Portland & Lonesome Pie

    While cabbing it back to our "hlittle house," that we rented for the long weekend, we made a phone call, a very important phone call...to Lonesome Pie.  We ordered the #10, "Bridgette Nelson vs. a fanny pack full of pit vipers vs. whatever it was that killed grandpa."  I'm not lying.  That was the name of the pie!  See for yourself!

    It arrived about twenty minutes after we settled in.  As you can see in the picture they decorate the inside of the box and gift you with a cd.  (Not sure what happened to that.)  The pie had fresh mint, bits of braised lamb, artichoke and goat cheese.  The flavors were amazing!  My only criticism was that the crust was lacking char and some crunch, but that is to be expected I guess when you order delivery pizza.  This is the second time Erich and I have ordered from Lonesome after a long plane ride, which I guess makes it a new wonderful tradition.

p.s. Have you visited Bottomless Pie recently?  We have some new exciting recipes!

Spring/summer prints

Mint print pullover

 Blossomed Lengths Cardigan

 Bordered Karnali Cardigan

(block print version)

Paisley version

    A few printed sweaters that I worked on for Anthropologie's spring/summer collection.  Go get one now!  Spring is certainly a bit chilly this year, and one of these will brighten your day while providing you with an extra layer to keep warm!  My personal favorite is the mint print pullover. The colors are nice and vibrant, and pair it with some white cropped jeans, a jean jacket and a pair of wedges or flats and you are good to go!

Happy Monday!
-Ash

   

    I came home one night from work and Erich announced as I entered the living room that he had made reservations for Valentine's day dinner.  When I asked where, he said it was a surprise.  He kindly escorted me from the subway to our secret spot, Bistro Petit in Williamsburg.  The space was indeed petit!  As you can see in the picture below there is a small counter space and a table in the window across from the counter, and then a table for two in the right window where we dined for the evening.  The atmosphere was intimate and very french.  J'adore.

    

   Since it was Valentine's day they offered a pre-fix menu in which you had to share each course, which was a bit of a bummer for this girl because I do not like to share food especially dessert!  We had mushroom toasts and a quinoa salad with fruit and cucumber to start.  For our main course we had filet mignon with foie gras, bok choy, and truffle mashed potatoes.  Yum!  Lastly, we had a molten chocolate cake with a cherry sorbet and sauce?  Not sure exactly, but it was all delish!  I definitely want to go back and order from their regular menu.

    

   The evening ended with a more lovely surprise.  Erich asked me to marry him and I said I do!  Not yes, but I do.

Anthropologie February Catalog

    I have a few pieces in the February catalog that I worked on for Anthropologie.  Take a gander!

Horse intarsia motif, find here.

Floral Print, find here.

On the Cover of the Home Page!

 

    The boat print I worked on for Anthropologie is on the homepage today!  Check out their color story here.

Sorry things have been quiet around here.  January has been busier than expected.

Happy Friday!

-Ash

Musical Plaid & a Fuzzy Dot

    Here are two prints I worked on for this reversible cardigan for Anthropologie.  A musical plaid and a fuzzy dot!

    A few prints I worked on for Anthropologie's spring collection.

Crepe Cake

    Over Christmas break, I made not one, but TWO crepe cakes!  One for my family and one for a NYE party.  I found the recipe for the "Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch" over at Smitten Kitchen.  It makes the perfect indulgent breakfast meal or dessert.  I cannot wait to try her other crepe cake recipe from her cookbook.  Deb most certainly keeps me busy!

Swings!

      I am so glad I finally made it to the Ann Hamilton exhibit at the Armory Museum in New York before it closed.  I hope you all did too!  I love all forms of art, but interactive exhibits are by far my favorite.  It is always interesting to see people of all ages approach the same thing very differently.  For instance, the swing I was waiting for was snatched up by a few kids while I was asking a group of adults nearby if they were waiting to use the swing.  I guess my playground game is rusty...haha.

   It's a new year and what that means is it is the time to start fresh.  It's a time to forget about the hardships you've overcome in the past year and look back at the goals you set out to accomplish and completed.  A year ago, I wanted nothing more than to live in the same city as my boyfriend, grow in my current position and move elsewhere.  (I do miss you Philadelphia, more than I expected!)  What happened?  I was promoted at work, and made great strides transforming my position's role.  I quit my job even though I was promoted and moved to New York city.  I wanted to experience how other companies work and how my position as a print designer would come into play at a new place.  Quitting was super scary.  I am a very practical person, so this was no easy task.  Now I am freelancing in the New York area, currently at Madewell, and I am trying as best as I can to go with the flow.  I feel like I have learned so much already and I am excited for what the next year has in store.

  I am not sure how I began writing about all this.  I was just going to share a smorgasbord omelet recipe I threw together yesterday.  Something about peering into the fridge and seeing leftovers left me sad, so I set out to make something delicious with them because all I really want to do is cook up new delicious recipes with my smitten kitchen cookbook!!!!  I love you Deb!

  Anyway, there really is no recipe, but this is what I did.  I had some left over napa cabbage, about a 1/2 a head.  I did not peel and cut the cabbage, I just sliced through the cabbage, chopped salad style.  You know what I mean? Then I sauteed it in a pan with evoo, salt and pepper and garlic for a few minutes.  I threw that in a cast iron skillet with black bean salsa (black beans, garlic, yellow pepper, red onion, lime juice, chipotle peppers), 4 eggs, and some butternut squash sauce we had left over.  (I mixed the squash sauce with the eggs, then placed the egg mixture over the cabbage and salsa).  I baked it in the oven for 10 minutes at 325.  Then I added a handful of white cheddar and placed it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.  Some of you may be sneering at the contents of this frittata, but it came together pretty darn good.  Erich and I finished it all in one setting.....

  To a wonderful new year, with more recipes to come!  Happy eating!

-Ashley