Sunday

Crockpot braised sage chicken with vegetables (recipe in the comments)
Harvest grains
Braised brussel sprouts

Hot tea
Peppermint bark
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This was going to be the welcome home dinner for M when we thought he was returning this evening. I love using my crockpot to make celebratory meals. The prep is usually easy and you do it early in the day so dinner itself feels effortless. I know that crockpots seem stuffy, but I think they're a modern marvel. This is a pretty traditional chicken pot au feu type recipe, but we most often use our crockpot for vegetarian stews and soups, which brings the appliance into the modern era. It's wonderful to prepare in the morning (or, more often for us, the night before) and know dinner will be waiting for you. Also, slow cooking by it's nature lowers the amount of fat necessary in a recipe, typically leaving you with very healthy dishes. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, celery, garlic, sage
Time: 20 minutes to prep, 8 hours to cook
Make ahead: That's the idea :)

Reaction
J: "This is my favorite ultra-traditional meal we've made in years! Watch out beef Daube, crockpot braised sage chicken with vegetables is sneaking up on you!"
M: "Just like Mama used to make...if your mama was fancy and French!"

Sunday

Farfalle with sausage and sage (recipe in the comments)
Mixed greens and radicchio with balsamic, lemon, and sage dressing
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This is one of the Whole Foods' "Meals for four, under $15" recipes (a series we like a lot). The only thing we changed was to make it with turkey or chicken Italian sausage, rather than pork sausage. It was a wonderful use for some of our herb garden's sage (we took out all the annual herbs and the marigolds this weekend - I guess fall really is here). The pasta is rich and filling, without seeming heavy, and the fresh sage gives it an amazing aroma, scenting the kitchen like you've been cooking all day. The dressing was M's inspiration - starting with some Paul Newman's balsamic dressing, he added fresh lemon and some of the extra sage we had plucked (minced). Yum.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: Make the sauce ahead and toss with freshly cooked pasta.

Reaction
J: "This is good. Fall-y and GOOD."
M: "Sausage without guilt."