Toppings / Travel

Saturday Things

09.28.13

1.  It's finally fall and I'm ready.  I was resisting it with every fiber of my being, trying to hold on to the last seconds of summer and now I'm just content.  There really is something about fall.  Something about burning my favorite fall candle.  Or finding a close second favorite fall candle.  Something about refusing to turn on my heat so I can cuddle up on my couch under the best blanket ever (I'm now the proud owner of two… and so is Laura).  It's in the air and I'm feeling the romanticism of the season wash over me.  I'm content.

2.  I'm not content because EVERYONE keeps asking me if I've watched glee.  I love glee, but I'm just not ready.  I fully support Lea and the cast… but it's only been two and a half months.  I'm still not ready.  All in good time. 

3.  This Guinness advertisement is refreshing.

Muffins

4.  I have a VERY fall, VERY simple, and VERY quick recipe coming your way soon… get excited.

5.  I know this news is old, but I haven't done a things post in a while so:  Am I the only one who doesn't find the people cast for 50 Shades of Grey to be as hot as I imagined them?  I guess that's the curse of reading smut.  Oh well, I'll survive.  (It won't stop me from seeing the movie obvi… maybe they'll be better than I think.)

6.  Sunday is my five year anniversary with the boyfriend.  He's just so amazing, indescribably so, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have someone who supports me in everything I do and through all of my crazy.  If I don't tell you enough: Boyf, I love you.  Here's what we looked like back then and now (the iphone selfie camera changed my world):

n1365240113_30394364_6562 IMGP6163 IMG_9710 IMG_6687 Now Collage

7.  I know my mom reads this blog (I think everyone knows that) and I'm unsure if my dad does, and family laundry doesn't need to be aired in public, but I want to quickly comment my parent's divorce being finalized this month.  This experience has been a long one, an emotional one, and a growing one.  I have learned so much from my parents.  I've been reminded of what I admire in both of them and what I don't.  I've learned what I want in a relationship and what I don't.  I've been shown that family is about more than blood ties to each other, but supporting one another and wanting the best thing for everyone.  Although divorce often has negative connotations, it can also have positive outcomes.  I love them both unconditionally, and that will never change, but I'm just glad they finally have some closure and maybe we can all move on now.  Maybe that's the lesson in this mess: eventually you come out of it stronger and happier, both individually and as a whole. 

8.  Oh hai, on a different note.  Did you know that Si and I are soul mates?  He listens to calming whale sounds, I get puget sound whale network updates weekly to my phone.  I think it's pretty obvious.  Plus we're both hysterically hilarious.  (One of us more so than the other… I'll let you decide who is who)

9.  Study abroad pictures have been making me cry constantly for the past week.  Frankie's mom wanted some of them for her bathroom wall (she re-decorated it with black and white) so I went through them all and was greeted with a flood of emotion.  (As if that's different from any other day.)

Cinque Terre, Italy 3- B&W Cinque Terre, Italy 17- B&W Florence, Italy 01- B&W Florence, Italy 05- B&W Paris, France 05- B&W Venice, Italy 3- B&W Lake Bled, Slovenia 01- B&W Rome, Italy 02- B&W

10.  This is going to sound like a selfish plug-in (primarily because it is) but my discover card is going to earn me 5% cash back on all online shopping (up to $1,500) from October to December.  Can you say christmas shopping with me?  Christmas.  Shopping.  Plus, if you use my link to sign up for your own Discover Credit Card we both will earn $50 in cash back automatically after your first purchase.  What's not to love?  Plus the fact that Frankie and I are shamelessly in a competition to see who can get more cash back… (I'm winning) because your cash back DOUBLES towards travel redemption.  Can you say free cruise with me?  Free.  Cruise.  Gosh you guys are getting good at that.  If you want the link/are interested shoot an email to msashleyrenee@icloud.com or just leave me a comment here with your email!   

11.  Also, for any one who's interested there's a bogo sale going on with Yankee Candle right now.  According to Coupons.com this code will work until tomorrow (short notice, I know, but I figured I'd share just incase anyway): CRM309X  I obviously bought two macintosh and two mistletoe candles… I don't have a problem or anything.  

