Wednesday Dinner

Wednesday Dinner 2/8/2012

2012-02-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Good morning and happy Thursday!! Lets all push through these next two days and get ready for the weekend, ayyyyeeee. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was a little weird! I had dinner with a friend of mine who I won't name, I'll just refer to him as he, him and his (hahaha). But having dinner with him wasn't weird the place were we ate was weird. So I had purchased a whole bunch of gift certificates from Restaurant.com (http://www.restaurant.com/). One of the gift cards I purchased for a place called "Magic Skewers" (http://www.magicskewers.com/home.html) located in Manhattan Beach on 22nd Street and Marine, walking in we were a little surprised! This is truly a whole in the wall, which is cool because I love those type of places. So here is were it got weird; there was no one there to greet us, we had to seat ourselves, and it took about 15 minutes for the guy to come over and get our drink orders and then another 15 minutes for him to come back with the drinks. There was about 2 other families that were dinning as well and it appeared that the guy who helped us was the only guy working. So by the time we got our drinks we were ready to order, here is what we got:

Ashley- Chicken Kabob and Shrimp
Him- Chicken Curry and Chicken Kabob

It took about 25 minutes for the food to come out, while waiting I was checking out the decorum of the place and it was really weird! It seems like this place has really been hit by the recession and maybe back in the day they had it going on but as of last night not so much! So the food came and the plate set up was really cute! It was very vintage! But a little too much food for the plate. All meals come with rice, pita bread and salad. I got the additional onions and mushrooms with mine but that was a total waste! It tasted really bad! The shrimp was ok, it was suppose to be shrimp scampi but it sure didn't taste like it! The pita bread was HARD, I took one bite and was off that! The best part was the chicken kabob and the salad. The chicken was juicy and a pretty nice size! It wasn't over or under cooked and it was seasoned very well! His food was ok too, the curry was a little weird and a little dark for curry but whatever. All in all it was good. The guy who served us was extremely friendly! The other thing I didn't like was that they only took cash or checks? Who the hell takes checks at a restaurant?! I don't think I'll be going back to "Magic Skewers" anytime soon but I am glad I tried them out. The total came up to $53 and some change, I had a gift certificate for $25 off so it brought the total down to $28 and some change. Not sure how we spent $53 on dinner before the coupon because sadly those kabobs weren't worth that much. I did enjoy myself and I left full however I didn't have any left overs but oh well! If you want to make a "Wednesday Dinner" kabob drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner in closing I'd like to leave you with this "Good people bring out the good in you" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/1/2012

2012-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Good morning and happy Thursday!! Hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was so disappointing!!!!! So my original plan was to go to dinner with my good friend Jesse but Jesse got stuck at work doing over time so that was a no go! So by the time I looked at the clock it was damn near 8:30pm and I was just getting to dinner, I never eat that late but ehh well shit happens. Anyway, so I decided I would give "FreeBirds" (http://freebirds.com/) a try. I heard about them and seen them around, what I really wanted to try was their fish taco but the location I went to didn't have fish! This was the 1st of my many disappointments! I went to the location on Jefferson & Figueroa and parking over there is for the birds. Good thing there is a parking lot in the back! So I walked in and noticed it was very colorful inside! The menu is very straight forward but very Chipotle like! However they do offer a few different things like (flavored tortillas, queso sauce, mixed cheese and different sized burritos). They are a little cheaper than Chipotle also. So once I noticed they didn't have fish I should have walked out but I decided to give it a try and here is what I ate:

Chicken Salad

My chicken salad came with ranch dressing, chicken, cheese, corn mixture, black beans, tomatoes, spring mixture of lettuce and sour cream. The salad was pretty big and I didn't finish it all. The total for the salad came up to $7.06 which wasn't bad at all. So I took my salad home, but getting out of the parking lot was a process. Apparently the pay machine was down and everyone got free parking last night!!!!! SCORE!!! So I got home and it was time to eat! So the salad smelled really good but ummmm it wasn't at all!!!!! The chicken kind of had a funny taste to it, there was barely any ranch dressing on the salad so I had to use my own. The salad was just definitely missing something, I finished about half of the salad and I was done. Maybe I need to give them a try again and try something else who knows. The set up in there was very college like. No one had on uniforms and everyone was wearing a baseball hat?? Not sure what that was all about and my salad bowl didn't have a plastic top they covered it with foil. Anyway I wouldn't recommend "FreeBirds" to anyone because I was very disappointed. If you would like to be a "Wednesday Dinner" free spirit drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesday dinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "God gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason....... Listen more talk less" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/18/2012

2012-01-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Wasssssssup!!!!!!!! Happy Thursday to you all! I hope this has been a cool short week for you all and that you have a wonderful weekend. Let me just get right in to this weeks "Wednesday Dinner", I was on a solo mission looking for something fresh and filling. I was craving a salad but not just your regular lettuce, tomato and dressing salad. I wanted something good, filling and fresh! I had been wanting to try this place called Salad Farm" (http://www.saladfarmrestaurants.com/). I passed "Salad Farm" numerous times on my way downtown, but I never stopped in. Well last night was the night! "Salad Farm" is located on Figueroa, it sits in a shopping plaza that has the strangest parking lot I have ever seen, however the parking was free! Which is rare! Anyway, walking in the place was not crowded at all, there were 2 people in front of me and 2 people working there. Looking at the menu one might get excited with all the salad choices! Not only do they serve salads, they also have stuffed baked potatoes, sandwiches and soups. "Salad Farm" is very clean and they use nothing but fresh ingredients. The set up is actually like a buffet and they make your salad there right in front of you. So it was time for me to order, I had:

