these days, i feel like i'm spinning my wheels a bit. it has been a true blessing to have all my businesses grow over the summer, but my schedule has filled up to the MAX. in fact, for the first time ever i had to turn away a marketing opportunity because I JUST CAN'T. 

now i know, i know, this sounds a bit like complaining. i'm not. i promise. i am insanely grateful and somedays i literally have to pinch myself that wes and i are building the life we always dreamed of. when i'm delivering cakes on a special occasion or teaching a kid to take his first strokes, my heart literally bursts with joy. i cry happy tears OFTEN. 

BBBUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTT. yup, there it is. 

now that i'm cooking for work, sometimes at the end of the day, the idea of cooking one more meal is just too much. so i've taken one of my favorite dishes and pretty much made it as easy as possible. i've taken the laborious parts out of chicken saltimbocca, but managed to keep all the flavor. the prep on this dish is a cinch and it really only requires one pan and one platter. easy to make. easy clean up. easy when i just can't. 

chicken with prosciutto and sage
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 10-12 oz chicken tenders. 2 oz prosciutto, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 8 medium sage leaves, chiffonade (thin slices). 4 tbs butter, divided. .25 cup dry white wine. .75 cup chicken stock. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground black pepper. 2 cups arugula for serving. large heavy enamel or cast iron pan (you can always use whatever large pan you have on hand if you don't have either of those). 

start by heating your pan over medium low heat. add in your prosciutto and cook until it has crisped. 5-7 minutes. while your prosciutto is crisping, pat your chicken dry and season it with half the salt and pepper. 

remove the crispy prosciutto and place it on a paper towel so the excess fat can dry off.

add half the butter and increase the heat to medium high. 

when the butter has melted and is sizzling, add in the chicken and cook till browned on each side, about 3 minutes a side. 

remove the chicken to a platter. 

add the remaining butter and the white wine. bring the liquid to a heavy simmer and cook until the wine is reduced by half. about 2 minutes. 

pour in the chicken stock and most of the sage (keep a few fresh bits for garnish). bring the liquid back to a simmer and cook until it has reduced again by half. about 3 to 5 minutes. 

add the chicken back to the pan as well as the prosciutto and let it simmer till the chicken is nice and saucy and warmed through. about 2 minutes. 

serve your chicken on a bed of arugula and drizzle with the sauce. 

top with any additional sage for garnish and serve hot. 

xo, a

chicken with prosciutto and sage
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 10-12 oz chicken tenders. 2 oz prosciutto, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 8 medium sage leaves, chiffonade (thin slices). 4 tbs butter, divided. .25 cup dry white wine. .75 cup chicken stock. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground black pepper. 2 cups arugula for serving. large heavy enamel or cast iron pan (you can always use whatever large pan you have on hand if you don't have either of those).
tart by heating your pan over medium low heat. add in your prosciutto and cook until it has crisped. 5-7 minutes. while your prosciutto is crisping, pat your chicken dry and season it with half the salt and pepper. remove the crispy prosciutto and place it on a paper towel so the excess fat can dry off. add half the butter and increase the heat to medium high. when the butter has melted and is sizzling, add in the chicken and cook till browned on each side, about 3 minutes a side. remove the chicken to a platter. add the remaining butter and the white wine. bring the liquid to a heavy simmer and cook until the wine is reduced by half. about 2 minutes. pour in the chicken stock and most of the sage (keep a few fresh bits for garnish). bring the liquid back to a simmer and cook until it has reduced again by half. about 3 to 5 minutes. add the chicken back to the pan as well as the prosciutto and let it simmer till the chicken is nice and saucy and warmed through. about 2 minutes. serve your chicken on a bed of arugula and drizzle with the sauce. top with any additional sage for garnish and serve hot. 

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.