To complete the dish, I made some mashed sweet potatoes to which I added a dollop of Greek yogurt and a dash of cinnamon, and a green salad.

My brother and his girlfriend whipped up a fabulous batch of pumpkin cookies. I've had to exercise some serious self-control in order to keep from eating the entire plate full.

They have a creamy glaze which fantastically adds to their sweetness.

Side note: These were made using canned pumpkin pie mix as regular canned pumpkin is still missing from grocery shelves...sad day, but we make do. :-)