12.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, BRITTANY.  You are the sweetest, most wonderful, gorgeous friend a girl could ask for.  I hope you lived it up ya big slut!

13.  Hocus Pocus is the greatest Halloween movie ever.  That is all.

Nowwww you can all go follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin oorrrrrrrrr just sign-up for email updates to keep caught up with me during the week :)

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Dessert / Recipes / Snacks

Simple Broiled Grapefruit

09.17.13

Broiled Grapefruit

Technically, there are four more days of summer.  Grapefruits remind me of summer.  I did a little research into grapefruit season and apparently if you're getting grapefruits that are grown in Texas or Florida the prime season is October to June.  To me that means I can have grapefruits all year long.  Nom.

Grapefruits Plain

I'm the type of person who goes through phases.  Like the month I ate a grapefruit for breakfast practically every single day.  I used to not like them (this blog is making it quite evident that I “used” to not like a LOT of things), but one of my best friends, Brittany, would eat them with her breakfast in college and I was always very intrigued.  I took the plunge as an adult and now I love them. 

Drizzle them with Sugar

So here I am.  In love with grapefruits but moving away from summer.  What is a girl to do?  Drizzle some sugar on those babies and broil them, duh. 

Broiling the Grapefruits

I have a love/hate relationship with my broiler.  I love the idea of it.  I hate that I nearly set my apartment on fire trying to broil the marshmallows on top of my inside out s'mores one day.  (They caught fire in my oven and I freaked out… oops.)  Moral of the story: be careful!  I seriously opened the oven every 30 seconds to make sure the oven wasn't going to explode.  #amateurstatus

Halfway Boiled

But despite the anxiety, this was totally worth it.  It was something I saw on pinterest and had to try on my own.  I think it perfectly merges the feelings of fall and summer together.  The flavor of the grapefruit is still summery to me, but the warmth makes it feel like fall.  The sugar caramelizes on top of the fruit and it's wonderfully sweet and tart.  If you let it broil long enough to char the rind you get a subtle smokey flavor which is out of this world.  (It doesn't hurt that it's a healthy alternative to most deserts.)

Charred Grapefruit Rine

If I had a grill, I'd experiment during the summer with this concept.  But for now, in my little apartment my broiler will have to do for a quick but delicious dessert. 

Caramelized Top

Print

Simple Broiled Grapefruit

  • Author: Ashley Renee
  • Prep Time: 3
  • Cook Time: 7
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 grapefruit
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your broiler and prepare the oven for broiling by moving a rack closer to the top of the oven.
  2. Slice grapefruit in half and sprinkle each half with equal amounts of sugar.
  3. Place grapefruit halves on baking sheet and broil until sugar has caramelized and edges are browning, approximately 6-7 minutes.

Notes

  • Note: Know your broiler! If you are unsure of how quickly your broiler will caramelize the sugar be sure to check on the grapefruit regularly.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 119
  • Sugar: 21
  • Sodium: 0
  • Fat: 0
  • Saturated Fat: 0
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 30
  • Protein: 2
  • Cholesterol: 0

 

Broiled Grapefruit on a Pedestal Someone Put this masterpiece on a pedestal… oh wait, I did that already.  If you count my Target Threshold candle holder as a pedestal… only in my kitchen.  Oops.  

 

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Recipes / Salads / Sides / Snacks

My Favorite Pasta Salad

09.06.13

Pasta Salad-6

This season transition is strange for me.  I feel like I'm straddling summer and fall and I'm unsure of who I really want to go/stay.  Last year (omg, I've had a blog long enough to reference posts from last year…whattt?!) I couldn't wait for fall.  This year it feels like summer didn't even happen and I'm gripping onto the warm weather and lack of rain like it's the only thing keeping me alive.

And yet…. two days ago I rejoiced in the return of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes, I had french onion soup in a bread bowl for dinner last night, and I've been wearing scarfs all week.  Am I crazy?  Don't answer that.

