Autumn Sunrise {& a new recipe}...

Today, I watched the sun rise over Lake Superior through tiny seams in the layered clouds. It was so peaceful, so serene. I felt so...blessed. I was alone in the waiting room. The first one there for the day. And I watched and looked out at nothing...and everything. There was nothing on the big lake but tiny ripples. And nothing in the cloudy, ribbon-y pink sky but a couple sets of birds, trying to connect in some haphazard fashion to form their Fall v-pattern. The sun was mostly hidden behind clouds so I could just gaze at it without my eyes burning. I tried to quiet my racing mind. I attempted to pray. But my mind was easily distracted by fleeting thoughts.

I thought about writing a book. Have you ever thought about writing a book? Throughout different points in my life, I've had book ideas. But how to really get started? I have a title. And even a prologue, I think? A few chapters outlined in my brain. But then what? That's where my mind wandered off to this particular morning...I think, but I couldn't really pin it down.

Something I could pin down though was a new little dish I threw together the other night. I had an abundance of potatoes and chicken. It's nothing out of the ordinary really. No new dazzling flavor combinations here...just potatoes and chicken, garlic and carrots. Highlighted by roasting them together in olive oil, lemon juice, and some sparse seasonings. Food this simple and straightforward doesn't need very much in the way of enhancing the flavor...since they already so happily work well together. The chicken turns out so juicy...the carrots, sweet and almost caramelized...and the potatoes soak up hints of garlic and rosemary.... So I thought I'd share a new favorite, quickly thrown-together, weeknight Autumn meal of ours...all made with basic things you probably already have right in your very own kitchen.

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You'll need:

-4-5 potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick

-8-10 whole garlic cloves

-4-5 carrots, roughly chopped

-3-4 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

-olive oil

-sea salt

-freshly ground pepper

-dried thyme

-dried rosemary

-dried parsley

-half of a lemon

Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray. Spread potatoes, garlic, and carrots in dish and toss with olive oil to coat. Season mostly with salt, pepper, thyme and a dash of parsley and rosemary. (I haven't measured anything exactly...sorry, that's the way I cook!) Cover with tinfoil and bake at 375 for about 15 min.

Meanwhile, I prepare the chicken breasts while the veggies are roasting. After the 15 minutes, tuck in the chicken breast pieces between the veggies. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and liberally squeeze the lemon juice all over the whole dish. Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Put back in the oven, uncovered, and bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Raise oven to 400 degrees and add little pats of butter on top of each piece of chicken and bake for about 5-8 minutes longer.

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I like to serve this with good, crusty bread (like whole-grain ciabatta rolls) and some fresh fruit. The roasted garlic cloves are really good smashed up with your fork and spread on the rolls! Mmm... And yes, your kitchen will smell heavenly too! Enjoy!