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. 

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.