Hello all, the time has come for a savory feast! I spent a few hours Sunday putting together the chicken cacciatore in the crock pot—crock pots are not just for your grandma anymore—and whipping up a batch of cornbread and fresh honey-orange butter. The cornbread with the sweetened butter nicely complements the somewhat spicy, fragrant chicken cacciatore adapted from The Crepes of Wrath. This is the first time I’ve tried this chicken dish, and it seems to be pretty fool-proof. Whether you’re feeding just two or a crowd, this meal will fill you up, and you’ll have plenty of leftovers for the next few days.

Ingredients for chicken cacciatore: 3-4 chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1/2-1 cup sliced onions, 1 sliced green pepper, 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons dried or chopped fresh basil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon herbes de provence, 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, and 1 cup red wine.

Pan-fry the chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper in a skillet on medium high. Cook them for about 6-8 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, prepare all of your other ingredients and toss all but the chicken stock and the red wine into the crock pot.

Cut the cooked chicken into slightly smaller portions and layer over the vegetable mixture in the crock pot. Last, pour the red wine and chicken stock over the chicken. Cook on high for six or so hours.

Note: The recipes for the cornbread and for the honey-orange butter will be posted Friday—I didn’t want to turn this into The Neverending Post.