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The Easiest Baked Chicken

This is the one of the best, most practical recipes around - and I take ZERO credit for it! 

I was on Pinterest during my lunch hour & came across this recipe. I bought parchment paper later that night & tried it out ... SO GOOD.

My own personal twist includes a butter-sage rub that you add to the chicken prior to baking it. Just following The Kitchn's recipe will be amazing as well and a few less steps.

What You Need

> Whole chicken breasts, not thin sliced (I usually do 3-4 at a time)

> 2 Tbsp of butter

> 2 tbsp of Dry Sage (fresh is always better but not always handy!)

> 1 Tsp of garlic powder (add more if you're a garlic lover)

> Parchment paper

> Baking Dish (my 13 x 9 holds all four chicken breasts while giving them room to breath)

> Salt & Pepper (less than a tsp each)

What You Do

> Preheat oven to 400 degrees F 

> Lightly grease your baking dish

> Set out butter to soften

> Wash chicken & pat dry

> In a small bowl combine butter & garlic powder to create a paste

> Distribute the butter paste evenly over the chicken

> Sprinkle salt & pepper over buttered chicken

> Add sage to each chicken breast

> Place the parchment paper on top of the chicken and press down - you want the parchment to be completely suck to your chicken throughout the baking process. You may want to try and even tuck the parchment under the chicken at the corners.

> Bake for 20 mins & then check the chicken 

*First time I made this, I left it in for 30 minutes because I thought my chicken was on the thick side, it was way over done... I now check it at 20 mins and it's usually done.

E N J O Y

The Simplest Holiday Cocktails

Christmas is my favorite holiday, by far. 

Cocktail in photo: mapandmenu

It is NOT my wallet's favorite holiday.

Aside from Christmas shopping, there's the new ornaments you just HAVE to have, the fresh garland, enough cookie dough to bake for the whole town, the dress that's PERFECT for holiday parties (maybe not after all of the cookies).... and the list goes on.

So when it comes to being festive, I try everything I can to keep it simple & cheap. Most holiday cocktails require you to buy liquors and/or bitters you won't be touching for another 11 months. You can drop $100 easily just getting everything you need for a "Gingerbread Martini" (including adorable candy cane striped martini glasses, because well, they're adorable. duh).

So from past experience I have found that using some of the most simple ingredients/items & adding them to regular cocktails, can make a huge difference & get you ready for your holiday party in minutes.

Here are my key ingredients to making any ordinary cocktail festive-approved:

[Add to some champagne, prosecco, vodka & cranberry, gin & tonic, spiked cider - you decide based on what's already available in your alcohol cabinet!]

> Cinnamon sticks

> Cranberries

> Thyme

> Rosemary

> Candy Canes

> Sliced Pear

> Sliced Apple

> Decorative Straws

> Sprinkle rimmed glasses

Here are my favorite holiday cocktail recipes if time is your friend:

[ Blackberry Thyme Sparkler ]

[ Salted Caramel Ice Cream Shots ]

[ Cranberry Cinnamon Whiskey Sour ]

[ Rosemary Champagne ]

[ Classic Spiked Eggnog ]

Thanksgiving Leftover Round-Up

There's nothing better than Thanksgiving leftovers. 

You know it. I know it. And the scale knows it...

Until you're on day 4 and you just want a salad. Or a pizza. Or Chinese food. Just anything but stuffing & dry turkey.

So here are some cute ways to give your family & friends some of the love & how to generally up your leftover game.

Have a happy, safe, wonderful Thanksgiving !

THIS. Just all of this. 

[ Mason Jars for dinner & leftovers ]

[ Cupcake and Cashmere's leftover box ]

[ Printable Labels ]

[ Day-After Turkey Soup ]

[ Turkey Quesadilla with Gouda ]

[ Grilled Turkey, Brie, and Arugula Sandwich ] ... I'm drooling

DIY Candles

My absolute favorite thing to do is pour a glass of vino, light some candles, and read a good book or catch up on my shows. Now I know you're probably wondering when the 20 cats stroll in but I swear it's the most relaxing thing ever. But it also leaves me dropping a good amount of money on candles... a month! Woof.

So when I was romping around Pinterest and stumbled across DIY candles I knew I HAD to try it. Perfect craft for a cold, quiet weekend.

& S O  E A S Y !

What You Need

> Wax flakes - whatever wax you buy will most likely have directions, follow those if they differ from mine. The heat levels differ by wax type.

> Jars / whatever you want to put your candle in

> Wicks - ones that include the metal disc at the end are the easiest to work with (as shown below) Also make sure it's long enough for whatever jar you choose

> Wick bar (holds the wicks straight - I improvised below because my craft store was out of them, ha!)

> The scents of your choice (found near the wax and wicks in your craft store)

> Thermometer

* If you want to dye your wax, you can get some dye at the craft store or use pre-colored wax

What You Do

> Melt the wax on low heat - to about 175 degrees

> Then let cool to 150 & add the desired scents - the amount of fragrance is dependent on how much wax you're melting - I admit I 100% eyeballed it & was happy with the outcome.  I put 10 hefty drops in for 2 bags of wax flakes.

> Stir

> Pour the wax into your jars

> Put the wick bar on top quickly, make sure the wick is straight & let dry

> Wait 24 hours before lighting! 

