Fall folliage and Persian Delight

Let's just start by saying that Dave named this entry.

Let's start with the first part of this title... It may be Fall in the rest of the country but it's somewhere in the abyss between Fall and Winter in the Rocky Mountains. Mostly leaning towards the Winter side of the scale. The colors have dwindled but the ground looks really good. Whether we're biking or running I keep finding myself looking at the ground and the beautiful yellow and orange leaves. It is just so pretty. I kind of equate it to rose petals strewn all over the floor but instead of flower petals is is Aspen leaves. We don't' get the reds here in CO. like the East coast gets. I really miss those times but the Aspen trees sure make it worth while. So we woke up to 25 degrees this morning. I think my riding to work days are over. I could barely hold me coffee mug on my dog walk this morning and had to sit on my hands for like an hour this morning when I got to work. I was freezing! I did walk with my newly acquired pottery Red Sox mug. (Its just a little shout out to the win we received last night against the Angels!) Oh and one more thing. Matt and Rebekah bought their tickets to Deer Valley!!! I cannot wait for this vacation. I really wasn't looking forward to winter but now that there IS something to look forward to I guess I don't mind that Fall is becoming Winter. I have started to count down the days. Nancy, Chuck, Zoe, Dan, Rebekah, Matt, Dave (and the dogs, George & Saly) all in one house!! Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Alta, and Snowbird all at our beckoning. Oh and we also have a personal chef who serves us cocktails and drinks before dinner!!

Okay, I think I have said enough about the Fall weather we are having. Let's move on the to the second part of this post:

Persian Delight... This is what we had for dinner. Page 372 in the yellow Gourmet. It was very good. I did make some changes and have noted them below. So if you are looking for the exact recipe please reference page 372. A delicious cold weather comfort.

Persian-Style Chicken with Walnut, Onion, and Pomegranate Sauce

1 large pomegranate or two
2 boneless, skinless breast of chicken
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 T unsalted butter
2 T evoo
1.5 yellow onions very thinly sliced
1 t ground cinnamon
2 C walnuts, toasted, cooled and coarsely ground in mini prep
1/2 C tomato sauce
1 1/2 C chicken broth
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 t molasses (not robust or blackstrap)

Juice two pomegranates to make a least 1/2 cup.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook on each side for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to plate. Cook onions on med/low heat until softened and slightly golden (about 15 minutes). Add cinnamon, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add walnuts, stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in pomegranate juice, tomato sauce, stock, lemon juice, and molasses. Season to taste and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add chicken and reserved juices and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice.