Wednesday Dinner 12/16/09

Good Morning my LOVES! I hope you all are feeling good and are making your preparations for 2010! I am sad to report that "Wednesday Dinner with Ash" is taking a vacay, I will be back in January 2010 bigger and better than ever. I just need a little break to get somethings together and make sure I'm ready to give you guys some heated blogs about my love of food! I wish all of you Happy Holidays and make sure you give from the kindness of your heart! Be blessed- Ashley....

Wednesday Dinner was on Tuesday 12/8/09

Good Morning! OMG! This has been one of the hardest weeks for me, I have been so tired lately. It has been extremely hard for me to get up on time, I'm going to blame this week on the gloomy weather! I hope you all are doing well and getting ready to cuddle and be warm this weekend, there is a storm on the way. With that being said let me get into this weeks "Wednesday Dinner". This week I had dinner a day early due to the fact that it was my Dad's birthday on Tuesday. My Dad is a very simple man when it comes to eating and he likes what he likes. He is always open to try different places but if he doesn't like it he won't eat it and definitely won't go back. My Mom was trying to surprise my Dad and do something different, but if you know my Mom then you know her choice was going to be somewhere where she has been or wanted to go. My Mom had decided she wanted to try Santa Maria BBQ (http://santamariabbq.com/) , she tried to play it off since my Dad likes BBQ also. Santa Maria BBQ is located in downtown Culver City, actually right across the street from Tender Greens. Since it was my Dads birthday, Melissa came down and Shelby was off of work also so we were all able to be together. We had an extra bonus, Shelby's best friend Ryan also joined us. Let me give you a little back round on my Dad since I don't really talk about him much on my blog. My Dad just turned 57 and he is in great shape, he has been married to my Mom for 28 years and they have been together for 35 years. My Dad is the baby of his Family and he is very modest and humble. My Dad stands for a lot of things and is great in my eyes! Now back to dinner, Santa Maria is a cute little place it wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either. The waitresses are very nice and polite. I was a little thrown off with the menu there, it seemed like BBQ wasn't really once of their specialties and after eating my food I could see why. Here is what we all ate:

Mom- Appetizer Sampler (Tri Tip, Chicken, Ribs and Fries)
Dad- Oak Pit Burger and Fries
Ashley- Oak Pit Burger with Cheese, Avocado and Bacon and Fries
Melissa- Spencer Steak with Beans and Salad
Shelby- Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries and Cole Slaw
Ryan- Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries and Potato Salad

Ok so this place really had me thrown for a loop, they brought out garlic bread served with salsa and then what appeared to be a crudite' which was pickles, olives, carrots and celery. That was very strange to me, Shelby and Melissa both got salad and the salads were good. Typical house and Cesar salads but fresh and good. My Mom started off with a cup of Corn Chowder which was ok, I didn't really care for it. We weren't waiting long for our food to arrive which was good because I get really impatient when that happens. Dinner came out quick and it was time to start eating. Everyone enjoyed their food except for Ryan he didn't really care for the pulled pork. My burger was good, I am really not into beef burger I prefer turkey but that burger was alright with me. Melissa's Spencer steak was good! I would have liked it served with mashed potato's or something instead of the beans. My Dad was satisfied with his burger, and my Mom liked her food too. Over dinner we laughed about so many memories we all have of and with each other. When its just my Mom, Dad and my sisters is when I feel the best! I couldn't have asked for a better family and support system. My Dad doesn't really like to go out and eat so getting him out was a treat and I know he enjoyed himself. All in all dinner was great! The bill came to about $106.00 which isn't bad for 6 people and the tip was included. After dinner they bought out a mini chocolate cake and we all sung happy birthday to my dad. Of course this cake was small enough for one person, but we made it work and everyone was able to get a bite. This cake was DELISH, very moist inside and very chocolaty! It would have been even better with ice cream but they don't serve ice cream. I don't think I'll be going back to Santa Maria BBQ, because they are missing the BBQ. I can go just about anywhere and get a good burger but it will hold my Dad's 57th birthday as a memory for me. If you would like to get in the "Wednesday Dinner" car or have any suggestions, drop me a line ashleymarie729@gmail.com. In closing I would like to talk about my Dad: I have always held my Dad dear to my heart and have always said that I want a man just like my Dad. My Dad is smart, caring, loving, honest and humble. He has always taught me to do the right thing and not get caught up in things are people. He has always been there for me and I am so proud to be his daughter or "Charlies Angel". I love you Dad! Until next week I'm outtie 5000-Always Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/2/09

Hey everyone, I know I've been gone for a while but do to the holiday I took a little vacay from blogging. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and know that you should be thankful everyday not just on Thanksgiving, so with that being said let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week was a special dinner, I spent it with both of my sisters Melissa and Shelby. It is extremely rare that we are all together during the week, but this week it clearly worked in our favor. I decided to go to one of our favorite places that just became our favorite recently, we had dinner at "Tender Greens" (http://www.tendergreensfood.com/). Tender Greens is located in the heart of downtown Culver City on Washington, its tucked away and if your not familiar with the area or the restaurant you might pass it up. It has a very hip and up to date style about its self, with tables inside and outside its the perfect place to eat all year round. I love this place because the food is good, healthy, and they serve beer and wine and you can also bring your own bottle of wine with you if you like. Shelby and Melissa also loves this place, its very reasonable and according to Shelby "A cute place for a first date". So here is what we ate:

Ashley & Shelby: Hot Plate (Chipotle BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, & Cesar Salad)
Melissa- Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

Last night Tender Greens was crowded inside and appeared to be getting crowded outside, but luckily it wasn't to cold outside last night and we were able to get a table right under a heater. Over dinner my sisters and I just laughed and joked like we always do when we are together, but it was also a time to congratulate Shelby on getting her first college acceptance letter! I am soooooooo very proud of her and happy to see her moving forward in her education. And of course in true Stephens girl fashion once the seriousness was done is right back to joking. After I got off Shelby it was time to get on Melissa (just for a minute), I was joking with her because this weekend her and her boyfriend are celebrating they're 1 year anniversary (LAME)! just kidding, I am very happy for my sister because I know that she is extremely happy in her relationship so "I wish you guys many more anniversaries and hopefully there will be a wedding soon". Then I had to get back on Shelby, this little girl loves potatoes! She can eat potatoes all day everyday, I mean and she likes them every way possible (french fries, mashed potatoes, baked potato, hash browns, steamed potatoes). She kept eyeing my potatoes asking me if I was full, and mind you she still had hers on her plate. She is too funny when it comes to potatoes. Now back to dinner, Tender Greens is set up cafeteria style when ordering and paying for your food (order first, pay second, and get the food third) so at the time I ordered my food I also ordered dessert:

Aztec Brownie

I only got one because I figured we would all be so full from dinner and the brownie was a pretty nice size for my sisters and I to share. This brownie was so moist and chocolaty! OMG DELISH!!!!!!! It had a hint of cinnamon in it and it was topped with powdered sugar, all I really needed was a cold glass of Milk and it would have been perfect. But since I didn't have any Milk and I had to share it two other ways it was good for what it was. All in all dinner was great, any time I can spend with my two sisters is great for me. If you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" club or have any suggestions drop me a line ashleymarie729@gmail.com. In closing I would like to talk about control. Control is defined as: restraint; authority. Control is something we all need to have over ourselves and our lives, however you should not want to control what someone else does or says. That is a form of a major insecurity, because when you think about life and what we go through you can never ever control what someone else does, says, or thinks about you. All you can do is control you. Until next week, Ya'll come back now- Ashley