Wait you guys are here to talk about food right?  HA.  Okay FINE. 

Pasta Salad-5

I made this pasta salad two weeks ago for my friend Jayme's birthday party.  I adapted it from Jenn's (who just had an ADORABLE baby by the way) version of confetti pasta salad (which I'm positive is AHMAZING, but I didn't have all the right stuff so I improvised).  It represents all things that are good about summer to me.  And I ate it for days.

The way I see it, we still have 19 days to completely imerse ourselves in summer until we've summer-ed ourselves out and can't wait for the return of boots and jackets and chilly weather.  So here's what I need you to do: make and eat this pasta salad.

Bask in the fresh summer veggies.

Pasta Salad-3 Pasta Salad-4

Fall as in love with this homemade dressing as I am.

Pasta Salad Pasta Salad-2

Grab a bowl.  Grab a fork.  And stuff your face with this carb-crack that I'm presenting you with.

Pasta Salad-9  Are you ready team?  Okay… Break!    Pasta Salad-10

Print

Zesty Pasta Salad

  • Author: Ashley Renee
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
Scale

Ingredients

For the dressing

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic power
  • 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Blend
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon after mincing)
  • cracked black pepper to taste

For the salad

  • 1 (12 oz) box of tri-colored rotini pasta
  • 2 cups of elbow macaroni pasta
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 english cucumber
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 2 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together. Allow the mixture to sit and the flavors infuse.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (4-6 quarts) then add in pasta. Cook for 7-8 minutes for al dente pasta. Drain the pasta in a colander and return to the pot with a tablespoon of the dressing to keep the noodles from sticking together. If you plan on rinsing the noodles with cold water to halt the cooking process allow the noodles to cook to your ideal tenderness. (al dente noodles will continue to cook if they remain hot, which is why you want them to be less tender)
  3. While the pasta is cooking rinse and chop your veggies. Slice the bell peppers and chop them into inch long strips. Slice the zucchini and the cucumber into rounds, then cut one veggie into half moons and the other into quarters to differentiate.
  4. Combine the vegetables with the pasta and salad dressing. Add the zest and juice of the lemon to the salad. Thinly slice the mint leaves with kitchen shears and add on top of the salad. Mix to combine and evenly coat.
  5. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Notes

  • You may want to make a second batch of the dressing if the salad is being served after the first day, the noodles will soak up most of the dressing overnight!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 12
  • Calories: 201
  • Sugar: 2
  • Sodium: 59
  • Fat: 5
  • Saturated Fat: 1
  • Unsaturated Fat: 4
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 33
  • Protein: 6
  • Cholesterol: 0

Pasta Salad-7

It's still summer people.  I need a fork.  Someone get me a fork.  STAT PEOPLE.

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Toppings

Tuesday Things

08.27.13

1. I haven't done a Things post in FOREVER, so this is just a collection of stuff I've been meaning to share but have been too lazy. IMG_1432

2. I can't even with Miley.  I just can't.  #sheCANstop #please?

3. Yesterday was my best friend Mikki's birffffdayyyyy.  Mish you boo.  <3

IMG_0595

4. Nom.  Kayla‘s cake pops?  Holy cow.  She does NOT mess around, these were DELISH and super pretty…. Vaguely reminds me of the time my friend LJ made inappropriate comments about my cake balls being in her mouth in front of my grandmother… oops.

IMG_1561

5. All the links I've had open to share with you.  

6. My browser looks so clean after number 5…. weird.  BTW it was a weird montage of random inspirational/HILARIOUS/omgnsync/RIisawesome stuff.  Enjoy.

7. I can't wait for Blackfish to come to a theater to meeeeeeeeee.  UGH. bring me ALL THE ORCAS.

8.  Duck dynasty is back.  Aka. the world is right again.

thumbsup

9. When Lea made me cry at the Teen Choice Awards.  bring on the tissues… again.  Then Ashton Chris (?) reinstated my confidence in the world (and gave me hope for the coming generations?).

