Vedure al Forno with Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

So, the temps have changed by about 15 degrees and Meghan and I have decided to bring in the new autumn season with one pot dishes.  Move over Sandwichs and bring in the hearty, earthy, feel good dishes of Autumn!  Although, this week, I cheated a little.  I was anxious to try the Vegetable al Forno recipe I found, using the last of the summer season's Farmer's Market zuchinni, but added the delicious Buttermilk Grilled Chicken to round out the meal and make it more hearty and filling.  ( the only adaptaptation I made to the chicken recipe was that I used only thigh/leg quarters) Brad and I had sampled the chicken recipe before and it has officially made it into the Old Standby's of my recipe box.  That is the most moist grilled chicken we have ever had - guess that is due to the sublime powers of a buttermilk bath!  The Vegetable al Forno was no disappointment either, but I'm not sure you can ever go wrong with that much cheese?  Fontina, Mozarella, Peccorino Romano, ooey cheesy goodness!  I will admit however, that the breadcrumbs are on top of each layer of this three layer dish which seemed a little strange.  I assume they were there to add a thickness to the sauce although they didn't quite cook up like I would have wanted.  (still seemed a little raw)  It is important to mention though that the second day around, after reheating in the toaster oven on 350 for about 20 minutes, this dish was even better, including those lower breadcrumb layers. 

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

While Daddy and I were having Meghan's yummy Ham and Swiss Puffs, little one was chowing on these tasty cakes.........for those of you that know what a REAL Tasty Cake is, no these were not like those yummy childhood chocolate confections from "up north", but they were good and so worth the effort.  Healthy and hearty and the wee one loved them.....ok - i admit, not on first pass, she was skeptical, but we were a go on introduction #2!  Hey - that is what being a mommy chef is about - you never  give up on offering foods. It can take something like 15+ introductions before a taste is acquired for a certain food.


You'll soon learn, if you read and stick with this blog, that I have a slight.......ok, complete girl crush on Giada.  And yup - this recipe is from yours truly.  The only thing I altered was I used [insert me wincing] canned salmon.  Sorry, that's is what i had on hand, and sometimes, that has to be good enough or else you'll stress yourself out.  I find that I have to allow myself to be flexible while cooking.

Ham and Swiss Puff

I am just going to jump right in to this whole thing.  When planning for this Tuesday's meal, I was secretly hoping for some cooler weather.  It has been a seriously hot summer.  Like a near record setting kind of summer.  I have really enjoyed our fresh tomato and pesto sandwiches and our strawberry and brie panninis and our BLAT's, but I am very ready to bite into something more cozy, more earthy, more gooey.  I strongly associate food with seasons.  As much as I love a big pan of wild mushroom lasagna or a hearty potato leek soup, I just can't stomach them when it is 95+ degrees outside.  So, in my attempts to call forward my favorite season I threw open the windows and went outside to crunch some leaves while playing with my little man.  In the meantime, I started to thaw out a couple sheets of puff pastry.