Summer Salads Week 7

Cabbage & Bok Choy Slaw 

This weeks salad is super simple and healthy. Matt, my sis in law Cori and I have started the 21 Day Sugar Detox. This recipe was in our menu plan for the first week 

We are now 6 days in and I'm hoping the hardest part is over. All the recipes are great but let me tell you it is a lot of work. Eating healthy, whole foods is time consuming but it is worth it. All of us are already feeling better and have more energy after just 6 days. I can't wait to see how we feel after 21 :) 

Fresh Cabbage & Bok Choy Slaw 

Dressing: 

2 Tbsp raw tahini 

juice of 2 limes 

1/4 tsp minced garlic 

Slaw: 

4 cups finely sliced red cabbage (1 medium head) 

1 cup finely sliced bok choy 

1/4 cup chopped green onions for garnish 

1 tbsp white sesame seeds for garnish 

Hope you enjoy!! 

Ash 

poker in the bay

My husband Matt has recently become a sponsored poker pro, crazy right? I am so proud of him!! Check it out here 2Pair Poker. 

The tournaments he plays are usually on the weekends and I had the pleasure of joining him on the latest tour stop. I just recently invested in a new DSLR camera and have been looking for an opportunity to get some practice so I offered to take pictures for this event.

I had so much fun seeing how everything works at the tournament. The 101 Casino in Petaluma, CA was wonderful, from the, staff to the restaurant it was all top notch. 

Here is a little sampling of some of what I was able to capture. 

I took pictures of the other team pros...I promise. But this guy, I couldn't get enough of :) 

Interviewed by Mark Hoke of the Mark Hoke Show 

Commentating with Mark Hoke on a live stream feature table.

a short break to fit in some Madden on the Play Station

Lon McEachern the voice of WSOP playing heads up!

Drew (aka dangerzone), Lon, and Matt

David Tuchman announcing live stream final table! 

David can play poker too as he took 2nd place in the 6-max event!

2Pair Main Event Final Table!

Love 

Ash 

Summer Salads Week 6

This week I decided to make one of my all time favorite salads. It is a perfect summer salad and is even better the next day. 

Wheat berry, Tuna, Asparagus Salad 

Ingredients

1lb asparagus trimmed 

11/2 C. Wheatberries 

2 C chopped green onion around 12 

1 small bunch of radishes, quarted 

1/4 C ginger 

3 tbsp rice vinegar 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

3 cloves garlic 

1 tsp garlic chili sauce 

1/2 C peanut oil (I used avocado oil) 

1/4 C sesame oil

2 8 oz tuna steaks (3/4 in thick) 

Cilantro sprigs 

Cook asparagus 2 min. transfer to ice water. Add wheat berries to same pot of boiling water gently boil uncovered 55 minutes. 

Drain transfer to large bowl. Pat asparagus dry. Cut into pieces. Mix asparagus, green onions and radishes in with the wheat berries. 

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and garlic chili sauce in med bowl. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup peanut oil and sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil in skillet over high heat. Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper add to skillet. Cook tuna until brown but pink in the center, about 3 minutes per side. 

Transfer to plate let cool. Cut tuna into 1/2 inches pieces, add to salad. 

Mix in enough dressing to coat. Season if needed. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Hope you enjoy! 

Ash

Summer Salad Series Week 5

This weeks salad involves a little more work in the kitchen but it's worth it. 

For starters it is a stunning salad and delicious.

This recipe came from Southern Living.

Watermelon Steak Salad 

First up was the marinade for the onions. I did this a day before I made the salad, this is amazing!!!! 

Cutting the watermelon into a thick round slice wasn't as easy as I imagined but I eventually got it! 

Dressing ingredients, this is a great dressing. It will be a staple around our house from now on. 

 Toss together the greens, feta, onions; drizzle on some dressing and then top with pepitas!!

There you have it! Watermelon Steak Salad.

Enjoy!

Ash 

mirror mirror on the wall

Our camp bridal room was in need of a full length mirror. Lucky for me there was an old bathroom mirror hanging around camp. I got some pine boards from home depot, cut and stained them and voila...a custom mirror. 

Staining wood is my new favorite DIY project. I can't wait to stain more wood, next up will be a headboard. 

My original plan was to use a vinegar and steel wool stain which didn't work out, lets say I could have posted some "nailed it" pictures of just how horrible it was. 

 

I'm so happy with the results. It's just what we needed to fill that corner.
Ash 

Summer Salads Week 4

This week I tried something I found in Guy Fieris Diners Dives and Drivin's cookbook.
 Asian Slaw with Spicy Thai Vinegarette .

Here are a few adjustments I made to make it a little easier. I used broccoli slaw instead of all the cabbages and olive oil instead of peanut oil.
For leftovers the second day I added tuna, super healthy and delicious. 

For the salad you will need:

1 cup finely shredded green cabbage

3 cups finely shredded red cabbage

3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage 

1/2 cup green onion, sliced 

1/4 cup red bell pepper chopped small 

2 cups carrots, shredded 

salt and pepper 

Spicy Thai Vinaigrette (use 1 cup)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh lime juice (to taste)
2 -3 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp minced fresh ginger, peeled
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
salt to taste 
1/2 cup peanut oil (or corn oil)

Enjoy
 Ash 

Summer Reading List

One of my goals this year was to read more so I thought by posting a summer reading list it would help me stay encouraged to keep reading. I am guilty of starting books and never finishing them. I am determined to stop doing that, so here it is my summer reading list!! 

      

        

The Kitchen House: This was recommended by one of my favorite bloggers Emily over at Jones Design Company . That is pretty much all I am going on. Plus the explanation sounds really interesting. 

Jane Eyre: I picked this up for a quarter at a garage sale and have always wanted to read it. For that price how could I pass it up. I finished it and loved every second. It was a bit of a challenge because of the old fashioned language but I made it through...ha 

Battlefield of the Mind: This is my first Joyce Meyer book and I am really loving it. She is honest, to the point and talks about her own personal experiences, a powerful read for anyone. 

Start: A friend of mine is reading this she heard about it on Dave Ramsey's radio show so I know it is going to be great. The cover says it all "Punch fear in the face, escape average, do work that matters. 

Pretense: I have read a few Lori Wick books before and I found this book at the same garage sale I got Jane Eyre. It's about two sisters, forgiveness and the bonds of family. Sounds like the perfect makings of a Christian fiction novel :) 

Pride & Prejudice: Another classic that I can't remember the last time I read probably in high school. There is something about these classics I can't get enough of. 

Anonymous: This book is amazing!! I started it awhile ago and put it down because it was a little more than I could handle at the moment. I am determined to finish it this summer. Here is the premise of the book:

We all experience times of hiddenness, when our potential is unseen and our abilities unapplauded. This book redeems those times by reminding us that though we often want to rush through these anonymous seasons of the soul, they hold enormous power to cultivate character traits that cannot be developed any other way!

There you have it my summer reading list. What are you reading this summer? 

xo Ash