Entering Autumn with Apple Pecan Cake & Cheddar-Stuffed Chicken with Smashed Potatoes (Days 247 - 249)

Well, autumn is officially here.  It's by far my favorite season.  So much changes in the fall and it always feels like a new start--a time to "get back into routine."  And even more than that, for me, it's the time of year that I most think about my family.  Something about fall always reminds me of my childhood.  It was probably the most exciting time of year.  My birthday is in the fall, and of course, it's the precursor to Christmas.  I have the most fantastic memories of fall: apple-picking every year, "tagging" our real Christmas tree, and trick-or-treating for Halloween (and then when I was "too old", I would go to my aunt and uncle's house and give out candy for them--we would usually order a pizza after they returned from walking the neighborhood and just spending the time with extended family felt so special). My dad made homemade root beer on Halloween night so the smell of yeast often comes to mind when I remember Halloween as a kid (in a good way).  Of course we also had apple crisp--often, and a lot of it, with vanilla ice cream.  But more than those things, I have such strong memories of the smell of McIntosh in the house--all the time.  And the music.  That late 90's Christian "contemporary" music--it was always playing.  My mother always had uplifting music playing softly in the house and her Yankee candles lit in every room.  Our house changed seasonally.  I mean, really changed.  So many decorations would come down that it would look like we were moving.  Then the fall decorations would go up.  Then around Thanksgiving, the fall decorations come down and the house turns into a winter wonderland.  This still occurs, even with just my 2 parents living there, and I love it.  I can always count on my parents' house being seasonally appropriate when we visit--and it's so comforting.  Even through high school, if I ever had a bad day, coming home was the best medicine.  Walking through the door to a toasty-warm house smelling of McIntosh candles, apple crisp, and with Steven Curtis Chapman or Amy Grant or whoever playing in the background gave me such a sense of peace.  That has always been "autumn" to me.  That's why I love it.

My mother and I might not have exactly the same taste in decor.  She's more "country clutter" and I'm a little more "transitional" or contemporary.  But I still strive to achieve the same peace and comfort in my home that I remember from my childhood.  Our house still smells like McIntosh in the fall.  I bake all the time from fall through the winter.  I keep the house organized but not sterile--it still looks lived-in--and I like the lights dim.  It's cozy.  Believe it or not, in the fall, I still occasionally play some of the old songs I remember hearing from the late 90's.  Just for the memories.  The music may not be my preferred style, but the messages are comforting and the sound just brings me back.  Last night as I was inverting the apple cake that Abby and I made together, I had Susan Ashton playing in the background and my McIntosh candle lit and my eyes welled up--it felt like it was 15 years ago.

One of the nicest compliments I've received was one night a couple years ago when a pastor friend of ours came over to talk about Abigail's dedication.  Upon entering our home (this was in the fall) he exclaimed how warm and cozy our place was and how he could just feel the peace of God present in our little home.  Randy told me a friend of his expressed the same sentiment one day when the two of them got together at our house, but I wasn't there to hear it.  When I look at my children, as many mothers do, I want to solve all of their problems, or ensure that they have none.  (I do want them to have wisdom that comes from experiencing tough things, of course, but I don't want them to feel any pain--what mother does?)  But I realize that I can't fix everything for them, and that this will become an even stronger reality as they grow up.  But what I CAN do is ensure that our house stays constant and comforting.  I can make sure that it always welcomes them home.  There will always be pumpkins and mums on our porch during autumn, cozy lighting, soft music (or sometimes loud music--but always music), seasonal decorations, and always something sweet and home-baked to snack on.  We will eat apple crisp and pie and roast chicken on Sundays.  Yankee Candle (and Scentsy) will provide seasonal fragrances, along with the smell of coffee.  And yes, it will always smell like McIntosh in the fall.  I hope this will comfort them--even if I can't.

With that, here are my first 2 fall recipes this year.  Abby and I made apple pecan cake yesterday (Day 248) and tonight was our first night eating supper in the kitchen around our kitchen table and it just so happened to be one of Randy's favorites (do I say that too much?  Take it up with him--he's the one who always says it first).  I've tweaked this meal a little each time I make it but we both agreed that tonight was the best.  I'll share that recipe first.  (It derived from a Rachael Ray recipe but it's pretty distant from that original recipe at this point.)  Enjoy!

Cheddar & Apricot Stuffed Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

Because we like this meal so much, it was hard for me to believe I hadn't posted it before.  With less than 100 days left of this journey, it's almost crazy to think I would have any new recipes to share.  But I do!  I started this blog in January and there are some recipes about which I distinctly remember thinking "I'll save that one for fall."  And now here we are in fall and I'm second-guessing whether I actually had the will-power to save those recipes!  I searched my blog and couldn't find it (though there are at least 30 other chicken recipes you should check out).  So please, stop me if you've read this one... ;)

4 chicken skinless, boneless chicken breasts

8 thick slices of cheddar cheese
4 TB apricot preserves
salt, pepper
5-6 red potatoes, chopped
1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes
4 scallions, chopped
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
salt, pepper
olive oil

Heat the oven to 425*.  Place the cubed potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Place them in the oven for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop your other ingredients.  After 15 minutes, toss the potatoes on the pan and return them to the oven for about another 10-15 minutes.
Heat 2 large skillets on the stove over medium heat with some olive oil in each.  (One should be oven-safe.)  Cut a slit lengthwise down the sides of the chicken breasts so you can "stuff" them.  Place 2 slices of cheddar cheese in each breast and a tablespoon of the preserves.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place each breast in the oven-safe skillet.  In the second skillet, start cooking the chopped bacon. 
When the chicken is ready to turn, flip each breast to the second side.  Transfer the chicken to the oven to finish cooking and take out the potatoes.  By now, the bacon should be browning.  Add the potatoes to the bacon and cook another minute.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine to get up all the flavorful bits.  Add the can of tomatoes and break them up with a spatula--you will probably break up the potatoes, too--that's good, smash everything together nicely!  Add the scallions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on low until the chicken is ready to come out of the oven.

Serve everything together.
*This meal pairs well with a red OR white wine and is perfect on a chilly night!

Apple Pecan Cake
Abby and I made this cake together after starting our apple unit in preschool.  When I showed her the pan we would bake it in, her response was classic: "But Mommy, there's a hole in that pan!!!"  
This cake is so moist you could love it for days--but you won't because it's so good it'll be gone too fast.  Warning: this is not diet or low-caloric in any way!  That's not how I do sweets.  Go big or go home. ;) Also, do not make it if you're desperate for an apple dessert immediately.  Between the baking time and cooling time and the way it fills your home with a wonderful aroma, you'll be torturing yourself.  Make it when you have a chance to go shopping or something while you wait for it to be ready, it's a slow process, but worth it!

2 cups sugar

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 TB cinnamon
1 TB vanilla
3 cups peeled and chopped apples
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Combine the sugar, eggs, oil, juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix well.  Fold in the apples, coconut, and pecans.  Pour the batter into a grease tube or bunt pan and bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Right before the cake is done, start the sauce.  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk and then bring to boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the hot sauce immediately over the hot cake. (You may want to prick some holes in the cake and have a baking sheet under the bunt pan to catch any drips.)  Let stand 1 hour then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.