California

I've been in California since Friday! This 75 degree weather is amazing!! Madeleine, a friend/co-worker and I spent the weekend playing in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood! And now I'm in Newport Beach, California for the entire week for work! I'm really loving my life right now!!

Asian Kitchen : Best Thing I Ever Ate

Here is my sisters first segment of:

See more info here. 

Asian Kitchen

(see website)

This is one of Michelle's favorites and was a suggestion from her. It is a new restaurant in Arlington off 29 by the Harris Teeter which serves chinese+ japanese + sushi. The building used to be a pizza hut, the recognizable roof fits right in with the asian decor. Made me feel like I was at my grandma's house or China Garden(our favorite place for dim sum). The service is good, sushi is delicious, prices are reasonable, with tons of special rolls that you won't find anywhere else. We shared the:
*Taiko: crunchy scallops, masago with japanese mayonnaise, topped with spicy tuna
*Yami Yami: tempura shrimp, masago, avacado crabstick, cream cheese, and cucumber roll. Then the whole thing is deep fried!
*Hairy Mexican: fried shrimp, avacado, spicy sauce, topped with crabstick
*NY Yankee & Alvin: (specials - not listed online)

They were all super delicious and I highly recommend trying this sushi place!

PS, I went to Asian Kitchen last night for my birthday dinner! I love the sushi so much, we pretty much go every Friday night. And they gave me a dessert called Moshi? I could pick from a couple different flavors, and chose Strawberry. It was rice paper around strawberry ice cream. It was really delicious!! 

Best Thing I Ever Ate : Intro

My sister works in catering, and everyone always asks her which restaurants to go to, and what she recommends. She has agreed to do a little guest blogging! I've named it:

So here she is:
"The DC area has SO many good restaurants, it's impossible to try them all... but that won't stop me from trying! From amazing celeb chefs, local favorites, ethnic cuisines, and neighborhood gems, there are great options for everyone!

When I started working in the F&B industry, I was drawn into the world of hot new restaurants, fine wines, innovative cocktails, and amazing food! As soon as I crossed a couple off my list, I would find more to add to my want-to-try list. In an attempt to find "The Best Thing I ever ate... 20 something edition", I try to schedule a new restaurant once a week. So stayed tuned for my guest blog spot on great restaurants around the area."

december 8

Found: Hello Naomi

Greek Pasta Salad

I've just recently started liking cucumbers and have been loving greek salads lately. So I made this pasta salad for dinner last night. It's really easy, just chop all the ingredients and mix together!
Taste: I loved the greek flavors!
Texture: Lots of different textures like a typical pasta salad.
Would I make this again?: Yes, definitely! It's so easy, it's perfect for a weeknight, or to take to a party!

Greek Pasta Salad
Adapted from Betty Crocker Recipes

1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix
3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning
1 cup cubed salami
4 oz Provolone cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jar (7.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can (6 oz) pitted small ripe olives, drained

2 cups medium diced cucumber

Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together Seasoning mixes, water, and oil. Add salami, cheese, onion, artichoke hearts, olives and cucumber; toss gently to combine.
Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well. Add pasta to salad mixture; toss gently. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving.

pics of the day

Both found: Betty Crocker Recipes

Winter Wonderland

It's just starting to getting cold outside. Feels like winter!! 

Found: Postcards and Pretties

Pomegranates

Have you ever eaten a pomegranate? I hadn't before the other night. They look SO cool on the inside!

You just pick off the little seeds and pop the whole thing in your mouth. I've seen pictures of them, but it was really weird and different in person. And it was actually pretty delicious! Kind of a fun little snack to pull back the skin and find clumps of the seeds! 

Found: Martha Stewart

Marshmallow Blondies

This recipe got a ton of compliments! A bunch of people asked for the recipe, so that speaks for itself! . . You should probably make this recipe! 
Taste: They are marshmallowy chocolately butterscotchy goodness.
Texture: The night I made them, they were super gooey. But they set up into bars nicely overnight.
Would I make these again?: Yes, but I would make them the night before I wanted to serve them. And maybe throw in some mini marshmallows!

Marshmallow Blondies
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butterscotch chips and butter, stirring constantly until smooth. When melted remove from heat and transfer the contents of the pan to a mixing bowl. Don’t over heat the butter and butterscotch chips or they will separate, so make sure you watch them carefully and don’t cook them too long. ** (I have NO idea what she is talking about. I made one batch over medium heat and it separated so I threw it away. I made the 2nd batch over low heat very slowly and it still separated. The bars were still delicious though!)

Cool the butterscotch and butter mixture to room temperature. In a large bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and eggs into the butter and butterscotch mixture. Make sure you blend everything together really well. The batter will be thick. Mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Spread the blondie batter into the pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The center will feel a little soft, but will firm while cooling. Let cool 2 -3 hours before cutting. Enjoy!

Christmas Collage

Yay, it's December! The best month of the year! I love Christmas time, the music, the lights, the cheer, and my birthday of course! haha so here is my Christmas collage. Enjoy!

Click to enlarge, save picture, set as desktop background. I like to center the picture and put a matching color behind it!