a recipe! 

in my last post I mentioned that i have found a new favorite store....  Sprouts.

Now I found it quite by accident.... while driving around aimlessly ( my new favorite pastime in the afternoons ) and I * purposely * took a wrong turn and saw the big green sign and just knew that I had  to stop in 

now if you are from one of the few states that House a Sprouts, then you are probably thinking, " yeah, big deal"  Buuut , I'm a New England girl, transplanted and currently in awe of so much that is around me.

Trust me... I am finding an excuse just about every day to make my way to this store.

it's a cross between a Trader Joes, A Health food store, A farmers market, a high end butcher and well, its a dream come true for this shoe-less girl..

imagine how my heart skipped a beat when I turned the corner to see this

I'll give you a minute... I certainly needed one.   I bought 3 containers and went home to make grilled chicken with blackberry- basil sauce.

I started by marinating the chicken breast in a mixture of crushed garlic, chopped rosemary & thyme, lemon juice olive oil & s&p

I covered it with plastic wrap and marinated for about an hour. ( not too much longer, or the lemon juice will start to ' cook' the chicken, resulting in a less than desirable texture.


when I preheated the grill I started to make the sauce on the stove top.

I added 1 container of blackberries ( blueberries would work here too) 
a handful of basil leaves, shredded.
about a tablespoon of honey  ( taste your berries, if they are overly sweet, then omit or decrease honey)
a few thyme leaves
pinch of sea salt

cook over medium het, stirring often and in a few minutes, magic will happen.

now since I had soo many blackberries ( and I knew I would look for an excuse to go again the next day) I made an arugula salad with goat cheese, almonds and blackberries with a simple vinegarette. 

Grill the chicken to an internal temp of 165, let rest for about 5 minutes, slice into strips and top with sauce.

summer flavors perfected. 

I did go back and get more blackberries.. I mean really, how could I not? 

If you find yourself with a deal on berries this summer and want to freeze them, it is super easy. Just rinse them, dry them, lay flat on a plate or platter and stick in the freezer

once they are frozen, then add them to a large freezer bag ( this keeps them from freezing into a big solid bunch, allowing you to take as many as you need at a time for the rest of the season) 

I froze 3 batches of these babies.

I can hardly wait for the next sale!

xoxoxo~ shel

I saw this and just could not resist...  not exactly what you would think when you hear ' Colorado Herb' but this is MY kind of herb  :) ( plus the little kid in me could not help but to do this post!) 

While shopping at my new favorite store ( more on that soon) I came across this... I read the back and was intrigued...  

It is a live plant that is not meant to be planted outside, but instead in a small jar of water on a windowsill! Simply pinch the basil leaves when you need them and check the water every day or so.

I absolutely love this! 

pretty cool, eh? it's pretty, it smells good and for $2.99 it completely made my day! 

My house in Plymouth had a kitchen in the center of the house, so I have not had a windowsill in almost a decade.  It is so silly how  the fact that i have not one but TWO windowsills in my kitchen now makes me goofily excited. Almost to the point of forgetting about how tiny and poorly set up the kitchen actually it ;) 

( my other window sill is laden with oils, vinegars and spices) 

And coming up soon ( by the end of today... I just want to make sure that this site works and that those who want to read what ramblings come out of my fingers and onto this page can find me ) I will share the recipe that i used my first basil in!

cioa bellas!