crock-pot balsamic chicken

I came across this recipe on a Facebook message board today. I had all of the ingredients on-hand, so thought I'd give it a try

Balsamic Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 28 oz. can)
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced (or more to taste)
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t each: dried oregano, basil, rosemary
1/2 t dried thyme (or substitute all herbs with 3t Italian seasoning)
salt & pepper to taste

Pour the EVOO in the bottom of a crock pot. Add chicken breasts, seasoning each with salt & pepper. Place sliced onion on top of chicken. Sprinkle with dried herbs and garlic. Pour vinegar and tomatoes over the chicken.

Cook on high 4 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta.

operation declutter: day 2, kitchen desk drawers

These drawers were so full of stuff that we could barely close them. Ahhh! Much better now :)

operation declutter: day 1, downstairs closet

Holy moly.

2 bags of winter coats to be donated to "One Warm Coat"; a bag of shoes and some miscellaneous items for Goodwill.

AFTER

This was a good way to start! This project took about 2 1/2 hours (including a trip to OSH for some hooks and a bin.)

a drawer a day

Clutter.

It has gotten out of control. It is everywhere: Drawers, closets, cupboards.

It's time to reclaim the pantry and to once again be able to see the surface of my desk. It's time to check expiration dates, toss pencils with no erasers and shred the piles of paperwork that are sitting on the floor of my office. I am tossing with abandon: Goodbye half-empty bottles of shampoo and clothes I haven't worn in a year. Adios to used birthday bags and useless wine corks (heaven knows I have a lot of those.)

Tomorrow it begins. I am making a commitment to organize at least a drawer or cupboard per day until it's done. It may take awhile, but I am steadfast in my goal: I will embrace this effort, once again instilling systems in my home to keep this mama sane.

Let's roll!

commitment issues

OK, so I had this idea to keep an on-line journal about happenings, travelings and foodie things. And what did I do? Nothing. Well, I guess that's not exactly true. I started a blog (with the same title) about a year and a half ago and I posted on it 3 times. In my disgust over my lack of dedication and commitment, I deleted it yesterday. Now I'm kind of wishing I hadn't. That's the kind of girl you are dealing with here.

My mom always tells me that I have great ideas. "Great" might be overstating things (afterall, she is my mom.) Anyway, I thought that this might be a fun way to share my stuff. Mom stuff, travel stuff, work stuff.

Let the games begin.