run now, pizza later

Tuesday Things & Dinner at Deb’s

04.02.13

1. Easter Sunday was just an overall good day. I was very grateful to be able to spend it with friends, who feel like family. I had Easter Brunch with Erin & Laura, to which I contributed a really good fruit salad and really bad pasta dish (that none of us ate). Then I had Easter Dinner with Deb & Cameron. The dinner was less than traditional, but SUPER delish: Mandarin Pork & Rice. Yummm. And Deb's mint has been doing so well, we decided to make mojitos!

2. I planned on sharing a smoothie recipe with you all last week, but… I got distracted. I don't know what happened. I'm sorry. I'll share that and maybe something else this week :)

3. Can we just talk about something really quickly? It's a little more serious than I like to get on here, but it's been on my mind all week: anyone who helps themselves is a hero in my book. That's a direct quote from a Chris Colfer tweet regarding Cory Monteith checking himself into rehab. I couldn't have put it better myself and I think it was just so eloquent. I'm happy that he and Lea Michele are being sent so much love and support… I've seen NO backlash. I'd like to keep it that way. This incident doesn't change a thing about him in my eyes, in fact I think I admire him a little more now. There have been too many people in my life that, at some point, I wish would simply admit they had a problem, let alone ask for help. I think it's a very brave and couragous thing to do. I'm happy for him. To me, he's a hero.

4. Moving on to something less serious: this past weekend, Laura & I went to see a few local country bands play in Ballard. We had TONS of fun. I also went to the zoo this weekend… I'm like the luckiest girl in the world. There was too much fun packed into one weekend for my own good. I need to be boring this week to make up for it. Which means I need to clean my apartment from top to bottom… Spring cleaning time. Ew.

5. It's so cold in my office, I've been craving soup ALL. DAY. LONG. This is from a girl who hates soup. Except one: French Onion. I think my problem with soup is that everything gets so soggy. Chicken noodle soup is like my worst nightmare… the noodles get all slimy. Ugh. Maybe I would like it more if I added the noodles at the last minute. Hmm… I'm going to think on that one. AFTER I'M DONE EATING ALL THE AWESOME FRENCH ONION SOUP I'M MAKING. Because there's only onions. And onions don't get soggy or slimy or ANYTHING because they're awesome.

6. I used to hate onions. Until like two months ago when I realized I loved them… obviously.

7. New favorite show? New Girl. Watched the entire second season in one night… there's ONLY like 20 episodes guys, it's fine. Stop judging. Please stop judging. Super excited about Jess & Nick… Almost peed my pants from excitement. Almost.

8. I went to Deb's for dinner yesterday. My boyfriend was extremely jealous when he found out I was going to get back to back nights of Deb's cooking. Boom. I won that battle. There was no battle? Everyone knows that there's always a battle of who had a better dinner… right? Want to know what dinner was? I'm going to tell you, so you mide as well say yes. Dinner was lamb with mint sauce, asparagus (otherwise known as my favorite vegetable), mashed potatoes, homemade french bread, and angel foodcake with strawberries. We had “Easter Dinner” yesterday because Geoff works on Sunday nights, so he wasn't able to enjoy Mandarin Pork with us… I enjoyed it for him, it was not wasted.

9. I've been missing this place a lot lately:

One of my big regrets was that I failed to keep up with my blog while I was abroad… I guess I'll just have to go backkkkk (woe is me).

10. In other news, I booked TWO trips home. One in April and one in June. Guess who's exciteddddd? This girl.

11. I'm really loving the dynamic between the judges on The Voice this season. It's just super funny and playful. I like that. Let's all be happy and funny.

12. I have this problem where I spend all day long staring at a computer without my glasses on. Then 3/4 of the way through the day I realize, “Oh hey. You're not wearing your glasses. Maybe that's why your head has been pounding for the last five hours and your eyes feel like they jumped out of your body and ran a marathon? MAYBE? Put on your glasses you idiot.” It's not rocket science Ash, just WEAR YOUR GLASSES. God I suck.

13. Get excited for my oatmeal smoothie recipe. And maybe a little something else coming your way…

As usual, you can follow my Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what’s happening with me throughout the week. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Pike Place Kitchen Email List, below my twitter updates on the right hand side of the site, to get email notifications for new posts.

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Sunday Stuff

03.24.13

1. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how comfortable boys' clothes are? Honestly. WHY? Why can't MY clothes be so comfy? I say that like I'm really upset that I had to ~~steal~~ borrow my boyfriend's entire wardrobe. Spoiler: I'm not upset. I love being in Seattle for the simple fact that the weather permits me to LIVE in his sweats and the 90,000 t-shirts I've stolen. I “joke” with Frankie and say that when he visits he doesn't really need to pack clothes… If only he knew just how bad it really is….

