run now, pizza later

What I Ate Wednesday

07.08.15

HEY!

Thanks to our handy new scheduleeeee I have a freebie day on Wednesday… anddddddd… that means I can use it for…. WIAW!

I've missed doing them – I'm not sure if the party has missed me or if you guys have missed reading them, but I'm bringing them back for the time being! So let's get into it!

| Breakfast | I started my day out slowwwww. I got to work and ordered an iced blueberry cobbler coffee with cream + two sugar packets [8:14 am]. I ate breakfast SUPER late [10:26 am] – I think I've mentioned that I've had like NO appetite lately, or that I've been real weird about what I do have. well besides just a straight up bagel or English muffin with peanut butter, the only thing that I really enjoy for breakfast is greek yogurt. I picked some up Monday night so I could have them throughout the week but they didn't have Fage so I HAD to go with Chobani. I tried the watermelon flavor and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't hate it. I threw in a little KIND Cinnamon Oat Granola and called it a day. | Lunch | leftovers! I'm staying with my mom while in RI this week, so I had the benefit of a homecooked meal. I mentioned that I packed my spiralizer because I'm a seriously bizarre human – so we ended up having sausage and peppers over zucchini pasta. That's what I packed for lunch + a couple thin slices of Italian bread [12:37 pm]. Thank goodness I packed the bread because I wasn't feeling too hot and I don't know if I could have gotten the food down without some bread to cushion it in my stomach (I know none of that is scientifically accurate, buttttt it's how I imagine it happening in my body!) oh! and I had an unsweetened apple cranberry iced tea on the side | Pick-Me-Up| I planned on having a few pieces of watermelon as a snack and going for a walk at lunch – but it was rainy at lunch and a few hours later when a co-worker was heading to Starbucks I said I'd tag along to get fresh air. I ended up getting a mini S'mores frap [3:13 pm] – I refrained from eating the watermelon and opted for a granola cluster right before leaving work [4:49 pm] | Dinner | I picked up my mom and she mentioned wanting Wings-to-Go for dinner. I couldn't say no…. so I got a combo meal – 1/2 lb boneless medium wings + french fries + a piece of bread for dinner [6:15 pm] – it clearly wasn't a super healthy choice –> I probably only ate about half of it and saved the other half for lunch tomorrow. | Dessert | I munched on a bowl of watermelon later in the night to curb my sweet tooth [8:20 pm] if I wasn't in RI this week I definitely would have had a small bowl of some watermelon ginger mint sherbet because… well, isn't it obvious?

That's it for me! now let me know what you guys are up to in the comments and then head on over to Jenn‘s to see what everyone else in the party is up to! OH and don't forget to check back on Friday to see what's up for Date Night this week!

Insty. Twittah. Lovingzeblogs. Pinnypins

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Watermelon Ginger Mint Sherbet

07.07.15

do you have a food memory that just SCREAMS summer?

mine is watermelon sherbet. well really it's my mom craving watermelon sherbet. I would always know that it was the epitome of summer when my mom would start going on and on about getting some. She'd buy it in the quart from a local place (they didn't sell anything bigger) and ALWAYS get a cone when she did.

This local place? has the BEST watermelon sherbet. I'm telling you – BEST. (also I used to get a shell coated soft serve cone after gymnastics here because – lyfe.)

as in: there's no way i could ever re-create it at home and have it live up to the memory.

so i changed it.

i changed it like crazy.

as in – i infused it with ginger and mint and made it extra creamy.

I know what you're thinking – “why the heck watermelon + ginger + mint?” ummmm because the flavor bible told me so. I bought the original one and the vegetarian one – SUCH A GOOD PURCHASE. <- p.s. not affiliate or anything (I don't know how to do that) just straight up amazon links if you're interested!

But anyway, the flavor combo is really subtle and unexpected. It's not BAM in your face its more mellow – i like that. ginger has such a kick I didn't want to go too heavy with it and have the sherbet be borderline spicy.

Full disclosure? I don't know if you can make this without an ice cream maker… you can certainly try – but I used my Cuisine Art one and was so happy with the results I probably won't try to make this no-churn. BUT. I do know others who know how to do that. like Jessica's no churn blackberry chip (but this is ice cream not sherbet).

have you wondered what the difference between sorbet and sherbet is (because I was wondering and had to look it up to see if they were different when I was naming this)? thekitchn did a really great article that explains the differences pretty well.

OH OH. btw, this stuff was really creamy, next time when i make it for myself I'd probably cut the cream in half – but frankie really liked it and kept asking if he could have a bowl after dinner all week – if that means anything at all to you.

as for me? my favorite way to drink it is plopped into a cute champagne chute! (with prosecco.) NOM. Prosecco is my faveee.

You should do this too! Make it a cute summer brunch thing! YES. invite all your friends and buy some nice champagne and make it a partay. it'll be worth it. and classy. so classy.

just be careful ^ clearly the bubbles have a mind of their own. (and they MAKE A MESS)

but its just sooooo pretty that I don't care. do you care? we can agree to disagree I suppose.

