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[rosemary-whole wheat loaf]

apparently I can make bread now?

Black bean-corn salsa

-1 can black beans, drained

-1 can corn, drained

-1 red (or yellow) onion

-1/4 bunch of cilantro

-1 finely-chopped chile (canned chipotle in adobo works)

-lime juice

-cumin

-salt

The simplest of instructions: combine everything in a bowl. Boom, done, instant snack prepared.

So I’m a big fan of autumn, as a season.  Especially when the weather starts turning a little cold and it’s fun to go outside and see trees turning all sorts of different colors [oh HEY, new england] and you can wear jackets [because I own too many, of course].

I’m a real big fan of the food that comes with the fall, too. Went to the farmer’s market in Prospect Park yesterday and sampled at least 12 varietals of apples, which all looked so good in their overflowing piles [you basically just want to eat them all, amiright?].

So we settled for a couple of honey crisp apples, because our taste-testing really just got us hungrier.  But intent to not let summer escape too fast since we’re only in September, we decided to spring for some heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil to go with our dinner for the evening.  I admit, I think I have a serious problem: I’m fully unable to resist any fresh produce that looks this good.

So after a day of exploring around Manhattan, and having a full TWO surprise run-ins with former classmates, one from high school and one from college [isn’t the world crazy sometimes?], we headed back to Brooklyn to make our dinner.

I can’t take credit for the inspiration for the meal AT ALL but it did come out pretty great.  Those tomatoes looked awesome in the fully assembled salad with fresh mozzarella [again, no credit to me] and my chicken picatta dish turned out tasty but not-so-photograph-friendly.  However, it was the simplest meal I’ve made with friends in awhile, so I figured I’d write down a quick-and-dirty recipe along with one last picture of the final product of our farmer’s market purchases. Because hey, what else do I have to do on a five-hour bus ride? At least I’m not in “oppression training.”

Chicken Picatta

Rinse boneless skinless chicken breasts and pat dry.  Cover in a mixture of flour with some spices thrown in (onion, oregano, basil - really anything) and set aside.

In a pan with high sides, heat olive oil with garlic over medium heat, sauteing until the garlic begins to brown while stirring frequently.  Add chicken breasts and cook thoroughly, flipping each piece once in order to cook through.  Remove chicken breasts from pan and set aside, leaving the garlic and oil in the pan.

Add chicken broth and capers to the pan while still over the heat, and squeeze a lemon into the pan.  Stir to incorporate, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add chicken breasts back to the pan, and continue to boil the mixture until chicken is entirely cooked.  Remove pan from heat when done, and serve chicken and the lemon sauce over rice or pasta.