Fall Day Menu

Chris & I had our "1st Hurst Fall Day" this weekend, capped on Sat night with the most delish dinner ever. We had punkin soup, feta-stuffed chicken breasts, and streusel apple pie (plus a Hurst Hot Toddy).

Click here for Chris' blog with pictures.  Following are the recipes I used:

Punkin Soup:
1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

1-1.5 cans low-sodium chicken broth (depending upon how creamy you want it)

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp salt

pinch nutmeg

pinch black pepper

1 c heavy whipping cream

1 c sauted chopped onion (optional)

pinch pumpkin pie spices (optional)

Combine broth, pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, butter; stir well.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 mins, stirring occasionally.  Stir in whipping cream and heat throughout, but DO NOT BOIL.  Serve immediately.

*We don't like onions, so I didn't use that.  Not sure how it would change the taste.  If you use onions, you would first combine 1/2 the broth, butter, and onion.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 mins.  Then, use mixer to mix it until smooth.  Follow rest of recipe.

Feta-stuffed Chicken Breasts:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp cream cheese

some shakes of parsley

some shakes of black pepper

olive oil to cook in

Using a sharp knife, butterfly (or cut a pocket horizontally from one side of the chicken to another without coming through on the other side) chicken.  In separate bowl, mix feta cheese, cream cheese, parsley, pepper; mix well with a spoon.  Spoon mixture into each breast.  Secure openings with 2-3 wooden toothpicks (optional).  Cook in non-stick skillet with hot olive oil over low-medium heat for 12-14 mins.  Flip halfway through.  If browning too quickly, reduce heat.  Chicken should be tender and not pink.

Streusel Apple Pie:
1 nine-inch pie shell

1 egg white, beaten

5 c apples (~3 lbs), cored, peeled, sliced; Golden Delicious or preference

2/3 c white sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp butter

3/4 c flour

1/2 c packed brown sugar

3/4 c oats

1/2 c butter

Brush beaten egg over unbaked pie crust.  Bake @ 425 for 5 minutes.  Place apples in large bowl.  In separate bowl, mix 2 tbsp flour, white sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg.  Mix well then toss until apples are evenly coated.  Place apple mixture into pie shell and dot with 2 tbsp chopped butter.  Lightly cover with sheet of aluminum foil but do not enclose.  Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes.  While baking, in separate bowl, mix 3/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats.  Mix thoroughly then cut in 1/2 c butter until mixture is crumbly.  Remove filling from oven and cover with topping.  Return to oven, reduce heat to 375 and bake 30-35 mins (or until browned), loosely covered with aluminum foil.

Hurst Hot Toddy:

1 oz spiced rum

5 oz apple cider

pinch cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

warm all ingredients over stove.

bonne année (2009)

the year of the wedding.  the year of the move.  the year of the reds winning.  the year of the ox.  the year of incandescent lightbulbs being banned in ireland & new zealand.  the year of barack.  the year of a total solar eclipse.  

the year of change.  enjoy it.

independence day

tomorrow marks my FAVORITE holiday of the year: the 4th of july

i love the patriotism. i love the colors. i love the food. i love the random trinkets/housewares at kohl's/garden ridge/target. i love the block parties. i love the fireworks. i love the olympic spirit. i love the day off. i love the month. i love 4th of july baseball games. i love it all.

tomorrow, the lexington parade is at 2 and the fireworks are at 10. i'm sure there is lots of stuff to get into in between :)

happy birthday, america!

hall's on the river

one night while chris was here, we decided to trek down past athens for a romantic dinner at hall's. he had never been there and i had been dying for some beer cheese.

i had the seafood fettucini and he had crab legs. chris is always an adventurous eater and i am trying to timidly follow suit. i am proud to say i ate crab legs and LOVED them.

i would recommend hall's to anyone looking for a romantic dinner. and if traveling to the country for dinner isn't your style, you can always pick up some of their famous beer cheese at meijer.

the newest addition

a few of you know that my cat, tiger, died in dec 2k5. it took me a very long time to get over this, and even still, i have not visited her grave. however, i had recently pet-sit and decided i was ready for another feline in my life. chris said he would get one for me for christmas and, thus, began the great kitten search of 2007.

we looked at the shelters in lexington, woodford, and jessamine. i finally found one i fell in love with at the jessamine shelter. we brought her home on jan 4 and we are now bonded for life.

lilah is 4 months old, loves cuddling, has a feisty side, is not afraid of plastic bags, is afraid of the vacuum, and loves talking to chris on the webcam. she sleeps next to me and puts her paw on my hand. how stinking CUTE! she has already met grandma, grandpa, uncle brett, uncle eric, cousin lily, aunt maria, uncle mark, and aunt sarah. come on over for a visit!


we named her delilah after the song "hey there delilah." chris found that band right around the time we first started dating...1.5 years ago. that song eventually became overplayed, but it still holds a special place in our hearts because of our long-distance relationship.

welcome home, lilah!

jingle bell rock

i had the most exquisite time last night. the gang went to chipotle for dinner and merriment ensued.

we went to the xroads xmas party and it was a DE-LIGHT. not only were (nearly) all of my favorite people there...there was hot chocolate, singing, and even the rice parents showed up.

after attending a holiday party, the most logical thing to do would (of course) go to target.

it's been well documented that the 4th of july is my favorite holiday, but second place is beginning to look a lot like christmas.