run now, pizza later

Pink Lemonade Basil Martini

02.20.14

Hey you. Yeah you. I like you. You're cute. Your hair is super pretty. Let's be friends. Friends have drinks together. Let's have a drink. A pretty pink drink. Yeah, that sounds like something friends would DEFINITELY do together. Let's do that.

I mean, it's pink.

I have a confession to make. This really came about because I got swindled into buying a huge bag of basil by my produce guys at the Pike Place Market.

Oops.

But I mean, I really love basil. And I needed it to make you guys that pizza sauce way back when.

It just always smells SOOOO good. And it tastes really good in this martini. It makes me think of summer. It makes me want watermelon and barbeques and smores. How much would I love a smore right now? too much. It's not good.

I'm losing my mind thinking about summer before it's even spring. I'm over winter. Can you tell?

What's that you say? You're over winter also?

Well here my friend: have a martini and thaw out that snow with a warm blanket of vodka.

Vodka martini. Shaken. Not Stirred.

And why yes, yes I am the idiot who shook her martini with NO ice. What the heck was I thinking in that moment? No one knows. I was in a rush people. But honestly, it was good even semi-warm.

So shake one of these babies up and pour yourself a cocktail. You deserve it.

(Confession: I definitely put a few of my plastic non-diluting ice cubes into the glass after taking pictures… nerd alert.)

I swear I'm just in love with the color. ITS SO PRETTY.

Disclaimer: I may or may not be tipsy writing you this post.

No further enticement necessary on your part eh? Didn't think so.

Pink Lemonade Basil Martini

Author: Ashley Renee
Yield: 1 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 parts Crystal Light Pink Lemonade
1 part citrus vodka
basil leaves
ice

Instructions

Lightly muddle a few basil leaves and combine with pink lemonade and vodka in your cocktail shaker.
Add a handful of ice and shake to chill.
Strain into a martini glass.

Notes

Optional: Use a leaf of basil for garnish in the glass.

Nutrition

Calories: 3
Sugar: 0
Sodium: 11
Fat: 0
Saturated Fat: 0
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 1
Protein: 0
Cholesterol: 0

Don't make me drink alone. Friends don't let friends drink alone. <- my motto.

1 Comment

Dark Chocolate M&M Cookies Sprinkled with Sea Salt

02.13.14

“Hello, lover.” <- that's what these grown-up M&M cookies say in the most lovingly of ways.

But really.

In two words: Dark. Chocolate.

Allow me to ask you a question, did you forget that Valentine's Day is tomorrow? Because it is. In case my instagram hasn't reminded you enough.

Have you forgotten to get your valentine something? Never fear. I'm here to give you the solution: dark chocolate M&M cookies sprinkled with sea salt.

I have it on good authority (mine) that the way to anyone's (my) heart is through their stomach.

I know you won't believe me but I am actually not a huge fan of the holiday. I think it's silly honestly. The only good thing about it is that it reminds us to express how much we love the people around us, especially our significant others. I'm not one of those people who will go on about how it was made up by Hallmark and the candy companies because I just don't see the point of dwelling over the origin and who benefits.

The idea of the holiday is a good one and I enjoy how it makes me remember to tell my boyfriend how much I love him all throughout February. However, I do feel slightly guilty even saying that because I should be expressing that everyday.

But life gets in the way… Cookies get in the way…

So when I was thinking about what to “get” Frankie for V-Day, I tried to think about the things he loves. He loves when I bake him things. I baked him this cake for the holiday one year with the themed milk chocolate M&Ms.

I haven't been able to bake for him in a while because I moved so far away. Luckily for him, I had some time in Seattle last weekend so I thought I'd mail him some cookies.

But these couldn't be just ANY cookies. My mind wandered to Jenny's Perfect M&M Cookies, which I made a few months ago and am STILL obsessing over. But I told myself I needed them to be more decadent… more intimate…

Is it possible to make intimate cookies? I think so.

Cue dark chocolate M&Ms and sea salt. In my cookies, I took out the purple M&Ms. I felt like they weren't that festive. Not that HE would notice. Whatever. But omg. The dark chocolate MAKES this combo work. Lately, I've been REALLY into dark chocolate over milk chocolate. It's quickly becoming my favorite.

This is coming from the girl who completely hated chocolate just three years ago. No really. Our first Valentine's Day together Frankie gave me a big bag of Hershey Kisses and appeared thoroughly confused when I insisted that I had told him I hate chocolate. Guess who ended up eating those Hershey Kisses? Yeah that's right, him. I'm still convinced he planned it that way.

Anywho. The sea salt is a must. I learned this trick when I was at a wine tasting even actually. The winery gave out chocolate chip cookies with sea salt and rosemary and they were ah-mazing.

Make these. It's quick. It's easy. It'll earn you a kiss. I promise.

Dark Chocolate M&M Sea Salt Cookies

Author: Ashley Renee
Prep Time: 18
Cook Time: 12
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 24 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 cup dark chocolate M&M's
Sea Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In your electric mixer cream the butter with the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing to combine. Mix in flour, pudding mix, kosher salt, and baking soda. Fold M&M's into the cookie dough by hand (to prevent breakage).
Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
Lightly sprinkle the scoops of dough with sea salt.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool before eating!

