Tonight's Dinner and Dessert

Now that it is getting cool and I am much more inclined to cook a meal. I don't mind warming up the kitchen a bit and I'm craving heartier meals. The soup was a product of experimentation - turning another dish I've made into a soup. I also had leftover leeks from another meal. Dessert doesn't always happen, but I felt like having a little something sweet tonight. I had cranberries in the freezer and apples sounded good to me, so I searched online for an apple cranberry recipe. I found a few, leaned towards one and ended up changing a few things. All in all it was a nice meal and my tummy is satisfied.

Creamy Chicken Soup with Wild Rice, Leeks and Mushrooms
goodLife{eats} creation

• 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breats
• 2 leeks, halved and sliced thin (white and light green parts only)
• 1 - 8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c half and half
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp tarragon
• 1 - 6 oz pkg Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild rice (cooked according to pkg instructions)

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add chicken and cook until chicken is lightly browned. Add leeks, mushrooms, and garlic. Sautéuntil tender. Add cooking wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Combine flour, pepper, and tarragon. Whisk flour mixture into half and half. Add half and half to soup, stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil for 3 minutes. Turn heat to low and add rice.

Harvest Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 3 pounds apples (I used a mixture of Jonathan, Gala, and Granny Smith)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 - 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Pecan Topping (see below)

Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Butter the sides only of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Peel and core the apples. Cut each apple into 3/4 inch chunks. Combine the apples, cinnamon, and orange zest in a large bowl, and toss until coated. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until roughly chopped. Combine the apples and cranberries.

Pour melted butter and orange juice over the apples and toss to coat. Sprinkle the sugar and stir to coat. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the pecan topping evenly on top of the apples.

Bake until the juices are bubbling on the sides, the top is golden brown, crisp, and hard, and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork, 60 to 70 minutes Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Pecan Topping

• 1 3/4 c plus 1 Tbs flour
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 c cold butter
• 1 1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly and has a few pea sized pieces of butter in it. Mix in the pecans.