10. My boyfriend is coming to visit on Thursdayyyyyyy.  I'm the happiest girl.

IMG_1388

11. HOLY COW… mistresses.  STOPPPP. WHAT?  I don't even know what happened… and I watched it.  So many things happening.  I just.  I don't even know.  Harry is pissing me off.  I'm proud of mah gurl karen (except I would have been like ELIZABETH TOLD ME TO WRITE THE NOTES SO THE STUPID INSURANCE COMPANY WOULD LEAVE HER ALONE… you know, I like to keep things mature over here).  Savyyyyy, I feel for the girl.  Joceeeeee you know better.  WHERE IS LUCY.  gah. okay. i'm done.

12. A HUGE thank you to Courtney and Reebok for hosting the giveaway that I won for crossfit nanos!  I can't wait to try them out :)

13. Also, bottomless mimosas are my fave.  

IMG_1506

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Recipes / Snacks

Mango Key Lime Pie-sicles

08.20.13

It's forty minutes till Wednesday over here on my coast…. and I am not prepared.  I feel like you'll forgive me for skipping out on one What I Ate Wednesday… or I could tell you that I've been eating all of these magical, frozen, delicious, gold mango pops all day every Wednesday: Mango Lime Popsicles-9

 But in all seriousness.  I complained/whined/cried over the past five weeks about how stressful it is to NOT be home… and then I get home and I complain/whine/cry over the fact that there's too much to do and not enough time.  Baby steps.  I had to remind myself to breathe and take it one step at a time, today.  And also that its okay to have a to do list as long as the time it has taken for N'Sync to FINALLY reunite.  Too. Long.  In case you didn't understand that analogy.

I also repeatedly told myself that if I ate enough of these popsicles then summer would go NO WHERE.  Jokes on you summer.  Good try.  

Mango Lime Popsicles-10

 They have Chobani in them.  In case you didn't pick up on the fact that its my new favorite thing.  Yupppp that's right ladies and gentlemen, I put the entire flip in there.  Graham cracker and chocolate chip pieces and all.  You're welcome.  

Mango Lime Popsicles-3

The real star, though, is the mango.  The beautiful, yummy, mango. Mango Lime Popsicles-4

Mango Lime Popsicles-2

It's kind of a weird concept, I know, yogurt and fruit frozen into a popsicle mold, oh my.  It's almost like frozen… fruit…yogurt.  Fruyo?  You'll get used to it.   Mango Lime Popsicles-5

While you're warming up, let's talk silicone… molds.  These are the ones I used, primarily because they were on sale at Sur La Table.  Duh.

Mango Lime Popsicles-6
Mango Lime Popsicles-7

Are you warmed up to the idea yet?  It's time.

The pictures speak for themselves.  Let's go make some of these please :)

Mango Lime Popsicles-11

Print

Mango Key Lime Popsicles

  • Author: the Pike Place Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 120
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 Mango
  • 3/4 cup of water, divided
  • 1 Chobani Key Lime Flip
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Cut flesh from mango and puree in food processor with the sugar (you can use more or less, the mango is a tart fruit but I thought the teaspoon was fine) and 1/2 cup water. Set mixture aside.
  2. Grind the yogurt, graham cracker pieces, and the chocolate chips from the Chobani Flip in the food processor. Stream in the remaining 1/4 cup water.
  3. Fill popsicle molds half way with the yogurt mixture and then fill to the top with the mango mixture. (To add some variety try filling with the mango mixture first and then the yogurt, live on the wild side!)

Nutrition

  • Calories: 238
  • Sugar: 51
  • Sodium: 12
  • Fat: 1
  • Saturated Fat: 0
  • Unsaturated Fat: 1
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 62
  • Protein: 3
  • Cholesterol: 0

Was the title pun too much?  I saw the option and I just had to go with it.  No choice, I swear.

Mango Lime Popsicles-12 Also!  You should all be excited about Frankie coming to visit in a few weeks… maybe I can convince him to guest post for his boozey smoothies… To. Die. For. 

 

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