Nutrition

Calories: 3977
Sugar: 419
Sodium: 2378
Fat: 165
Saturated Fat: 101
Unsaturated Fat: 50
Trans Fat: 4
Carbohydrates: 589
Protein: 40
Cholesterol: 474

Besides, what says I love you better than cookies and chocolate?

Answer: Nothing.

P.S. be sure to give yourself a cookie (or five) for being such a good valentine!

3 Comments

Toppings

Monday [I missed you] Things

02.10.14

1. I'm obsessing over my Naked3 pallet that I got for Christmas. It's so pretty I want to die. or just rub it all over my face when no one is looking. muahahah.

2. I know that NO ONE wants to hear me rave on about things that I ate and loved while I was traveling to little remote places that no one ever goes to… butttttttt. I literally had the best pot roast of my life at a little restaurant in Juneau, Alaska that only makes it on Tuesdays. I'm going to hide now before you all try to murder me. (but really. it was amazing. it included roasted cloves of garlic… whole. yeah.)

3. I love it when my friends tell me they read my posts and like the numbered ones… I love that you guys get me… and accept me… swoon.

4. There are days when I have SO much compassion and feeling for Lea Michele that I could throw up or cry. When I first professed my love of her my friends hated her and her “diva” attitude. Honestly, I think she's the epitome of grace and strength. I admire her ambition and drive and wish I could be more like her.

5. People who don't like to read confuse me. I am my most content inside a good book. However, I'm also pretty content inside a bad book too. Any time I don't actually have to think I'm pretty happy…. Any good book recommendations?

6. My uber talented friend Jordan recently moved to Nashville to pursue her singing dreams. She's amazing and you should look at her youtube page. DOOOOO IT. I'm currently obsessed with her Say Something cover. She's so brave and she inspired my new favorite hashtag #rhodeygirlsleavinthenext

7. Why yes, I did say uber. OUUUUU-BER.

8. I'm petrified of the days when hashtags are no longer cool and we look back and say “what the hell were we thinking?!” Try to figure out how to explain hashtags to your future children… they're going to laugh at us the way we do when our parents say “bomb diggity.”

9. Only the literal cutest thing I've seen in forever. Along with the coolest thing I've seen in forever.

10. You guys definitely had your priorities in order in January, the most viewed recipe on the blog was my Cake Batter Shots, followed by Red Velvet Fudge Pie and the BEST Pizza Sauce evaaaa. #proudofyews

11. UMMM. what was up with the weather this past weekend. Snow in Seattle? make it leave. i'm done with it. but it's kind of pretty ~~when it's not causing havoc on the bus system and making me wait at a bus stop for an hour at midnight on a Saturday night~~

I'm a creep and take pictures of other people's plants while I walk. oh well.

Napa Things

01.30.14

Napa, CA [through my iPhone & Instagram]

The land of wine, fountains, and selfies.

My Favorite [Quick & Easy] Pizza Sauce

01.26.14

As a girl who spent a significant amount of time eating pizza throughout Italy (okay fine I eat pizza EVERYWHERE I go), I consider myself pretty well versed with the food group. In simple terms: I. Love. Pizza.

Some may say I love pizza too much. To those people I say: blasphemy!

I saw on a food-network commercial that the average American eats something like 24 pounds of pizza a year. Ha. I eat that in one weekend…. but really. I'm 95 percent sure that when I went home to visit my family and Frankie I ate 24 pounds of pizza. But really.

I also don't discriminate against my pizza. I'll eat it out, I'll eat it home, I'll get delivery, I'll do pick-up. I'll eat Chicago-style, New York-Style, and any of the ridiculous number of different Italian-styles. (FYI: pizza in Florence is WAYYYYY different than it is in Naples.)

Don't even get me started on RI pizza strips. WHEAH MAH RHODE ISLANDAHS AT? Can we boycott? How did D. Palmieri's not make it on that list?

In case you're scratching your head like uhhhhhh Ash what's the point. The point is that I've experienced a lot of different kinds of pizza sauces. I've had sweet sauce, spicy sauce, flavorful sauce, bland sauce, garlicy sauce, white sauce, red sauce, even buffalo and barbecue sauce.

And despite all that, this is my go-to sauce when I'm making pizza at home.

And I don't wanna hear you be all like: I don't have time. All I'm hearing is BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. No offense. But it seriously takes two seconds and seven ingredients to make an amazing pizza sauce that isn't prepackaged in a squirt-able bottle. I want better for you, my invisible internet friends, better than squirt-able bottles. I really, really do.

In case you're wondering what hypes the sauce up: fresh basil. It's the secret weapon every time. (butttttt if you're in a pinch dried basil will work too.)

Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce

Author: Ashley Renee
Prep Time: 5
Total Time: 5

Scale

Ingredients

1 10 oz can tomato sauce (I use Hunt's!)
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
basil leaves (I go by taste but usually use 2 bigger leaves)

Instructions

Pour the first six ingredients (tomato sauce through pepper) and mix together.
Take your kitchen shears and cut your basil leaves into thin strips about a half inch long.
Stir the basil strips into the tomato sauce mixture.
Use immediately, freeze, or refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Notes

You want to make sure the oil is not separating from the rest of the sauce before using it. If you see it separating just give it a good stir before putting the sauce on the dough!
This recipe yields approximately 1 cup of sauce.