#7 Chinese Chicken Salad

It took all of like 2 minutes for the lady to make the salad, it was like she was a salad magician! The salad had iceberg lettuce, carrots, green onion, wantons, rice noodles, cabbage, chicken, mandarin oranges and almonds. The salad was topped with an oriental dressing and that salad was HUGE! Definitely enough for 2 people. Anyway the salads at "Salad Farm" range from $7.95-$9.75 which isn't bad. The one thing I did NOT like was that I was charged $.75 for extra dressing and extra mandarin oranges. So I took my salad home and it was time to eat! This salad was everything my life needed yesterday! It was fresh and so good!!!!!! It was way more than I needed and I have enough for lunch today!! If you are not familiar with "Salad Farm" get familiar! My total for the salad with the extra dressing and oranges was $10.28, I will definitely be going back. If you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" crew drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner . Also stay tuned for a HUGE announcement next week for the month of February. In closing I'd like to leave you with this "Don't play hard to get if your hard to want" . Until next week, smooches -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/11/2012

2012-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Good morning!!!! And so it is Thursday and the weekend is almost here, CHEERS!!!!!!!!!! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a long fabulous weekend for those of you who are off on Monday due to the MLK holiday! Anyway this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was dedicated to one of my favorite burger joints "Fresh & Meaty" (http://www.yelp.com/biz/fresh-and-meaty-burgers-los-angeles)!! My plan was to be on a solo mission this week because I have just been out of it all week, but Shelby hit me and wanted to know what my "Wednesday Dinner" plans were. I told her and she said her & Melissa were gonna come over (slow down turbo, hahaha). I decided to make it a family thing and include my mom (Big Deb) and my dad (Charlie). So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. I got to my moms house and my sisters were too hyped! They both looked cute, not
sure if they thought we were going to some fancy burger stand or what but I had a mental laugh that was out of this world. Anyway if you know anything about "Fresh & Meaty" you know if you don't call your order in you'll be waiting for at least 45 minutes for your food. So I placed our ordered waited a good 10 minutes and left. "Fresh & Meaty" is located on the corner of Florence and 7th ave, not the nicest looking place on the outside or inside but hey! The reason why I love "Fresh & Meaty" so much is because the food is cheap and good! For about $6 you can get a nice size burger, fries and a drink, whhhhhaaaaaattttt???? Yea that's right, all that for $6. However I must say the customer service there sucks big time! I usually find myself waiting at least an additional 10 minutes for my food when I call it in and I've noticed no one working in there is smiling. Anyway here is what we ordered:

3 Meaty Specials (Turkey)
1 Meaty Special (Beef)
1 Meaty Special (Beef)- No cheese, pickles or onions add chili

Basically a "Meaty Special" includes a burger (turkey or beef) with or without cheese, fries and a drink. The price is about $5.83 and the burger comes on toasted bun,with mayo,lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and cheese if you like. Anything extra like bacon, chili, egg of course is extra. The total for everything came up to like $27, which is not bad to feed a family of 5. Anyway we waited like an additional 20 minutes for the food but at least the food was fresh! So we went back to my moms house and it was time to eat. Its funny when its dinner time the entire room is silent. Anyway the burger was good as always. The burger is well seasoned and well done and all the toppings are fresh! No wilted lettuce, mushy tomatoes, nothing like that! My only issue is I DO NOT like the fries (sad face). "Fresh & Meaty" offers those thick ass potato fries, with the skin still on them YUCK! Some people like them but for me I prefer thin fries. All in all dinner was good and spending time with my family is always great! Everyone enjoyed their burger which was a plus! My sisters and I had a conversation with my mom and all I can say is it was HILARIOUS! My mother is a riot and my sisters just add to it. Anyway if you are not familiar with "Fresh & Meaty" get familiar. Also if you would like to become a "Wednesday Dinner" scout drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner . Inclosing I'd like to leave you with this "Know WHAT you want before you know WHO you want" Until next week, duces!-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/4/2012

2012-01-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well I'm officially baaaaaack. Took a minute off but I am back and ready to be better than ever. I hope you all have been well and have missed me as much has I have missed you! I hope this year has started off positive and refreshing for you. Now enough of all that, let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin! Yesterday was dedicated to my sisters Melissa and Shelby! Its been a minute since we all have spent time together. Shelby had gotten us tickets to see Chelsea Lately so the plan was to go to the show and then go have dinner. I had taken the day off work so I was all excited to go. But in true Shelby fashion she was late waking up which meant we were late to the taping and didn't get in. Oh brother! However we will have priority seating and entry to the taping the next time we go back. So it was extremely early a little early for dinner but whatever, luckily the studio and the restaurant we were going to go eat at afterwards were in the same area. So off we went to "Sushi Stop" (http://sushistopusa.com/). "Sushi Stop" was brought to my attention by my friend Jesse (if your reading this your famous now, hahaha. What up Jesse!). This was my 3rd time at "Sushi Stop" but the 1st for my sisters. "Sushi Stop" is a very small but friendly place. With all sushi items $2.75 and limited seating you can't help but to at least try this place once, however for me I have become addicted. Most sushi spots over charge for everything and the quality and taste pretty much suck, but at "Sushi Stop" that is not the case! Service is good, food is good and I've never waited longer than 15 minutes to be seated. "Sushi Stop" sits on the corner of Mississippi and Sawtelle, this street is kind of like a Japanese food fest with all the other restaurants surrounding the area. Anyway Melissa & Shelby were a little skeptical of trying "Sushi Stop" because of the extremely low prices but they were also excited to go. So we got there waited about 15 mins and we were seated. And Oh guess who was in there looking like a celebrity has been?!?! Remember "Buddha" from "I Love New York"???? (http://www.buddytv.com/articles/i-love-new-york/i-love-new-york-buddhas-letter-13523.aspx). Yea him, we sat right by him and his date and I must say this man talks EXTREMELY LOUD!!! I was embarrassed for the chick he was with because I knew all their business because I heard everything he was saying. I don't remember hearing her say anything so maybe she wasn't interested or who knows anyway back to the food. When your ready to order your given an order form to fill out and then return it back to your server, here is what we ordered:

