Easy Chicken for Two

• 2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 small potatoes (fingerlings or small red potatoes)
• 4 small boiling onions
• 4 prunes (dried plums, if that sounds better)
• 4 small carrots
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium high heat, brown the chicken in the skillet. When chicken is well browned remove from the skillet to a plate. Pour wine into skillet and scrape the bottom of the skillet releasing the browned bits and then add the chicken stock. Bring the stock and wine to a boil. Add all the vegetables and the prunes to the skillet. Remove from the heat and place the chicken in the skillet. Push the vegetables aside and surround the chicken with the vegetables. The liquid in the skillet should not cover the chicken

Place the skillet, uncovered, into the oven and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 – 30 minutes until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce the chicken with a fork.

Then for dessert, try our....

Simple Little Apple Cake

that doesn't taste simple

• 2 cups of diced apples (peeled or not, it doesn't really matter)
• 1 cup of sugar (white sugar or a mix of white and light brown sugar)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of nuts, toasted and chopped (I use pecans)

Mix the sugar with the apple with the sugar and allow to stand until most of the sugar has dissolved. Mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the apples. Stir in the egg and the oil. Mix well until incorporated. Add the nuts. (At this point the batter will not look promising, like there isn't enough batter for the apples. Have faith.) Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch pan (square or round) and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until nicely browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ideally I start the cake before the chicken, combining the dry ingredients with the apples, just after I've put the chicken in the oven. See where I'm going, dinner in less than 45 minutes. It gives me time to shuck off the chef clothes, grab a shower and pour a glass of wine!