Cooking with Ashley: Part 5

Cooking Assignment: Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Rosemary-Corn Muffins.

The Sister Missionaries and Karen joined us for dinner last Sunday. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to make the roasted chicken and vegetables.

Making roasted chicken and vegetables has been on our list of things do make since starting these little cooking lessons. Ashley is a big fan of the roasted vegetables and thought it was an essential dish to teach me. I couldn't believe how simple it was to make. I'm truly a fan of sweet potatoes.


The roasted chicken was also good and so easy to make. Who knew? I'm not sure why, but I really liked the fact that we put a whole lemon in the chicken. With the thyme and sage, the chicken tasted amazing. I really need to make this again soon.


Ashley decided to make Rosemary-Corn Muffins to go with the chicken and vegetables. Best move very. These muffins are really good. You can get the recipe here.

Pumpkin Picking with the Girls...

I found a recipe for pumpkin puree a couple of weeks ago on Our Best Bites. I thought it would be fun to actually go get pumpkins and make a nice little fall treat. Luckily the girls (Ashley, Karen, and Jen) were all for going on a little road trip through the countryside.
So...yesterday we rented a car and went to Silvermans Farm. I wanted to go to Silvermans because of the "Farm Market." I love me some pie! It was so much fun! We were worried about the rain (since it rained the whole way up), but luckily it stopped for just enough time for us to get our pumpkins. It was really a cute little farm and the market was amazing. They had some truly amazing pastries.
The first picture is of me trying to get out of the car. The girls didn't believe me, but my door wouldn't open from the inside. They just stood outside and laughed.


I had my first Apple Dumpling! I'm officially a fan. We also had Apple Cider Donuts. Luckily Ashley and I had self control and just bought one to split, otherwise I think I would have eaten my weight in donuts.


Since we had the car and there was a Target on the way home we stopped to pick up a few necessities. I actually think we spent more time (and money) at the target then at the farm.


It was a fun little trip. The colors were beautiful and the company was perfect! I hope we get to go on another little adventure soon.


PS. We saw this sign at a stop light near the farm. Jen jumped out of the car to take it. We then felt bad she ended up taking it back. So funny.

Another Year at My Job!

It's my 2 year anniversary at my work. I can't believe I have made it yet another year.

2 years =

Six Clients,
Three Desk Locations,
Four Computers (don't ask),
Reports, Reports, Reports, and a few more Reports,
Nine Website Tagging Plans/Documentation
Too Many Dunkin' Donuts to Count,
One Very Entertaining Round of Charades,
Two Department Picnics in Central Park
An Embarrassing Amount of Caramel/Pumpkin Steamers (I heart the coffee bar),
And Lots of Good Times.They took this pic on my first day. It will haunt me the rest of my days at this agency.

Friday Favorites: Fall Favorites!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The colors are beautiful and the weather is perfects (most of the time). I especially love all the fall treats. Here are a few treats that I look forward to all year round (most of these you can eat any season, but for some reason they taste better in the fall).

Carmel Apples:
I love love love Carmel Apples. They are so amazing. I need to find a good place in NYC that makes them. Anyone have any suggestions?Pumpkin Cookies:
I honesty love most things that have pumpkin in them, but pumpkin cookies will always hold a special place in my heart. The cookies below are the ones Ashley and Jen made last week and I'm kind of obsessed with them. They are so good! You can get the recipe here. Spice Steamer:
I look forwards to Starbucks Pumpkin Spice steamers all year round. Once fall starts, this is my drink of choice. Starbucks also does a Gingerbread steamer that is amazing. I love steamer season!Donuts:
Oh, how I love donuts. They are even better when consumed with a Pumpkin Spice steamer. It's the perfect combination and a great treat for a cold fall night.

Broadway: Bye Bye Birdie

I saw Bye Bye Birdie over a month ago when the fam came to town. First, I would like to say that I saw it when it was only the third day of previews. The show may have changed a lot since when I saw it (I sure hope it did). Second, I want you to know that I love the musical Bye Bye Birdie. I watched the move hundreds of times growing up and could watch it another hundred times. It's just a fun story.