Add ribbon & a tag to personalize

The Full-Body-Wherever-Workout

Hate your love handles but hate the treadmill more?

Don't feel like MAKING TIME for the gym?

You love your workout videos but you're traveling and FORGOT the video?

You can't swing the cost of your yoga class this week?

The above excuses have been my life for the past 4 years. 

Let's stop the bitching!

I've been doing T25 with my boyfriend for about 4 weeks now. I absolutely love it. It's quick, I can do it at home, and I already see differences in my body. So does he. BUT, I won't always be able to take the DVD and my computer with me when I travel. Or better yet, I won't want to - my boyfriend also needs the DVD and I hate carrying my computer. And hate my eating habits. But that's a different blog post for a different day.

SO. I found something on Pinterest that gave me a set of 5 exercises to do over & over again. I took that & enhanced it with the moves I've learned in T25.

I did the below, my first time, 3x in a row and was completely out of breath and dripping sweat. My next goal is to do it 5x in a row.

You can absolutely do this anywhere; there's no excuse. Do it at your own pace but try to avoid breaks. Make sure your form is on point to avoid injury. Stretch. Have water at-hand. Time yourself so you have a point of reference of how long this takes you & you can set your own goals.

Full-Body-Wherever-Workout

30 Jumping Jacks

Do 5: Push-up position, tap each shoulder w/ the opposite hand (no rocking), do 1 push-up

50 High Knees

7 Burpees

30 Second Plank Hold

10 Squats

15 Mountain Climbers

20 Bicycle Crunches

5 Shoulder Tap Push-Ups (above)

10 Squats (Or Burpees)

30 Jumping Jacks

15 Second Plank Hold on your right side & 15 seconds on your left

1 Minute Wall Sit

5 Shoulder Tap Push-Ups

50 High Knees

Repeat

You work hard throughout the week at work... make time & work hard for yourself.

5 Headache-Saving Tips for Commuters

I commute. Every Day. For a total of 2.5 hours. I like to think I've mastered this art. 

Here are tips to making your commute easier on you:

1. Tide To-Go Pen

Literally a life saver. There is nothing worse than getting knocked into on your way to the office by the lawyer on the phone that is unaware that his elbow is the size of the Empire State Building; coffee in hand (obvi). You're NEW white blouse/chunky cable knit sweater/blazer now has tan streaks and smells like a cheap Starbucks (not a terrible thing but not ideal)...

This summer a woman walked into me causing me to shower myself with iced coffee (yum!) while wearing WHITE PANTS (not so yum). Emotional breakdown commence. I immediately used my Tide to-go pen and seltzer - every single drop of coffee was out of my pants within minutes. No exaggeration. I have witnesses.

Tide to-go pens will forever be on every wishlist I make for the holidays.

2. Extra Chargers

INVEST IN CHARGERS! This is #2 on my list for reasons beyond the obvious: safety. I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten to Grand Central or Penn Station (ugh) and the trains are backed up and I'm down to 2% battery on my phone and my iPad is giving me that stupid red battery sign - it won't even turn on. OR you're already on the train and it just decides to break down for kicks. There's snow. The trains too cold. There's a "signal" problem. It's 2014, you can get your signals straight people. Anyway, you wait an hour just for the conductors to realize they can't fix the problem and then you're waiting for the "back-up train". You're phones dead. No Instagram. No Pinterest. No Facebook. Hell.

Always have a charger on you. 

3. Always Have a Book

This should be obvious from my rant above in #2. Technology isn't perfect. iPads and Kindles stop working sometimes. Your app freezes. Your device needs to be charged. You have no service. You want to actually feel what it's like to read a good 'ole paperback.

Always have a book.

4. Get the "this-app-tells-you-train-times-even-though-we're-sometimes-wrong" App

I know, I know - if the trains can't even get their signals straight what makes you trust their app, right? Well, surprisingly A LOT. I commuted for a few months right after college from NJ to the City and I now commute from CT to the city. I had the NJTransit app and now the Metro North app. Out of all my cranky mornings, delayed trains, broken down trains, and the-AC-is-broken trains these apps have only been wrong ONCE.

The best thing about these is that they tell you what track your train is coming on. You KNOW that is helpful. Playing the track guessing game is the worst. Especially when you're in heels. How can you Hulk Hogan your way to the front of the train if you're 50 yards away and in heels because you GUESSED the wrong track? Cringe worthy.

5. Use a Tote/Messenger Bag

I'm not saying this tip is always fashionable. I'm not even saying it's one I always follow. I'm just saying it'll make your commuting life a lot better. 

Compartments are your friend. They hold the Tide to-go pens. The chargers. The iPad. The book. And my favorite: the snacks!

Everything has a place and there's tons of room to throw in things only commuters can understand: your entire make-up bag because you're running late and don't have time to put it on at home, extra shoes because it's cold and you're in your Uggs (they're hideous but the most comfortable things ever, #sorryimnotsorry), your homemade lunch because you're trying to save money to move out, a cardigan due to your freezing office, and an extra shirt to wear for the happy hour you're going to after work.

My biggest piece of advice would be: don't feel guilty for spending money on things to make your commute more enjoyable. You work hard and deserve to enjoy these couple hours to yourself! Commuting doesn't have to be negative. Read, sleep, relax! And well, yeah, drink.