2. Yoga this morning was amazing… It was geared towards “office body,” and I really felt the difference afterwards. AND GUYS. HOLD THE PHONE BECAUSE: I MADE A FRIEND. ugh I know, I'm pathetic. But, she seems really nice and I may or may not have committed to going “bouldering” with her so we can be friends but that's not the point… the point is: I MADE A FRIEND. Finally, my plan of making friends at yoga is working! (Side note: I'm really scared of bouldering, apparently it's like rock climbing without a harness. Has anyone done this before? Should I be scared? Will I die?)

3. Can someone just buy me a mandolin(e) (I've seen it spelled both ways) already so I can make a batch of these? I mean I guess I lied, I also need someone to buy me a deep frier… BUT IT WOULD BE SO WORTH IT. And I'd make you some. Pretty please? OH COME ON. Any takers? No? Damn. FINEEEEEE, I'll have to buy them myself.

4. Did everyone see my reinvented leftovers that I posted on instagram? Let me show you:

This:

Used to be this:

5. So. This made me cry today. Yeah, I have nothing else to say about that one. (I really did cry.) Then I laughed hysterically at this picture I saved to my phone from my coworker:

#guiltypleasure #duckdynasty #notashamed

6. I'm currently listening to Justin Timberlake's new CD, as I write this. Why is his voice so heavenly? Why am I so obsessed? I'm pretty sure last week I wrote about him also (went back and checked… yup, further confirmation of my obsession). Maybe I need a “JustInTervention”. Until someone gives me one, I'm going to keep living my life in JT bliss. Luckily I'm in the library right now which is keeping me from singing. “You got me hopped up on that PUSHER LOVEEEEEEeeeEE” I really missed my calling. Seriously.

7. I'm going to spend the next two weeks in Seattle, and I'm super excited for it. On Friday, My friend Erin and I took a trip to Bainbridge Island and tried a new mexican place in Capitol Hill. And then yesterday, I walked around the city all day. I went to the Library (I'm obsessed with this place), Pioneer Square, the Waterfront, and down to Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is) & Queen Anne. Sorry I'm not sorry for blowing up your instagrams.

8. I'm making my own variation of this for dinner tonight.

9. Have I ever told you guys that my grandmother is the cutest woman in the world? I just love her so much. I try to talk to her every Sunday and she's always super cute on the phone. Today, she told me about how all of her fish died and she couldn't figure out why. Then she realized they were all getting sucked into the filter. She kills me. A few weeks ago, I called her and asked her what she did that day and she was like: “oh you know, I spent all day cleaning the fish tank.” I mean COME ON. Stop being so adorable. She's obsessed with these damn fish, and I think it's the funniest thing in the world. It makes me miss her a lot.

10. Have you ever heard of Voodoo Doughnut? Apparently, they are Portland's THING. Erin made me stop before coming back from Vancouver and get her a Maple Bacon Bar. Yes, you heard that correctly. Maple. Bacon. Bar. Talk about my heaven. I obviously got one for myself. Then on Friday we found a place that makes them in Capitol Hill… I think we all know what's going to be the death of my diet.

11. I'm going to leave you with a picture. Just because I like it. Be on the lookout for a smoothie recipe later this week.

As usual, you can follow my Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what's happening with me throughout the week. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Pike Place Kitchen Email List, below my twitter updates on the right hand side of the site, to get email notifications for new posts.

6 Ingredient Garlic Onion Chicken

03.20.13

I promised you the other day that I'd be sharing one of my favorite recipes. If you know anything about me then you know I'm obsessed with two foods: bread & garlic. Theres tons of garlic in this recipe, so it's a no brainer that I love it. If I thought I could eat garlic straight and have it be socially acceptable… I would.

This is a dish my mom makes almost every time I come home. It's one of those comfort foods that makes me think of home… along with steak and baked potatoes (ughhh I'm drooling just thinking about it). I made a couple tweaks to her recipe, mainly because I couldn't remember exactly how she makes it… But I think I came pretty close.

There are several things I really love about this dish. The first thing I love is that there are only 6 ingredients, and I always have them on hand in my kitchen. I'd imagine (because I live in a world where everyone keeps 32 oz jars of minced garlic in their fridge, obviously) that the only thing you'd need to purchase would be the chia seeds. If I'm being honest, you don't need the chia seeds either. They won't make or break this dish. They were an addition that I made just to make it healthier. I learned about chia seeds from my friend Erin, and I've been throwing them in my food/drinks ever since. The main thing I love about them is that they provide a great source of Omega 3 fats (I hate most fish so this is a big bonus) and they help you feel fuller quicker because they expand in size when they come in contact with liquids. So like I said, you don't need the seeds for this dish, they don't add any flavor… however, they do add a crunch texture I really like with the chicken.

