Fall Must Have Recipes

We've hit our first week of cooler weather in Chicago.  This is my favorite time of year, leaves turning, football games, pumpkin patches, caramel apples, Halloween costumes and food that makes the house smell warm, welcoming and mouth-watering.

I wanted to send out two of my favorite recipes for this time of year.  They are very easy with minimal ingredients and effort...just the way I like it!

Shredded Mexican Chicken in a Crock Pot:
1 Package of skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of taco seasoning (go for the reduced sodium kind)
1 container of your favorite fresh salsa

• Place chicken in the crock pot, sprinkle taco seasoning on top.  Pour salsa over chicken and add a small amount of water; fill the salsa container about 1/4 of the way and add it in.
• Set your crock pot to 10 hours (or it's longest setting if you don't have 10).
• About 60 minutes before it's done shred the chicken by using 2 forks to rip it into pieces.

serve in tortillas, on nachos or any way you like.
I love it in a tortilla with sliced avocado.   And, a margarita of course!
This is a home-run for any football party!  Maybe I should say it's a Touchdown!!

Fall Turkey Brat Bake:
This one I got from a friend of mine, so glad she told me about it!!  
1 package of Turkey Brats
2-3 Gala apples
1 Butternut Squash (If you can find them pre cut buy it, it's worth the extra money.  They are a B*tch to cut! Trader Joe's usually has them cut and packaged.)
1 red onion
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon)
Nut Meg
Caraway Seeds
Salt & Pepper

• Preheat oven to 425
• Slice apples, onion and squash (try to also cut off skin of the squash); toss with 3 tbsp. of olive oil, squeeze juice from 1/2 a lemon, nut meg and caraway seeds. Sprinkle little bit of salt and pepper.
• ** I'm not sure how much of the seeds and nut meg to use...I'm not a chef or for that matter even a cook.  I sprinkle some on, mix it all up and then add more if I think I need it.  Everything pretty much has a light coat of nut meg and caraway seeds.
• Once that is all mixed and coated spread it out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
• ** For easy clean up cover tray with aluminum foil and spray.
• Place Brats on top of mixture and bake for 1 hour; turn brats over 1/2 way through cooking time.

The house will smell so good!!!