Hi, friends!  I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! 

I bought a basil plant at the store the other day on a whim.   Nothing tastes (and smells) better to me then fresh basil.  But, the plant just sat there. I needed inspiration in a bad way so I turned to my own Employee Dining Room at work where they make chicken caprese.

I am also a sucker for mozzarella, but add a tender chicken breast and it takes this dish over the top.  The chicken is drizzled with a balsamic reduction-with a twist. 

See as I was making this, swanky boyfriend came in the kitchen and started adding berries and such to my reduction. Not surprisingly, the end result was delicious and had a little bit more sweetness that paired well with the basil.

Chicken Caprese With a Sweet Balsamic Sauce –(adapted from allrecipes)

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 4 (1/2 inch thick) slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• 4 (1/2 inch thick) slices roma tomato 
• 4 large fresh basil leaves 

For the sauce:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup blackberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• juice of two small seedless tangerines
• dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

3.Pour olive oil into a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the oil until a small droplet of water pops in the oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts onto pan. 

Sear chicken for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.

While the chicken is searing, get started on the marinade.  Put balsamic, sugar, and blackberries, salt and pepper into sauce pan.  Cook over medium-high heat until the blackberries can be easily crushed with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Once berries have softened, mash with a fork. Raise the heat to high and stir frequently as the mixture reduces to about half it’s original volume.

While that is simmering, put the chicken breast in the oven.  Let cook for about 10 minutes.

After the time has passed, remove chicken and place tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil onto each piece.  Put back in oven for about 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

Finish off the sauce by straining the berry mixture. 

Add in juice of tangerines and mix well.

Remove chicken from oven.

You are almost ready to dig in!

Pour balsamic sauce over top and serve!  I added in more fresh basil cause I can’t get enough.

The balsamic sauce added a slight sweetness to this dish.  

Every bite must include juicy chicken, sweet tomato, and melty mozzarella.

Delicious.

Hope you have a speedy week and a happy Monday!

Thanks for reading!

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was a good one!  I completed a project I have had in the works for some time which was organizing my pantry.   I am in serious love every time I open it!

Let me give you a tour…

I purchased these glass jars at Hobby Lobby 50% off this past weekend.  They were still about $3 each, but I think they are something I can use for quite a long time.

With my silhouette, I made labels for each of the jars using a template I downloaded.  It really pulls them together, and of course, makes it easy to find what I need.  

As you can see, I love my lentils!

I don’t know about you, but I am often guilty of purchasing something at the store and realizing I already have it at home. This way, I can see exactly what I have and am running low on.  The pantry contains everything from pasta, oats, beans, sugar, and flour. 

For the main part of the pantry, I am purchased a bunch of containers at the dollar store.  Seriously, they have the best stuff!

I am not sure if I will add more specific labels, but for now “snacks’” sums it up.  This is where we keep most our nuts and dried fruit.  They are on the middle shelf for easy access.

I am most excited about this shelf since our medicines were out of control.  I organized them by type and put everything in it’s designated container.  Now it’s a cinch to find everything.  FYI, I keep daily vitamins and such in the kitchen cabinet. 

The cats treats, brushes, etc. also have a home right in here. The only problem is that Charlotte usually thinks when we open the pantry she is getting treats.

This part isn’t as exciting.  I may do a bit more to this, but for now it holds most of our canned items and sauces.  Also, I still have a few corazonas chips to get through. YUM!

Also, a while back I lined the shelves with a pretty contact paper I picked up at TJ Maxx.  It adds a nice pop of color and is easy to wipe down when needed.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour!  I am happy that we were able to do a lot with such a little space.  It makes me smile every time I open it! 

How do you organize your pantry?