With that said...I was a little disappointed in the revival currently on Broadway. (don't be mad). I think I was disappointed because I was so excited to see it and it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

For starters...I didn't really care for the set. While it was fun, I felt like it was a little weak. I also didn't really care for most of the choreography (my sister would disagree with me on that point). I found it just awkward. I did like "The Telephone Hour" scene. While I do embrace Gina Gershon (I loved her in Boeing Boeing), I didn't really love her in this. She starts the show with "English Teacher" and I knew we were in trouble the minute she started to sing. She's so much fun and a talented actress, but I just wasn't feeling her. Sorry. Bill Irwin (Mr. McAfee) did a really good job. I kind of think that he stole the show. He was great! It was fun seeing John Stamos (Albert) on stage. No, he's not the best actor ever, but he sure is a good entertainer. I also really liked Allie Trimm (Kim) and Nolan Funk (Conrad). One last kiss was my favorite scene of the whole show. Nolan was a doll!All in all. It's a cut show, but not really up to par with the other fabulous shows on Broadway. I am tempted to see it again to see if they changed anything, but I don't know if I'm willing to spend the money.

Cooking with Ashley: Part 4

Cooking Assignment: Cheese ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo sauce and sautéed spinach with raisins, apples, and pine nuts.

I love ravioli! It’s one of my favorite foods. Ashley decided it was a good idea to teach me how to make an easy yet tasty sauce for me to make for my ravioli . Brilliant idea! Luckily Ashley had a recipe for low-fat Pumpkin Alfredo sauce. It was super easy to make and tasted amazing! (PS. I don’t make my own ravioli. I buy it from the Ravioli King or Fair Way)
We also made sautéed spinach with raisins, apples, and pine nuts. It’s a favorite dish of Ashley’s and a perfect side dish.Jen G (good friend from church) came over to help us eat the tasty food! After dinner we decided that a dessert was necessary, so Ashley and Jen made cookies. They were amazing! I’m a sucker for a delicious cookie.
Next Assignment: Roasted Chicken Roasted Vegetables.

Riding down the Hudson....

Ashley had the brilliant idea to go for a little bike ride on Saturday afternoon. We got a couple bikes and rode the trail down the Hudson River (which I have been wanting to do for a long time).

We eventually saw a sign for the Brooklyn Bridge and decided it would be fun to ride across. After crossing the island (meaning we had to ride in the street, which was kind of scary) we made it to the bridge. It was so crowded but it was fun riding instead of walking across.

It was a perfect day for a bike ride and I hope we get to do it again before the weather gets bad.

A short little trip to the “Beehive State”...

Last weekend I took a short trip to visit Elizabeth in Utah. It was fun getting a way for the weekend and spending some time in my old stomping grounds.

Friday:
We got up early and met McKenna (senior year roommate) for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. It was great catching up with her.Elizabeth and I then headed to Park City for a little shopping. We spent several hours at the outlet malls. I didn't really think I would buy anything, but I found a dress that I couldn't refuse. I love it! It was a beautiful drive out there and I'm glad we did it!We then went to the BYU football game. I heart BYU football and I heart night games. It was pure perfection. I haven't been to a game in such a long time.Saturday:
We hiked the Y! I never hiked the Y when I was going to school, so we thought it was a good idea to do it now. It was so much fun and well worth the climb.Next, we did a little more shopping. We hit up a few scrapbook stores so I could pick up some needed supplies. I miss Utah scrapbook stores. We also did a little shoe shopping. Always fun.

We then went to Cafe Rio to have dinner with Brenna. I heart Brenna! It was so nice to catch up with her over a delicious Cafe Rio salad. It was the perfect dinner. I really do miss Brenna.

Sunday:
Elizabeth made me an amazing breakfast (banana pancakes...yummm!). After we watched the morning session of conference, Elizabeth took me to the airport. I was sad to go.

It was the perfect weekend. We did everything I wanted to do and it was so nice spending quality time with Elizabeth.