Watermelon Ginger Mint Sherbet

Author: Ashley Renee
Prep Time: 720
Cook Time: 150
Total Time: 14 hours 30 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1/2 inch ginger root
4 cups watermelon, chopped
1/2 lime
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer overnight – or for at least 12 hours.
Peel your ginger root and chop it into small pieces, somewhere in between dicing and mincing. Combine the ginger, mint leaves, sugar, and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Make sure to stir it at least once a minute. Remove the saucepan from the burner and allow to cool for five minutes. Once cooled, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth (you can use a fine mesh sieve – or just scoop out the mint leaves and ginger pieces using a spoon if you chopped them big enough).
In a food processor, combine watermelon, ginger mint syrup, and the juice from half a lime. Process until the watermelon is completely broken down. Add in the heavy cream and process gently – if you do it too long the mixture might start developing whipped cream peaks.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a loaf pan lined with parchment paper or an ice cream container and freeze for at least two hours or until solid!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 10
Calories: 141
Sugar: 14
Sodium: 10
Fat: 9
Saturated Fat: 5
Unsaturated Fat: 3
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 16
Protein: 1
Cholesterol: 33

i can't even.

Make it? Lemme see it! Hashtag it: #thepikeplacekitchen

Insty. Twittah. Lovingzeblogs. Pinnypins.

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Toppings

Sunday Sprinkles

07.05.15

1. USA!!! I'm so proud of our ladies, especially for that stellar performance today! Did you guys watch? are you into soccer? what's your favorite sport?

2. my best friend visited Frankie and I in new york this weekend and it was so fun. We hung out and drank too much and had a blast – however I could have used this info this morning.

3. I just wanna live on my couch for the next few weeks, but I'm heading to Rhode Island tomorrow. It'll be really nice to see my mom and family and everything, but I wish I could have short break from work where i do nothing and just hang out… sort of like an extended weekend? i think this desire means I can't possibly be a real adult yet.

4. I got a splinter in my hand at farmborough and i got most of it out but i'm missing this ONE little broken off piece. do you have any tips on how to get it out? wahh. did i mention i'm a huge baby?

5. OH OH. I haven't told you guys. (or maybe I have and I forgot) I have a new favorite yogurt – Fage. it surpassed chobani for me. it's the second best I've been able to find to Ellenos in Seattle.

6. i want to be a DIY queen. is that too much to ask? i think not.

7. we still aren't into anything that is currently airing. WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING? i'm still obsessed with Lie to Me – we watch that pretty much every day. I'm still watching Bones like crazy. but nothing that is actually airing right now has caught my eye. am i missing something obvious?

8. i literally packed my spiralizer in my suitcase for my trip home. is that excessive? am i being ridiculous?

9. we're watching the proposal right now and I always forget how much i love this movie. I pretty much die laughing through the whole thing.

10. Garlic Confit is on my list of things i NEED to learn how to use/make. I also want this, NOW.

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Recipes

Thirsty Thursday: Blueberry Lemonade Martini

07.02.15

Haiiiii. this is the start of #thirstythursday posts!

ohhhh dear.

Blueberry. Lemonade. Martinis.

yes. YES.

Fresh lemons! yes. Fresh blueberries! yes. BLUEBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP! yes, yes, yes.

Um. for the sake of “recipe testing.” I tried them with fresh lemon juice AND with the kind you buy in a bottle at the grocery store… for… “research.”

I concluded that it's WAY better with fresh juice.

but like. you knew that was coming. everything is better when it's fresh. EVERYTHING.

I only want fresh herbs. fresh fruit. fresh juice. yes. YES.

i told you guys about my herb plants right? about how i am growing mint, basil, and thyme in my kitchen? guysss I'm just watering them. i don't know what else to do! do i need to prune them? WHAT should happen? what am i supposed to do? i don't get it.

I just don't even know.

but I DO know that i could drink a VAT of this stuff.

it's nice and tart. and its so pretty. did you SEE the color?! It's a brilliant (<- who do i think i am?) fuchsia. FUCHSIA. yes, I want to drink that. please. and thank you.

honestly though, my freaking nails. I NEED to start being conscious about them in these photos. the chipped nail game is real.

so real it hurts.

buttttt again. THE COLOR ^^^^

ugh.

Womp womp. i always shake my martinis! I find it's easier than “stirring.” i tend to make a mess when i stir.

not that i don't make a mess when i shake. I just am constantly making messes.

whichhhhhhh is the worst. i hate messes.

Checkkkk itttt. i know you're wondering where the pretty color comes from. its this simple syrup! YESSS. are you too lazy? I'm really sorry. Take the extra steps, it's really important. OR if you REALLY have no interest. ugh. muddle up some blueberries to get more of the flavor and throw them in there with PLAIN simple syrup. but let's be real, it doesn't take much longer to make the special one compared to your basic one. I'm just sayin.

BUT. it is really important to use simple syrup regardless. you don't wanna have to use straight sugar and have it be grainy at the bottom. If you don't sweeten this up, it'll be too tart. you can totally sweeten it to taste – but more likely than not, you'll feel like it needs at least a little sweetener.

okay, okay. i'll stop standing in your way. go forth and take care of that thirst.

