today is a very special day. yes, fig and arugula bruschetta is pretty freaking fantastic, but that is not the only reason that today is special. september nineteenth so happens to be my lovely husband's birthday. and today, we celebrated the way any good, hard working man and his wife should. by lounging about, relaxing and watching day long football coverage as we prepare for our head to head fantasy football battle this week. 

it is our seventh year of celebrating birthdays together and it is hard for me to believe how much has changed. when we met, he had a crazy roommate who inexplicably made wes's french press vanish and i lived with my parents. he worked a regular old nine to five job at a construction company that sold concrete and i was a customer service coordinator for a surf company. 

the first night we met, i gave him a long lecture about how he should be doing something that he loved, not just a job. i didn't then realize i was also talking to myself. and more than that, i had no idea that what we loved would end up being making food together. and yesterday, to ring in another year of wesley, we enjoyed this sweet and tangy bruschetta dish in our tiny garden with a crisp glass of wine and our cat by our side. this dish is a true celebration. 

fig + arugula bruschetta
serves: 2 as a snack or 4 as an appetizer
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 5 black figs, cut into eighths. 1 small shallot, thinly sliced. .25 cup arugula, roughly chopped. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. juice of 1 lemon. 1 tsp kosher salt. 12 .5 inch thick cut baguette slices. 1 tsp balsamic glaze. 

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. if you are using a toaster oven instead, just set it to lightly toast. 

combine the juice of the lemon, the shallots and half the salt in a small bowl. 

in a medium bowl, combine the figs, remaining salt, garlic and the arugula and set aside. 

then, toast your bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes till lightly toasted. 

after your bread has toasted, add the shallots and any remaining lemon juice to the fig mixture.

add in the olive oil and lightly toss. 

top each piece of bread with a healthy scoop of fig mixture. 

place the bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze. 

serve and enjoy. 

xo, a

fig + arugula bruschetta
serves: 2 as a snack or 4 as an appetizer
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 5 black figs, cut into eighths. 1 small shallot, thinly sliced. .25 cup arugula, roughly chopped. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. juice of 1 lemon. 1 tsp kosher salt. 12 .5 inch thick cut baguette slices. 1 tsp balsamic glaze.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. if you are using a toaster oven instead, just set it to lightly toast. combine the juice of the lemon, the shallots and half the salt in a small bowl. in a medium bowl, combine the figs, remaining salt, garlic and the arugula and set aside. then, toast your bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes till lightly toasted. after your bread has toasted, add the shallots and any remaining lemon juice to the fig mixture. add in the olive oil and lightly toss. top each piece of bread with a healthy scoop of fig mixture. place the bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze. serve and enjoy. 

yesterday, we celebrated wesley's birthday. because he is slightly sensitive about the subject, i'll do him the kindness of leaving out his age.

we had a pair of pretty awesome days celebrating my favorite person's birth. sunday and monday we spent most of the day at our favorite beach hanging with friends + family, eating delicious food and surfing together. it was pretty much heaven.

while our sunday beach party was a raging success, i have to admit that i am very excited it's over. coordinating your own parties is stressful! i much prefer planning for others.

since most of last week was spent party planning and prepping, everything i whipped up for us was quick and easy.

these glorious figs popped up in my local produce store last week and i knew exactly what do do with them. there is something so luxurious about figs that they instantly fancy up a dish. not to mention, they pair perfectly with salty, flavorful prosciutto.
 

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.

while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. 

remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.

when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
 
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve. 

xo, a

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.
spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.
while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.
when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.