The second thing I really love about this dish is that you can make it all in one pan. Less dishes = happy Ashley. Dishes are like my least favorite chore… besides laundry… and taking out the trash… and ironing… and washing the floor. Okay you caught me, I hate all chores; but doing the dishes is like my arch nemises. Bring it on garlic onion chicken pan, you have no army… you're just one dish. I CAN HANDLE YOU. HA

Oh yeah, I showed that pan… This is what my life has come to: taunting and heckling dishes and battling them with soapy water… I need a new hobby. Maybe I'll learn to knit or something. I already act like a 90 year old woman. Any one want a Werther's Original? I've got 100 in my bag. It's not my fault that I can bribe my boyfriend into loving me by constantly carrying Werther's around…he's like a child… it's so easy to keep him around. Love you babe! (see that'll keep him content for like the next month~~, not that I'm much better… all he has to do is call me “beautiful” and I swoon for like the next year and a half~~.

Besides, all my friends make fun of me and then EAT the candy. Think about that one. They wish they were 90 year old women. They also all love this chicken… at least my mom's version, we'll see about mine.

6 Ingredient Garlic Onion Chicken

Author: Ashley

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-4 people

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast (approximately 2 breasts)
1 onion
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chia seeds
pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Dice the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and throw them into a frying pan with the minced garlic. Mince the onion and add it to the frying pan as well. Add as much (or as little) black pepper as you’d like (I used fresh cracked black pepper because thats what I like).
With all of the ingredients in the pan, turn the burner on to medium heat. Cook the chicken pieces, mixing the ingredients, until the chicken turns white (approximately 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces).
Add the olive oil to the frying pan and cook until the outsides have crisped up (approximately 5 more minutes).
Add the chia seeds into the frying pan and mix to coat the pieces as evenly as possible.

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

Insty. Twittah. Lovingzeblogs. Pinnypins.

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Monday Things

03.18.13

1. So I'm sure you guys have been wondering what's been going on over here. Well, let me tell you: EXCITING THINGS. I'm currently in Vancouver, Washington for work (it's just a few minutes away from Portland, Oregon). It's really pretty out here and I love that the hotel I'm staying at has a running trail right along the Columbia River. I've obviously been walking the trail and not running it… I have no endurance. But it's still nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air while exercising.

2. OH YEAH. HAPPY BELATED ST. PATRICK'S DAY! I didn't do much of anything on the holiday. But the days leading up to it, my liver was definitely tested… it'll forgive me.. eventually. What did you guys do?

3. Sooooo, remember when I said I was done spending money? Yeah… me neither. While I was down here in Vancouver last week, I joined the Macbook Pro Club. And OH MAN, I'm in love. My old Macbook was from like 2007 and it was just simply dying. It took 8 years to do anything, which is one of the reasons it was so difficult to keep things moving around here (I can't blame everything on the computer… it might be some of my inherent procrastination too). It's really wonderful to have a computer that actually works. #firstworldproblems

4. Two weekends ago I went to see Oz with Deb & Cameron. I LOVED IT. I thought it was awesome. I'm a huge Wicked fan and I thought the different perspective on how the Wicked Witch came about was so interesting. I saw the movie in 3D at the IMAX theater in the Pacific Science Center. We all loved it all around. Mila Kunis was my favorite character though, besides Finley(?) the monkey. The picture at the top of this post was from that night at the Pacific Science Center.

5. This is so true. This is the story of my life (every class not just my first). Just this.

6. I may or may not have a martini problem. There I said it. Not an alcohol problem, a martini problem. Does it matter that I'll drink a martini with almost any type of alcohol? EHHHhh… we're gonna go with a no on that one.

7. I've been working in a room at a bank called the Sandy River Room… I immediately thought of How I Met Your Mother & Sandy Rivers… Then I understood the name pun…then I was embarrassed… then I got over it and took a picture:

8. I finally caught up on glee. I know, it was only a matter of time. UGH. N'sync & Backstreet Boys? Ialmostdiedandwenttoheaven. Also, the fight scene at the end… I loved every second of it. I just want my finchel back. Okay my inner gleek is showing, I need to stop. However, can Lea Michele and Cory Monteith just have babies already? Okay now I'm really done.

9. Yoga kicked my butt yesterday. The class focused on backbends… I didn't know I even HAD those muscles back there. Apparently they exist. And they're angry with me. Hopefully they'll get over it.

10. I watched the most recent SNL Justin Timberlake hosted last night with my friend Calvin. Is anyone else as obsessed with Suit & Tie as I am? Because I am and it's great.

11. I wish I had seen these before yesterday. Can someone buy me an ice cream maker so I can make this? While you're at it can everyone bring me like 20 of these ~~each~~?

