Balsamic Vinegar and Blackberry Chicken

     This is the "So good your boyfriend will do the dishes," chicken recipe I have come up with. I am still working on the "Proposal," chicken recipe which I have heard rumored exists but only married women know how to perfect it and are definitely leaving something out of their shared recipes. Anyway, I will share mine and not leave anything out. I have served this chicken with mash potatoes, and pumpkin gratin or sautéed spinach and mushrooms, it goes well with just about everything.
   

Balsamic Vinegar and Blackberry Chicken Recipe

       Ingredients list                                                                                              makes 4 servings

4 chicken breasts

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp sage
3 cloves of minced garlic. 

1 Tbsp honey 

1/4 cup blackberries ( I used frozen)

1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing or 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

     Putting it all together 

1. Heat some olive oil over medium low heat and place your chicken breast in the skillet. Salt, pepper  and add garlic and sage and half of the chicken broth. Flip the breast when you can see its cooked about half way through. 
2. When you flip the chicken add the rest of the broth, blackberries, honey and vinegar. The idea is to simmer the chicken into juicy, sweet submission. Yummy. 
3. After your chicken is done, serve the the yummy glaze over the top of your purple chicken. 

     Lately we have been enjoying sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Just slice up about 4 or 5 baby bella mushrooms and saute in a tablespoon of butter, then add 10oz. of fresh baby spinach and salt and pepper lightly. I also grate about an ounce of asiago cheese on it at the last moment. 

      So like I said, not a proposal but definitely get your dishes washed. 

Things You Can Freeze

     From a little experience of my own I have found that some things freeze better than others and some things were a drunken mistake and you should just move on. Okay well here are a couple things that can and can't be frozen.

   Good to freeze

1. Washed sliced mushrooms. I find it very convenient when making omelets and pizzas to have sliced mushrooms on hand always. 
2. Berries! Great for fruit salad, yogurt and hot cereal, as an extra bonus it cools down your cereal just right. 
3. Shredded cheese. Buy it in bulk or on sale and freeze what you don't use. 
4. Vegetable scraps. Keep the peels and tops of scrap vegetables in a freezer bag then later on make stock out of them, you can freeze the stock as well. 
5. Alfredo sauce. 
6. Cakes. Make a cake in May eat it in September, it will taste just as moist, just make sure to wrap it in clear wrap then foil. 
7. Left over Thanksgiving turkey. Wrap your left over meat in foil then store it in a freezer bag to keep off freezer burn. 
8. Grapes. They are delicious grape popsicles, but don't expect them to unfreeze well. 
9. Minced garlic. Buy bulk garlic, put it in your food processor and store it in a freezer bag, break off a chunk whenever you need it. 

Do Not Freeze

1. Potato soup. I do and have done it a couple times but it will come out grainy. 
2. Yogurt. Unless you are looking to have a tasty frozen treat don't try to unthaw your frozen yogurt. It gets a grainy texture and will loose its creamy thick texture. 
3. Eggs. hehe forgot about that boiled egg I wanted to cool off quickly. 
4. Beer. BIG mess. 
5. Lettuce, but everyone probably already knew that. 

The amount seen in the food processor makes a substantial amount more than pictured in the Mason jar.