2 Sashimi White Fish
2 Crispy Rice
2 Popcorn Shrimp Rolls
2 Stuffed Jalapenos
2 California Rolls
1 Salmon Avocado Roll
1 Spicy Tuna Roll
1 Crunchy California Roll
1 Philly Roll
1 Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll
1 Order of Tempura

Whew looking at it now we ordered A LOT of food! Anyway I love that fact that the sushi is not coming out all at one time, considering the amount of space given it would be impossible to enjoy your food if it was all brought out at once. Anyway the sushi was DELISH!!!!! My new favorites are the stuffed
jalapeno and the popcorn shrimp roll. Both Melissa and Shelby loved "Sushi Stop" and definitely will be going back! Over dinner we laughed and joked and it was like old times. It amazes me to see how wonderful and beautiful my sisters are becoming! Watching them grow has truly been a gift! Before leaving you know I had to try a dessert! I decided to have the Ginger Creme Brulee, and surprisingly it was very good as well! All in all I was full and happy when we left. The total for everything came up to $51.50 not bad at all. If you are not familiar with "Sushi Stop" get familiar! And if you would like to be a part of the "Wednesday Dinner" crew drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. *Disclaimer: I totally forgot to take pictures this time so I stole some photos from their website. Won't happen again*. In closing I'd like to leave you with this "Protect the things you love and love the things you protect". Until next week 2 fingas! -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 4/27/2011

2011-06-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn! My bad ya'll!! I've been gone way too long; I didn't realize I haven't blogged in a month. Ok I am making a promise now to keep my blog updated on all my "Wednesday Dinners". I hope you all are doing well and are staying COOL in this weather!!! Well it’s been to long so let the "Wednesday Dinner" begin. Ironically the last time I blogged I had dinner with Tiff, Pooh and Moe and in this blogged I had dinner with them again. All of them except for Moe, she stood us up. Pooh, Tiff and I decided to do a little happy hour, I suggested Gyu-Kaku (http://www.gyu-kaku.com/). I have been there before but as of late I had been hearing about how great their happy hour was, so I suggested we give it a try. So we all met and it was ON!!! Tiff and I were the first to arrive, Pooh came a little while after (she was stuck in traffic) and Moe's ass just didn't show up (I mean she called and said she was on her way but that was about it). Gyu-Kaku has quite a few locations in California and we decided to do the one in Torrance since it was kind of in the middle for everyone. We arrived at 5:30pm and as soon as our bottoms touched the seats it was time to order drinks!! This happy hour is INSANE with drinks and food starting at $3 that’s ridiculous, so it was only right that we indulge. I was soooo HUNGRY and so was Tiff, we started off with the:

Spicy Tuna Volcano
Calamari
Fired Cheese Wonton
Fried Chicken Karaage

It was been my mission to get Tiff to try sushi and that day was my lucky day because she tried it and she liked it!!!!! It didn't take long for the food to come out and when it did I was in heaven. I was thrown off by the Fried Chicken Karaage but come to find out it was just fried chicken thigh meat and it wasn't too bad. The only complaint I will make is that Gyu-Kaku doesn't have many dipping sauces, they serve the same spicy sauce with everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! When Pooh arrived she ordered a drink and she ordered the Fried Chicken Karaage as well. Over the food and drinks we all just mainly caught up with the events in each others lives, I have to give a shout out to Tiff on getting her 1st client!!! Tiff has been practicing doing hair and will be attending cosmetology school this summer. So CONGRATS on your 1st of many clients!!!!!!!!!! Talking with Pooh & Tiff is hilarious we all get each others sense of humor and that is so rare these days, they listen and they give the best advice!!!! On the 2nd go round of ordering I ordered:

Tuna Tartar
Philly Crunch

I totally forgot to mention that Gyu-Kaku has happy hour from 5pm-6:30pm and from 9pm-Last Call, crazy, right!!!!!!!!!! So we continued to eat, drink, talk and laugh. By the time I looked at my watch it was 8pm, then I checked it again and it was 10:45pm. WOAH, we had been there for a LONG time so long my ass was hurting from sitting (hahaha). I think that was the longest I had ever sat in a restaurant. All in all dinner with my girls was GREAT, even though we kicked Moe out the group (hahaha). If you are not familiar with Gyu-Kaku get familiar hands down a great spot!!! The food was great the thing I love about Gyu-Kaku is that their sushi is not your typical sushi and the food is very good. I totally enjoyed myself and will be going back, the total for dinner was about $52 which was about $17.33333 each which isn’t that bad. If you would like to make a "Wednesday Dinner" reservations drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “The only thing you change about a good woman is her last name" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/15/2011

2011-06-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hello and good morning, I hope you all are having a great day and preparing for an amazing summer. So Shameka and I are 2 for 2 with Wednesday dinner, however I think I might band Shameka from picking out food places because this choice did not impress me. Shameka had been trying to get to "Casablanca"(http://casablancarestaurant.net/). She was telling me how good the food was and we should go, so we did. "Casablanca" is tucked on a corner off of Lincoln in the Marina, its very old Mexican very Casablanca like the movie. So we arrived and it was pretty crowded, they placed us in a awkward table in the middle (epic fail) so as soon as a both became available we moved. It was Shameka, myself and Shameka's daughter Khaliah. We were served fresh, hot and home made flour tortillas accompanied by a green salsa. This salsa was DELISH it also had pieces of cheese in it, amazing. So it was time to order and we started with:

Shameka- Cadillac Margarita
Ashley- Mango Margarita
Shrimp Ceviche Tostada

The tostada was DELISH it was very fresh and had plenty of shrimp on it. The only bad thing is it makes the tostada shell soggy if you don't eat it fast enough. Next it was time to order dinner and we had:

Khaliah- Cheese Quesadilla
Shameka- Combination #10 (Two Enchilada Suizas (Chicken, Cheese, Onion, Green Sauce, and Sour Cream)
Ashley- Grande Burrito with Chicken (Stuffed with Beans, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes & Topped with Red Sauce and Melted Cheese)

It seems like it took almost forever for the food to come out and between the tortillas and the ceviche I was FULL!! Finally the food came out and mine appeared to look good but it really wasn't. The best thing on the plate was the rice and beans. The burrito was HUGE and I wanted to cry because I don't like wasting food. Anyway I didn't get a chance to taste Shameka's food or Khaliah's. I think all of us were FULL. Over dinner Shameka and I talked but Khaliah did most of the entertaining and talking. That little girl is too funny!! So since we all were full it was time to be out. The bill came out and I damn near passed out $88.00 HUH? For what?!?!? This place was NOT worth that. The food wasn't that great so I will NOT being going back. What I did like was the atmosphere and they had a live musician, it was very dim and romantic. And as we were leaving I smelled a aroma and it was amazing I think it was shirmp or fish but whatever it was I wish I would have ordered it! I would only recommended Casablanca if you want to over pay for Mexican food, and with that being said Shameka is on "Wednesday Dinner" probation. But anyway if you would like to take a "Wednesday Dinner" ride drop me a line wedenesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner . In closing I would like to leave you with this "Before you talk listen. Before you act think. Before you criticize wait. Before you pray forgive. Before you quit try" Until next week MUAH- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/8/2011

2011-06-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know its been a minute and I know I've been slacking but I'm baaaaaacccck. So let me just get right on in to the "Wednesday Dinner". This week I went to dinner with my dear friend Shameka and maybe I shouldn't call it dinner, it was more like Happy Hour, well hell it was Happy Hour. Shameka had been urging me to try the Happy Hour at "The Cheesecake Factory" (http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/). Shameka knows I am NOT a huge fan of "The Cheesecake Factory" I prefer The Grand Lux. "The Cheesecake Factory" has like 100 menu pages and I personally think they are over priced. However I decided to give this Happy Hour a try......Shameka did most of the ordering. The bar area was not full at all considering we arrived right at 4pm when Happy Hour started, we were pressed for time so we had to order and eat fast, here is what we had:

Fried Calamari
Spinach & Cheese Dip
Buffalo Blast
House Salad

I was afraid to drink a alcoholic beverage because I had been coming off one of the worst hangovers I had in a while. So I was taking it easy, I ordered water. Shameka ordered J.W.'s Pink Lemonade, Coke and Water. It didn't take long for the food to come out, first up the fried calamari. Ok so you really can't go wrong with calamari, unless its burnt. Next the buffalo blast, its like buffalo chicken and cheese wrapped in something and then fried served with ranch. It wasn't to bad it was a little heavy on my stomach tho. Next the spinach and cheese dip, lets just say BOOOOORING! It was really bland and the chips were kind of hard!!! And lastly the house salad, I needed a salad to balance what I was eating because I was starting to feel sick, I mean you can't mess up a salad. All in all the food was good, the one thing I will say is there was enough food for 3 people. The Happy Hour pricing it pretty cheap with most appetizers at the $5/$6 range. Shameka and I chit chatted over the food but like I mentioned we were pressed for time. I'm still stuck on not really fooling with "The Cheesecake Factory" but maybe I'll visit Happy Hour again, MAYBE. Thanks Shameka for the date, hahahaha! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" dating scene drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I want to leave you with this "Don't murder someone who is already committing suicide". Until next week, muuuuuuaaaaah -Ashley.

2011-05-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn! My bad ya'll!! I've been gone way too long; I didn't realize I haven't blogged in a month. Ok I am making a promise now to keep my blog updated on all my "Wednesday Dinners". I hope you all are doing well and are staying COOL in this weather!!! Well it’s been to long so let the "Wednesday Dinner" begin. Ironically the last time I blogged I had dinner with Tiff, Pooh and Moe and in this blogged I had dinner with them again. All of them except for Moe, she stood us up. Pooh, Tiff and I decided to do a little happy hour, I suggested Gyu-Kaku (http://www.gyu-kaku.com/). I have been there before but as of late I had been hearing about how great their happy hour was, so I suggested we give it a try. So we all met and it was ON!!! Tiff and I were the first to arrive, Pooh came a little while after (she was stuck in traffic) and Moe's ass just didn't show up (I mean she called and said she was on her way but that was about it). Gyu-Kaku has quite a few locations in California and we decided to do the one in Torrance since it was kind of in the middle for everyone. We arrived at 5:30pm and as soon as our bottoms touched the seats it was time to order drinks!! This happy hour is INSANE with drinks and food starting at $3 that’s ridiculous, so it was only right that we indulge. I was soooo HUNGRY and so was Tiff, we started off with the:

Spicy Tuna Volcano
Calamari
Fired Cheese Wonton
Fried Chicken Karaage

It was been my mission to get Tiff to try sushi and that day was my lucky day because she tried it and she liked it!!!!! It didn't take long for the food to come out and when it did I was in heaven. I was thrown off by the Fried Chicken Karaage but come to find out it was just fried chicken thigh meat and it wasn't too bad. The only complaint I will make is that Gyu-Kaku doesn't have many dipping sauces, they serve the same spicy sauce with everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! When Pooh arrived she ordered a drink and she ordered the Fried Chicken Karaage as well. Over the food and drinks we all just mainly caught up with the events in each others lives, I have to give a shout out to Tiff on getting her 1st client!!! Tiff has been practicing doing hair and will be attending cosmetology school this summer. So CONGRATS on your 1st of many clients!!!!!!!!!! Talking with Pooh & Tiff is hilarious we all get each others sense of humor and that is so rare these days, they listen and they give the best advice!!!! On the 2nd go round of ordering I ordered:

Tuna Tartar
Philly Crunch

I totally forgot to mention that Gyu-Kaku has happy hour from 5pm-6:30pm and from 9pm-Last Call, crazy, right!!!!!!!!!! So we continued to eat, drink, talk and laugh. By the time I looked at my watch it was 8pm, then I checked it again and it was 10:45pm. WOAH, we had been there for a LONG time so long my ass was hurting from sitting (hahaha). I think that was the longest I had ever sat in a restaurant. All in all dinner with my girls was GREAT, even though we kicked Moe out the group (hahaha). If you are not familiar with Gyu-Kaku get familiar hands down a great spot!!! The food was great the thing I love about Gyu-Kaku is that their sushi is not your typical sushi and the food is very good. I totally enjoyed myself and will be going back, the total for dinner was about $52 which was about $17.33333 each which isn’t that bad. If you would like to make a "Wednesday Dinner" reservations drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “The only thing you change about a good woman is her last name" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/30/2011

2011-03-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Ashley and I'm a blogger (hahaha). Ok so I am up in this thang again and I little sad to tell you that there isn't much to report about last nights dinner. I had an emotional break down yesterday. I went to dinner with Tiff at Olive Garden (I know Booooring and I've been there with her before and blogged about it. Yea, yea). So there are no pics and there won't be a full blog. Just continue to support and I'll return next week. DUECES!

Wednesday Dinner 3/23/2011

2011-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

What up! I hope you all are doing well out there in La La Land. Let me get right to it, this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was a special one because it was ladies night (heeeeey). I invited Tiff my friend Pooh and Monique over for dinner. I decided it would be nice to have a little dinner, drinks and conversation with as I call them my "Lady Loves". I decided I would cook something neutral that everyone would like......drums please...... I made spaghetti. Hell you can't go wrong with Spaghetti, made with ground turkey of course. I wasn't sure if "Ladies Night" was going to be a success because it was raining but my "Lady Loves" came through and it was about to go down. Pooh and Monique haven't been to my new house, of course you know Tiff is a regular. OH yea shout out to Pooh for bring a bottle of Moscato over! So once we were all there I poured everyone a glass of wine except Monique she doesn't drink so she had Red Kool Aid in a wine glass (haha). Over wine we had girl talk and I loved it. It’s so refreshing to sit and talk about things we have in common and find out things you didn't know, and there some jokes thrown in as well. We talked for about a good half hour and then it was time to eat. On the menu was spaghetti, caesar salad and garlic bread, classic meal and so easy a caveman could do it (haha). I set the table and Monique suggested we pray together as well, she said "Friends that pray together stay together" and I believe that! Pooh said grace and then it was time to eat. Disclaimer (I didn't get any pics of the plates of food. My bad, it might be time to get a "Wednesday Dinner" picture taking assistant. Just kidding). Anyway over dinner we talked about guys, work, family, etc and laughed some more. It was funny because as I look back after dinner we never got up from the table until it was time to say bye. We just sat and talked, my face started hurting from all the laughing. It was so much fun, it was time for a little dessert so I hipped Tiffany and Pooh to my version of a white russian, and I’m going to call it a brown american (haha). Its Bailey's and Strabucks Vanilla Frappuccino! It taste so good, its sweet, its grown and its sexy (HEY). Tiff and I had 2 glasses, Pooh only had one and Monique was still nursing that kool aid. Then it was time for the photo shoot, we took a few pics and then it was time to say adios. I had a BLAST!!! We decided we're going to have a gathering like this at least twice a month, and I am sooooo looking forward to it. All in all dinner was GREAT and shout out to my "Lady Loves" for coming out you guys ROCK!!!! If you want to rock with "Wednesday Dinner" drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “In life we need someone to teach us, love us, hurt us and protect us" until next week smooches! Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/16/2011

2011-03-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Buenos Dias mi ca corazons! Let me get right to it! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was "Wednesday Dessert" and it was DELISH!!!! Anyone who knows me knows that dessert is my favorite meal of the day!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOOVE Ice cream!! It was so nice and sunny and I couldn't really figure out what to eat for dinner and on top of that my house was being painted so I didn't really feel like cooking. So I baked some brownies (not home made) but Duncan Hines, which in my opinion are just as good. Anyway to go with my brownies I had some GOOD OL Rite Aid ice cream, (mint & chip flavor) formally know as Thrifties! That is like theeeeee best ice cream, bump Baskin Robbins & ColdStones, Thrifties/Rite Aid are the Ice Cream OG's (haha). So basically I made a little brownie sundae, and it was YUMMIES!!! Chocolate brownie topped with the mint & chip ice cream. The moistness of the brownies mixed with the ice cream was just the best! I enjoyed my "Wednesday Dessert" on my couch watching Top Chef! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" couch drop me a line http://wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Your life is a reflection of where your mind is" until next week, Ashley.

Wednesday Dinner 3/9/2011

2011-03-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

GOOD MORNING and happy Thursday!!! One more day and the weekend will be officially here!! Please remember to set your clocks forward Saturday night before you go to sleep, and when you wake up daylight savings time will be upon us and we all know what that means!!! Shorter days and longer nights, lets all enjoy!! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was with my BEST BESTEST BESTIE (insider) Tiffany L. Dawson. Of course if you've been following my blog then you know Tiff and I have been friends since we were 8 which is about 20 years and our friendship is getting stronger and better than ever. Love ya Tiff!! Anyway I decided I was going to make Tuna casserole for dinner, which is one of me & Tiff's favorite dishes. It’s not your typical Tuna casserole and it’s funny because I did NOT like tuna casserole growing up. Here is what I used:

1 1/2 Cup Macaroni Noodles
1 Can Tuna
1 Can Cream of Mushroom
1 Cup Fresh Broccoli
1 1/2 Cup Cheese
1/3 Cup of Milk
Seasoning Salt
Dinner Rolls

Making this tuna casserole is so easy a caveman can do it (hahaha), no but it’s really easy! First I boiled the cream of mushroom with some milk and added seasoning salt to taste. Then I had the water boiling for the noodles and then I sautéed the broccoli with butter and seasoning salt to taste. Once the broccoli was done I added the can of tuna(drained) and some cream of mushroom, waited for the noodles to be done and then added them to the tuna, broccoli & mushroom mix. Mixed everything together and then added the cheese, once that was done then I placed the mixture in my casserole dish and added more cheese to the top and baked for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I added my dinner rolls in the oven; I melted some butter and brushed the rolls before baking them. Those dinner rolls took about a good 30 minutes to bake but it was worth the wait. Once everything was done it was time to plate the food and enjoy, dinner was accompanied by a glass of Moscato. Over dinner Tiff and I talked about so much but mainly our journey of 20 years of being friends and BOY OH BOY was it HILARIOUS! We've been through so much and no matter what we've always been there for each other! Love ya sweets!! Tiff complimented me on my casserole and I enjoyed it as well. I must apologize because I only have pictures of the final product, while I was cooking I totally forgot that it Wednesday (sad face). Next week I'll be on my A game, if you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "When the questions wrong, God says no. When the timings wrong, God says slow. When you’re not right, God say grow". Until next week be you- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/2/2011

2011-03-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hello, good morning (in my Diddy voice). Hope you all are well and making things happen out there in the world. My apologies in the laps in my blogging, there was a death in my family last week so I didn't blog. The funeral was on Wednesday so I took time to handle what was most important, FAMILY. Anyway I am back and everyone is doing better so let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week I had dinner with my dear friend Erica again, however this time Erica cooked and we ate at her house. Last year Erica purchased a condo (WooooooooHoooooo) and for the longest time I was suppose to stop by and check out her place, so yesterday was the day. Although it was raining cats and dogs last night, I still made it out to Erica’s. Of course in true Ashley fashion I got lost trying to find her place but after about 5 minutes on the phone and 4 u turns I arrived. Erica’s condo is so cute and it’s just the right size for her and her daughter. I loved her COUCH, so modern and cute! When I arrived dinner was already cooked (Erica knows how to treat a lady hahahaha). She made chicken enchiladas, rice and beans. I fixed my plate sat down and it was time to begin our "girl talk". Talking to Erica is always hilarious because we are so much alike, of course I am not going to spill all of what we talked about however I will say we're both in search of love (hahaha). Dinner was good, Erica’s daughter Jaylynn was there in her room. I must say Jaylynn is too cute and funny. She stayed in her room on her Ipad (yea I know a kid with an Ipad) and whatever she was doing she just kept laughing and she has the cutest little laugh! Anyway all and all dinner was good and I enjoyed myself, I invited Erica and Jaylynn over next week for dinner. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" house call roster drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say". Until next week, love peace and soul -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/16/2011

2011-02-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ayyyyyooooooooooooo! I hope all is well out there in Lala land and everyone had a memorable "Valentine's Day" this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was in honor of "Valentine's Day" ok maybe or maybe not. A few years a go Stephanie, Shameka & I went to dinner on "Valentine's Day" clearly we were all single at the same time. We went to Captain Jacks in Seal Beach at the time Stephanie and I paid for Shameka's dinner. So after much thought and consideration we decided Shameka owed us a "Valentine's Day" dinner, well that’s what I thought. Stephanie thought it was a meeting to discuss her birthday extravaganza next month. So after what seemed like two days of trying to figure out where to eat we finally decided to meet at "Wood Ranch" (http://www.woodranch.com/loc_la.html) in the Grove. Shameka and I had never been there but Stephanie has, I really don't care for restaurant bbq what the hell I gave it a try. To my surprise Shameka was on time (haha), I arrived second and then Stephanie arrived last. "Wood Ranch" offers these amazing garlic butter rolls that are good but taste even better with extra butter. It was felt so good being with "The Girls" again it was like old times sake. There was a point and time where Shameka, Stephanie and I were always together eating and drinking somewhere. For the record I kind of miss that. So after reviewing the menu it was time to order, this is what we ate:

Stephanie- BBQ Half Chicken with corn and baked beans
Ashley- WR BBQ Combo- BBQ Half Chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and mac & cheese
Shameka- BBQ Half Chicken with mac & cheese and baked beans

It didn't take long for the food to come out and I must say when the food came out it looked and smelled good however I was a little shocked that with all the meat we all got that the sides where not proportion right. We all agreed that we weren't impressed with the food at all. My ribs were ok, the sweet mashed potatoes were ok as well as the mac & cheese but I definitely won't be going back to the "Wood Ranch". During dinner we did our usual girl talk and we all got up to date with what’s been going on in each others lives. Stephanie found a way to mention her birthday plans to us so stay tuned to see how that goes (haha). So after dinner Stephanie had this bright idea to go to CPK (http://www.cpk.com/) for dessert so I could try this "Butter Cake" she had been bragging about. Shameka was a party pooper and didn't come. So we arrived at CPK and Stephanie ordered this "Butter Cake" and it was good however I'm sure if it’s fresh. When all was said and done I was beyond full and I enjoyed myself. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" friendship train drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "The hardest part of being friends sometimes, is loving them too much". Until next week Smooooches -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/9/2011