12. I have SO many plans over the next weeks for the blog. Get excited. Now I have no excuse. Starting with a super simple and delish chicken dish that my mom makes almost every time I come home. Yummm.

To find out what I’m up to all week long follow my Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Pike Place Kitchen Email List, below my twitter updates on the right hand side of the site, to get email notifications for new posts.

Catch ya on the flip side <3

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Sunday Stuff

03.03.13

1. I woke up early this morning and went to Sunday yoga at my local lululemon. I really should be going more regularly, for some reason it makes the rest of my day. I just always feel more productive and calm after I go. I also feel broke… I may have accidentally purchased this scarf (in orange and navy, see above), and this shirt, and this headband…. WHOOPS. However, in my own defense, I'm wearing the scarf right now and its SOOOOO comfortable. Totally worth it… and it was on sale… which means it was practically free and a very effective purchase.. DUH.

2. While were on the subject of me ~~unnecessarily~~ spending money… I may have also accidentally (totally on purpose) bought the Aria Fitbit Scale. Have I told you guys about my fitbit? I'm in love with it. It's the coolest little thing. It tracks my steps, calories burned, distance walked, flights of stairs walked up, and it also can track my sleep cycles. I bought it a few months ago and I wear it everyday. I get weekly updates from fitbit telling me how active I've been all week… talk about motivating. But back to the scale, I bought Aria to track my weight, BMI, and fat %. It's pretty cool that one scale can measure all those things, plus it tracks my progress for me! Every time I step onto the scale all of my stats are wirelessly loaded into my fitbit account. Let's just say I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be.

3. If anyone else has a fitbit account and wants to be friends, just let me know! Here is my fitbit profile, where you can see what I've been up to.

4. Last night I went to the Seattle Children's Theater production of The Edge of Peace with Cameron. It was actually A LOT better than we thought it was going to be. It was kind of interesting… and sad. I've only been to the theater twice, but the actors are always really great. After the show we got Kidd Valley… can you say garlic fries… I can. Eating their garlic fries is like eating pure garlic… aka its DELICIOUS. I wasn't even mad they got my burger order wrong, that's how good these fries are. Yeah. Think about it.

5. Can we talk about how fun it is to have breakfast for lunch? SO fun. My friends Erin and Laura made me pancakes and turkey bacon after I was done at yoga. They also used Erin's juicer to may fresh orange juice…. I know. It was like I died and went to heaven… thanks guys!

6. I went to the library and picked up a few new books. I'm really excited to start the American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan, I'll let you know how it goes. And Imagine, by Jonah Lehrer, seems like it's pretty cool too. They were both in the new releases section at the library.

7. So, lemme talk to you for a second. I'm not Rihana's biggest fan, but ‘Stay' has been stuck in my head for like a week. Props to her, that song is BEAUTIFUL. Bruno Mars' ‘When I was Your Man' is also on repeat in my brain. And so is the awesome cover my best friend's boyfriend did a few days ago.

8. I'm also obsessed with this new bread I found when browsing the isle at target. It's Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delightful Whole Wheat and Honey Bread. Each slice is only 45 calories… its hard to beat that, plus it tastes DELICIOUS… especially with super chunk peanut butter (which I used to hate but now I'm slightly in love with) and banana on top. YUM. Try it. You won't be mad.

9. At the same Target trip I managed to spend $31 on easter decorations, sprinkles, and straws… don't blame me, blame Jessica for posting about them. It's her fault. Really. Also, lets not focus on the money spent, let's focus on the fact that NONE of the money was spent on candy… which is obviously my biggest weakness. I can't leave that damn store without buying some form of sugar/chocolate/gummygoodness. We're going to ignore the fact that sprinkles are sugar and just be proud of me… glad we're in agreement.

10. Let's talk Nashville. HOOMAHGAWD. Gunnar (Losing his brother). Devastating. Scarlett & Gunnar (knocking boots, I'm ~~hoping~~ assuming). Heaven. Rayna & Deacon (“I want to do right by you”). Swoon. Juliette & her Mom (the birthday party story). Crying. The end. That is my synopsis. WHY is that show so good? WHY. I keep downloading all the songs… its fueling my country obsession. Sorry I'm not sorry.

11. I'm super happy to be spending the next week in Seattle. Two weeks in Idaho were more than enough. Tomorrow night I'm going to a 3 course dinner that Erin, Laura, and I booked through this Dine Local thing. I'm SUPER excited.

12. I did some produce shopping at Pike Place Market today. I found some pretty cool stuff, like Fresh Romanesco. Everything cost me about $18… Now to just figure out what to do with it all…

To find out what I'm up to all week long follow my Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. And don't forget to subscribe to the Pike Place Kitchen Email List, below my twitter updates on the right hand side of the site, to get email notifications for new posts.

Make it a great week guys!

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