you know what i forgot? i forgot how long it takes to get back out of the post sickness work hole. you know exactly what i'm talking about. you get sick, miss work and then when you finally get back on your feet, you have to work double time to get yourself out of the post sickness work hole. 

basically, cooking went straight to the back burner post flu as i've been battling my way through unanswered emails, catching up on meetings and menu planning. 

but i have a slow weekend, so i'm getting back into the kitchen. we got some beautiful organic chicken breasts and i'm cooking my way through them but they all have one end that is much thicker than the other end. when you have a really fat end of your chicken breast, you end up with one end that is overcooked and rubbery and one end that may be undercooked in the middle. 

here is the perfect, mess free way to pound out your chicken breasts so you can achieve that perfectly cooked chicken every time. 

start by covering your cutting board with plastic wrap. chicken juices are messy and can contaminate your cutting board or your meat tenderizer (don't have one? PURCHASE HERE). place your chicken breast or breasts on the cutting board and then strap them down with another layer of plastic wrap. 

you can see that one end is much thicker. 

pound the thicker end of the breast until it is equal thickness to the thin end. 

nice and flat. 

then use your perfect chicken breast for any of the below recipes. 

xo, a

the holiday season is in full swing and i'm baking up all kinds of goodies this weekend for various holiday orders. and one of the best options for festive holiday decor on top of your sweet treats are candied cranberries. 

not only are they gorgeously festive, they will hold up during your two hour car ride to your in-law's house, they can handle six hours on display atop your chocolate ganache covered cake and they are stunning and tasty on a cheese platter. if you follow on me instagram, trust you will see these non stop in my feed from now till new years day. 

candied cranberries
serves: 2 cups cranberries
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 4 minutes
dry time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups fresh cranberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup simple syrup. parchment paper. 

start by pouring your simple syrup over your cranberries. toss well to combine. 

when all the cranberries are lightly coated in syrup, spread out the cranberries in an equal layer. make sure you dry up any wet spots of syrup with a paper towel.

sprinkle the cranberries with sugar. 

toss all the cranberries will so that they are all lightly frosted with sugar. allow them to dry for 10 minutes.

store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and use as desired. 

xo, a

candied cranberries
serves: 2 cups cranberries
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 4 minutes
dry time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ngredients: 2 cups fresh cranberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup simple syrup. parchment paper. start by pouring your simple syrup over your cranberries. toss well to combine. when all the cranberries are lightly coated in syrup, spread out the cranberries in an equal layer. make sure you dry up any wet spots of syrup with a paper towel. sprinkle the cranberries with sugar. toss all the cranberries will so that they are all lightly frosted with sugar. allow them to dry for 10 minutes. store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and use as desired.