welcome "fall"

ahhhh its here... F A L L

my favorite time of year: time for cooler weather, jeans, scarfs, God's beautiful array of autumn colors banking the landscape,

um, wait.... i live in the SOUTH! and while it may officially be "fall," it is still very much summer here. not so much the "early fall 2009" i had attempted to pass off as accurate on my last blog header. hmph

september is almost over, and it feels like it almost never happened. where did you go september? im finally used to it not being august and now we are days away from october. which is fine by me - october is one of my absolute favorite months of the year. bc we actually get glimpses of what you northerners/midwesterners/not southerners call fall. and i soak up every bit of it.

september might have been a blur due in part to the torrential rains weve had down here. as in im surprised our house didnt float away with the river of rainwater rushing outside our front door. everyday has been at least party cloudy with a 60% chance of rain. i mean, rain is wonderful. im a rainy-day lover. but i think there can be too much of a good thing. my plants need rain to survive, but gracious they have been drowning recently and im sure turning quite moldy.

but, with all the areas in the country suffering from drought, i am thankful we have this rain {in abundance}. and i am so thankful i finally broke down and bought rain boots a few months back. i feel like the entire playgroup bennett and i go to must think those are the only shoes i own. and in september, they were.

i dont have any great bennett pics to post, so i will leave you with an end-of-the-summer recipe i made last week that turned out great. it makes use of some good end-of-the-summer harvest and, if the sky isnt threatening to flood your neighborhood, its a good way to get some end-of-the-summer grilling in, before its either too cold to venture out or youre just "not in the mood" for it anymore.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Corn Salsa

chicken thighs

s/p

cumin

basmati rice

Salsa:

3 ears corn

quart grape tomatoes {or a couple regular slicing tomatoes, chopped}

1/2 c edamame {i always have the frozen, shelled kind on hand - just put it in refrigerator to thaw the day before you cook this or follow package directions. of course you can use fresh as well.}

3 T apple cider vinegar

3 T olive oil

1/4 c chopped cilantro

salt/pepper to taste

crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. cook basmati rice according to package directions {basmati rice is my fave - it is so fluffy - so fragrant...mmmm}
2. heat grill and place shucked corn and chicken thighs {chicken sprinkled with s/p and cumin} on grill. cook until nicely browned on all sides and until chicken is cooked through. keep chicken warm {if cooked before you finish the salsa}
3. chop grape tomatoes in half
4. cut kernels off corn cob.
5. combine corn, tomatoes, thawed {but not heated} edamame, vinegar, olive oil, s/p, and crushed red pepper in bowl.
6. serve chicken over rice, topped with salsa.

very simple, and MUY delicioso!

on a side note: have you ever cooked with chicken thighs before? i know we all use chicken breasts, but chicken thighs are an underrated treat. its still chicken, might contain a wee bit more fat bc they are dark meat, but MAN they taste good. more flavor, never dry. so, im sure you could cook this with chicken breasts, but just this once: try thighs. you will not be disappointed! also...dont be afraid {ladies} to get out there and grill! its something i never tried {bc its the "guys job," plus i thought it was hard {like i used to think making soup and/or bread was}}. i might be crushing some guy's egos but.... grilling is so EASY!!! just turn it on {thats the only thing you have to "learn"} and grill away. oh, and dont forget to turn it off when you are done :) ha!

oh, and on another side note: if any of you actually do try any of the recipes i post, would you please let me know? i would love to know what you thought...if you changed or added something, if you think its terrible {im being very brave in writing that...i think i might be sad if i posted something, you tried it, and you thought it was disgusting...}, or if you just liked it! thanks guys and happy first day of

F A L L