Apple Season!

October might just be the best month! It started off with an emotional roller coaster of days leading up to my birthday, but is turning into a fun and exciting month filled with adventures. My 30th birthday weekend began with a visit from my sister, followed by a surprise boat cruise party with some of my closest friends, and ended with the perfect Sunday afternoon discovering a new brewery (Forge in Lorton, VA) and snuggled up with my sister discovering the Netflix show Narcos (so good!!). 

Thirty is feeling good! I'm so thankful to have friends that are willing to plan a surprise party for me and keep it so secret I had no clue it was coming!! My jaw dropped when I walked up to the docks and saw all my friends waiting to board the boat cruise. We danced the night away and braved the rain to take in the monuments by night! 

The delicious Filomena's in Georgetown! 

Kristen really out did herself, even making customized koozies for all the party goers. They were even my favorite color, purple! Thirsty & Thirty! It was such a fun celebration and one that I could have never dreamed up on my own. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what I needed to ring in my 30th year! 

The next weekend was filled with more celebrations. This time for the Johnson family. It was time to celebrate Baby J with a shower. I was lucky enough to co-host the party with the beautiful mama herself. The grandma to be was in town from Iowa, so it made the event extra special. I cannot wait to welcome the little bundle of joy in January. Sheesh, that seems like too long! Can't wait! 

The theme was Lil' Pumpkin and it was the perfect, very chill, coed shower. We served chili with toppings, baked brie, fall salad, and lots of sweet treats. I had some fun with new fall cookie cutters that were just perfect for the pumpkin pies. Grandma to be made her famous Monster Cookies! I may or not have had my own special stash hidden upstairs. We had a few fun games, like who can chug through a bottle the fastest (very entertaining to watch) and guess the sex of the lil' pumpkin (I'm leaning towards boy!). 

 To keep the fall extravaganza's going, this weekend featured apple picking!! My good friend Liz planned a fun outing to Poolesville, MD, where we hit up Homestead Farms. It was the first day that actually felt like fall with a cool, crisp breeze blowing and the colors popping! We collected a few different varietals including Aztec Fuji, Pink Lady, and Enterprise. We may have tried a few along the way for quality control purposes.

I liked the witches wart pumpkins the best! Can you tell?! 

 And let me tell you, I walked away with almost 10 lbs. of apples!! Uhhh, what am I going to do with 10 lbs. of apples you ask? Oh plenty! I started with a Buttermilk Apple Crumb Pie, next will be Traditional Apple Crisp, and some Overnight Apple Butter will be a new adventure I try. But with all that sweet goodness, I felt the need to balance it out with a delicious savory recipe that I've been making since as far back as high school. This is Whole30 compliant (only if you use arrowroot powder!), so if you're looking for a new recipe this is a great switch up!

Apple Chicken
1 lb. chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. ghee (divided)
2-3 apples, cored and sliced
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp. (a dash more if needed) arrowroot powder (or corn starch)

Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides of the thighs. In a large skillet melt 1 tbsp. ghee over medium heat, add the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the chicken from skillet and cover with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of ghee to the skillet, then add apples. Cook apples until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove apples and place in same dish as chicken. Using the same skillet, pour cider into the skillet, add arrowroot powder (or corn starch if using) whisking until combined completely. Allow cider to come to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Continue to cook until the cider has reduced and thickened. Add the chicken and apples back into the cider and finish cooking for 5 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts for the perfect fall meal! This doesn't photograph well but it sure does come out tasty!

I have purple cauliflower roasting in the oven to accompany my Sunday roast chicken. And you better believe I'm slicing into that Buttermilk Apple Crumb Pie for dessert. My coworkers will be living the life in apple desserts this week! Until next time!!!

Family, Friends and Fall

This October has been amazing thus far. So many things are going on and there is so much more to come. Life seems to be flying by but I have to say I'm enjoying it. Having my birthday in the fall is just one of the reasons that this is my favorite time of year. It's also that time when we're coming off of the summer weather and things start to "slow" down a bit. And by slow down I mean the pace is more relaxed and the schedule is back to normal. The air is crisp and clean in the mornings and you can smell the change in weather. Then throw in pumpkin anything, apple crisp, and the excitement of the holidays to come and voila my perfect time of year!!
My birthday kicked off the fall season and there were so many great celebrations. Who knew 29 could feel so good. It began with a surprise birthday concert via The Hamilton Live and Marc Broussard courtesy of Kristen! It was such an awesome surprise to see one of my favorite artists with one of my favorite people. The celebrations continued with a night at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace on 14th St. with my coworker Gabe. Nothing quite says celebration like perfectly sauced mussels, oysters, and pumpkin cheesecake (it's like fall in one mouthful). Then the birthday weekend commenced with a Richmond getaway, equipped with Amish doughnuts (best birthday treat ever), rock jumping at Pony Pastures, brewery hopping, insanely good italian at Edo's Squid, a whiskey bar, and great friends.

Almost made it!! 

Someone needs to help me out of this one! 

And if that wasn't enough this past weekend my parents and sister made the trip down to VA for a weekend of continued fun. While we didn't make any great tourists adventures, we did enjoy the company, good food, and family time. Breakfast was the name of my game for the weekend. If you know me, you know I love to cook for a crowd. I also love to make breakfast foods of all kinds.

Me and the Pops in Old Town 

What was on the menu this holiday weekend? Day 1: Butternut squash, thyme, and goat cheese frittata, mini pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, and chicken/apple sausage Day 2: Croissant Bacon Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwiches and Day 3: Tomato Zucchini and Havarti Quiche and Gluten Free Apple Pear Crisp

Beautiful Sister enjoying the fruits of my labor

I'm going to share with you the Day 3 recipes! The perfect breakfast to compliment the perfect company. Can't wait to update you on the rest of my upcoming fall trips: Burlington, VT and camping in Gore, VA!! Let me know what Thanksgiving recipes would you like to see updated?? I'm hoping to share with you some of your favorite traditional recipes updated before the holiday. Let me know in the comments below :)

Tomato, Zucchini, Havarti Quiche 

1 pre-made pie crust
6 eggs
1/3 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1 Tbsp. flour
1 small zucchini cubed and lightly sautéed
1 medium tomato thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Toss cheese with flour and add to egg mixture. Prepare pie crust in shallow quiche dish then sprinkle zucchini over the bottom of crust. Pour 3/4 of the egg mixture over the zucchini, place sliced tomatoes over top and pour the remaining egg mixture over the tomatoes. Bake quiche at 425 for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 baking for an additional 25-30 minutes or until quiche is slightly browning and eggs are set.

Apple and Pear Crisp
5 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 medium Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp.  cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Crisp Topping: 
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free)
3 Tbsp. almond meal
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium baking dish mix apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss until combined. Cut 2 Tbsp. butter into small squares and dot the filling with butter. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients of topping making sure butter is evenly distributed. Crumble the crisp topping over apple, pear mixture. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until topping is slightly browned and filling is bubbly. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert or a small portion as a morning snack!!