Blueberry Lemonade Martini

Author: Ashley Renee

Scale

Ingredients

2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 oz bacardi
1 oz blueberry simple syrup
lemon slices & blueberries for garnish
sugar for rim

Notes

Prep the martini glasses by either frosting them or line the rim with sugar. To frost a martini glass, run the glass under water then lightly shake it and place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
Combine lemon juice, bacardi, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake for thirty seconds.
Pour into martini glass and serve.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1
Calories: 113
Sugar: 4
Sodium: 32
Fat: 0
Saturated Fat: 0
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 30
Protein: 0
Cholesterol: 0

and you should DEFINITELY decorate the glass. if for nothing other than to please me.

Make it? Lemme see it! Hashtag it: #thepikeplacekitchen

Insty. Twittah. Lovingzeblogs. Pinnypins.

Sunday Sprinkles

06.28.15

1. I'm baaaaaack, with a sprinkles post AND a brandy new schedule ^ for you crazy kids! Okay, SO. I tried to take a hiatus on the personal posts for a little while just to see how it felt. I had mixed feelings, i loved focusing on just food for a while and it did free up a LOT of my time to do some other blog related ish (see #3). I did really miss talking to you guys about what's been on my mind. it's one of my favorite parts of this mutual blog relationship that we have – I LOVE hearing from you all and i really love having that outlet to put my thoughts out there – soooo I'm bringing them back, in a very new/scheduled way. Let me give you the low down!

2. Sunday – sundays will always be Sprinkles posts. these are the posts where I talk about all that crap you probably really don't care about, but I most likely think its funny or interesting and I like sharing the thoughts with you. Tuesday – ohhhh tuesdays! this is probably the biggest change, I'm shifting the recipe posting date up to Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. I really loved my friend Katie's idea of #partyof2tuesdays, so I'll be incorporating that in here, but really all food recipes will be posted on Tuesday from now on. Wednesday – muahahaah. i gave myself a free space! This is the day that i can post whatever I want. They'll probably range from WIAW to New York updates to reviews or really anything thats going on in my life that I want to tell you about. It'll be super random. You'll love it. Thursday – OH THIRSTY THURSDAY! So, this is the day you can look forward to a drink recipe. if you don't see a recipe come through the blog on Tuesday, it'll be because I have a drink/cocktail planned for you all that week. I knowwww it sounds so fun! let's just go back to college now, okay? okay. and finallyyyyy Friday – let's talk about date night! I loved featuring date nights to you guys, and I really fell behind. BUT i'm bringing them back to you! They might not be exclusively NYC dates either, if we find ourselves somewhere else – RI or NC or Seattle WHO KNOWS WHERE, you'll likely see a date post from there! and that's it folks. that brings us back to the start of the week on Sunday :) now that we've got that all explained and out of the way, let's get to chatting about typical Sunday stuff!

3. I've started a new project! I'm reviving my pinterest board. I rarely ever used it before, so now i'm trying to bring it back with a vengeance. Check it out to see me going through old recipes and re-pinning them in long pins! I've heard that long pins get more action over on pinterest so i'm trying it out. let me know what you think! do you prefer long pins or do you find them annoying?

4. This weekend is Farmborough! It's been so much fun already, besides getting rained out yesterday, I've been going with Frankie and his sister Margaret. gahh we've been having a blast – check back with me on my personal instagram to see all the pics.

5. could this post BE anymore social media oriented? ew. self-promoting ftw.

6. I've been holding onto a ton of links to share with you guys in the weeks that I haven't been doing these posts. I thought THIS was hilarious. i'd totally get a lie detector on frankie just to see what he really thinks. THIS is cool for healthier eating swaps. And THIS is a super interesting read. The guy behind the company sounds like a total douche and any time i see those ads in the subway it irks me.

7. TV! Wahhh we haven't really been watching anything religiously that's currently airing. I still need to catch up on Game of Thrones and I haven't started watching Orange is the New Black yet. I really need to get on my game there. I've made it up to Season 4 of Bones – did we talk about how I'm watching it from the beginning on Netflix? I can't even remember any more. WAH. Frankie and I have also been watching Lie to Me on Netflix and we really love that one! I just want Cal and Foster to get together already – we just started Season 2 so no spoilers!

8. I've been eating less meat lately, it's been really bothering me when I eat a meat heavy meal – i start to feel nauseous and gross (and NO i am not pregnant) – so this was a super good help! I've been eating veggie heavy meals a lot and making sure I get enough protein has been high on my priorities – i'm obviously not vegetarian so i had no clue how to even start supplementing more protein in my diet. And before anyone freaks out on me, i'm not going full on vegetarian – i'm just trying to eat less.

9. I've found a few new awesome blogs lately and wanted to share a couple with you guys! Dani has some great recipes and is super inspirational if you're looking for a healthy eating vibe. Jordan‘s blog is SUPER cute and i love her title. she also has some awesome recipes and healthy inspiration.

okay kids, that's pretty much it for the day. Have a lovely Sundayyyyy!

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