2011-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

What's coolin? My apologies on the delay but I have been having the worst case of writers block! Anyway, I hope all is well in your world and with that being said let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week I had dinner with my good buddy Maurice! As mentioned before Maurice and I went to high school together and over the last year we've become real good friends. Maurice was supposed to pick a place for us to go eat at but I am guessing he couldn't come up with anything. He did mention that he wanted some good Italian food so I suggested "Louise's" (http://www.louises.com/) "Louise's" has 7 locations in California and we decided to go to the one on Pico by the Westside Pavilion. Of course I was running late and I felt so bad, I don't know where my head was that day. So after making Maurice wait about 15 minutes I finally arrived. I had been to "Louise's" before but the one in Larchmont Village and I must say the one on Pico is a lot nicer. So we got a table and reviewed the menu and decided to start with an appetizer, here is what we ordered:

Fritto Misto (Fresh zucchini, rock shrimp and calamari, breaded with Louise’s seasonings. Served with arrabiatta and tartar sauces)

When the Fritto Misto came out it was piping hot and smelled so good, I also ordered a glass of Riesling (which was YUMMY by the way). Maurice loved the Fitto Misto he was on the shrimp and the calamari! I loved it too! It was very crispy and not overly seasoned. Also with the appetizer we received the complimentary Famous Focaccia bread!!! OMG this bread is to DIE for it’s served with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This bread is so bomb.com I think I ate 3 out of the 4 pieces that were in the basket and I asked for another basket (SHAME). While reviewing the menu Maurice and I had a chance to do some more catching up and I just have to say that Maurice tells the funniest stories. So after catching up it was time to order, I decided to order from the "Prix Fixe Menu" so for $14.95 I was able to get a salad and pasta entree and a dessert, Maurice wasn't to interested in that so he ordered of the regular menu and here is what we had:

Ashley- House Salad, Pappardelle with Italian Sausage (Pappardelle pasta with spicy Italian sausage and plum tomatoes tossed with garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes. Served in a trio of Bolognese, tomato, and cream sauce

Maurice- Blackened Salmon (Cajun-rubbed fresh Atlantic salmon fillet pan-seared and blackened to perfection. Topped with a balsamic reduction and served with fire-grilled vegetables

While waiting for the food Maurice and I talked more and he was filling me in on his plans for Valentine's Day. When Maurice talks about the women he's involved with its hilarious. So the food came out and for some reason at that very moment I wasn't to sure about what I ordered. Over the last couple of months I have become fond of Italian sausage but this wasn't what I was hoping for. Maurice's plate on the other hand looked, smelled and tasted good. Mine was ok it was a little to sausage-gy and the pappardelle noodles were absolutely too thick however the sauce and the tomatoes were DELISH. I got mine smothered with fresh parmesan cheese and that helped but after 6 bites I was done. I guess all that bread and the appetizer really got to me. I was a little jealous that Maurice ordered something better than me (hahaha just kidding). I tasted Maurices salmon and it was DELISH, its something I would order the next time I go back to “Louise’s”. So after dinner it was time for my dessert, which was:

Tiramisu-A Louise’s classic made fresh daily. Lady fingers dipped in espresso layered in mascarpone cheese and cream.

I am not a huge fan of Tiramisu however this one wasn't to bad. Maurice ordered the:

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake-Dark chocolate layer cake with European chocolate butter cream
to go which was no fun because I didn't get a chance to taste it (sad face). He did say that it was good. Anytime Maurice and I hang out it’s a good time he's a great friend. We continued talking about our "love/dating" lives and I think we would both agree that Maurice's is more exciting than mine (haha). I will say that he did give me some great advice and I appreciate him for being a listening ear (THANK YOU). All in all dinner was AMAZE and I will definitely be doing dinner with Maurice again. I won't count "Louise's" out its still a really good place so get familiar. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" bus drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "No one can do you like you" until next week love always -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/2/2011

2011-02-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

AS I AM TRYING TO UPLOAD THE PICTURES, THEY ARE DELETED FROM MY CAMERA (SAD FACE).

This week I had dinner with my good friend Erica Flowers and her daughter Jaylnn. Erica and I haven't had dinner together in a while so we were long over do. It was time for us to catch up and that we did. We met up on at one of my favorite places "Buddha Belly" (http://www.bbfood.com/) "Buddha Belly" has two locations in California. We met up at the one on Beverly in Los Angeles, which is the one that I been to numerous times. I was surprised to find out "Buddha Belly" has Happy Hour (wooooohooooo). The Happy Hour selection wasn't that great but I had some time to kill because Erica was running late so I ordered:

Mojito
Chicken Potstickers

When Erica arrived her and her daughter ordered

Egg Rolls
Lemon Drop (for Erica of course)

I enjoyed my potstickers and my mojito was (DELISH) the best $4.00 I've spent in a while. Erica and I did are usual girl talk and as always it was fun. Now it was time to order dinner and here is what we ate:

Ashley- Ahi Tuna Burger with Sweet Potato Fries (medium-rare ground sushi-grade ahi tuna patty, sweet hawaiian bun, lettuce, tomato, avocado, spicy mayo, sesame seeds, sweet potato fries)

Erica-Korean Steak (teppan-grilled sirloin steak and vegetables, sake marinade, garlic, ginger, side of rice)

Jaylnn- Kids’ Chicken Fried Rice (chicken breast, corn, carrots, edamame)

I have to say that I absolutely enjoyed my burger and fries!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was such a great combination. Erica and Jalynn enjoyed their food as well. Over dinner we did more catching up and it is great as a friend to see my friends doing so well. So SHOUT OUT to Erica for doing her damn thing. All in all dinner was great!!! If you’re not familiar with "Buddha Belly" get familiar. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" list drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I want to leave you with this "Knowledge talks and wisdom listens". Until next time besos! -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/26/2011

2011-02-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

The BIRTHDAY edition!!! So today is the birthday of 2 very special people in my life. 1st my best friend of 20 years Tiffany L. Dawson and my God Son Amarion!! The fact that they share their birthdays is beyond sweet! Tiff turned 29 and Amarion aka A.J. turned 7 and I got to spend time with both of them. After work I met Tiff and her family at "Natalee Thai" (http://www.nataleethai.com/) which is one of Tiff's favorite places. Not really mine since I had a bad experience when I was there the last time (http://wednesdaydinnerwithash.blogspot.com/2009/10/wednesday-dinner-102109.html) but hey it wasn't my birthday. I decided I wouldn't order anything I would let Tiff order and I'd share with her. She ordered:

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Chicken Chow Mein

I was cool with that because I knew I would be eating again later when I saw A.J. but who was a foolin. I waited so long to eat that when I left "Natalee Thai" I was beyond FULL! Tiff's mom, grandma, sister and daughter were at lunch also. It’s always good seeing them since we are like family. Over lunch Tiff and I did our usual joking session and enjoyed ourselves. Tiff's grandma was kind enough to pick up the bill (Thanks Grammy)! After that it was time to make my way home and party with A.J.. A.J. is a little man; he is so funny and grown. He says some of the funniest things. At his party he was having sandwiches & salad from Togo's, wings from Wing Stop and cake from Albertsons. All some of my favorite things. I felt like a fat cow because I had the nerve to eat at A.J.'s party right after I got done having a late lunch with Tiff, just call me McGreedo! Sheesh by the end of the night I was soooooo FULL. I couldn't sleep comfortably. A.J. came up at his party; he got cash, gift cards, a cell phone and a lap top. I know right totally different gifts from what I remember getting at 7 but I guess this is a sign of times changing. Anyway I want to give special SHOUT OUT to Tiff: I am so lucky to have you as a friend! I couldn't imagine going through this journey of life with out you. You have taught me a lot and although I don't say it often THANKS!! For being a listening ear, a firm shoulder and a warm hand for me to hold when I need it. Your the BEST, BESTIE of the BESTEST. Hahaha Love you boobie! and to my little man A.J. God mommy loves you and we will be going on our date soon (just me & you) xoxox. If you would like some "Wednesday Dinner" birthday love drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Sometimes you have to forget how you feel to remember what you deserve" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/19/2011

2011-02-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

L.A. has a new basketball team (hahaha). There has been a huge fuss over Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers since they are now getting as much shine as the Lakers. Who would have ever thought that?! Anyway I stumbled across some tickets to the game, actually 17 tickets to the game. So I extended the invitation to everyone ok well not everyone, the people I talk to daily so I invited:

Shelby & Caleb
Melissa & Doug
Stephanie, Her Mom, Her Son & Her Daughter
Dominick, His girlfriend & Skye
Marc and his 2 friends
Myself and I took A.J. & Calvin

OMG traveling with this many people is a chore in itself, there were so many of us! So the Clippers were playing the Timberwolves and honestly I wasn't really into the game. I mainly wanted the kids to have a good time and that they did. All the kids enjoyed themselves and they all got along GREAT!! During the game the kids ate nachos, popcorn and soda and they were all hyper active. Since I was traveling with kids I decided it was time for us to go so we left about 5 minutes before the game was over and my group of kids were ready to go and they were getting hungry. So we left and hit up Chipotle, it was already late so dinner was quick and then I had to drop the kids off. All in all everyone who went had a good time, which made me happy! If you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" family tree drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "There’s a difference between giving up and knowing when you've had enough". Until next time MUAH! -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/12/2011

2011-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

Ok so I'm catching up on my blog, on this Wednesday I went to "Jersey Mikes" http://www.jerseymikes.com//. I went to the closet one to my house which is the one in Manhattan Beach. I had been wanting to try "Jersey Mikes" for a while and I was having an insane craving for a turkey sandwich. I was impressed to see that once you order they carve the meat and cheese right there for you! The shop was really clean and crisp and not really crowded, so now it was my turn to order and here is what I got:

Small- Turkey & Swiss everything on it (Mike's Way) with extra Mayo

Their sandwiches come in 3 different sizes (mini, regular and giant) I got my sandwich in a size small, thinking back on it I should have gotten a mini. My sandwich had lettuce, tomato, mayo, spicy mustard, pickles, pepper relish, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar. I also ordered a bag of plain chips to go with my sandwich. I decided to take my sandwich home and eat it there because I so tired from work. But once I got home it was ON! I took half of my sandwich and half of the chips along with a tall glass of Raspberry Lemonade and it was ON from there. The sandwich was SOOOOO YUMMY!!!! I could taste every little flavor. The total for my sandwich and chips was $8.00 and some change which wasn't bad. After eating just half of the sandwich and chips I was beyond FULL! "Jersey Mikes" is definetly one of my favorite sandwich places and you to should get familiar. All in all dinner was good, I actually enjoy dining alone! If you would like to co sign with "Wednesday Dinner" drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "A reputation take a lifetime to build but only seconds to destroy". Until next time xoxoxoxox -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/5/2011

2011-02-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hello, good morning in my Diddy voice! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! My apologies on my lack of blogging. I’m baaaaaaack!!! 2011 has been a good year so far and "Wednesday Dinner" has been going great. So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Before I go in to the story let me apologize because I didn't take any pictures (sad face), except for 1. So anyway, I decided to have a little game night at my house, I was super excited about game night because Uno was celebrating their 40th year anniversary. The cards were on sale at Target for $1.00 so I was on a mission to get some cards, after many trips to Target Stephanie finally found the Uno cards and between the both of us we got quiet a few packs. My baby sister Shelby, my cousin Taelor and all my little homies were home from college for Winter Break so of course I invited them over along with a few of my friends. I decided that I would order pizza from my new favorite pizza place "Pizza King". "Pizza King" is one of the hoods best kept pizza places, with a few locations in Los Angeles and a website (http://www.grubhub.com/la/pizza-king/) "Pizza King" is extremely economy friendly and the pizza is DELISH. So here is what I ordered:

2 Extra Large Pepperoni Pizzas’
1 Medium Pizza with Mushrooms, Pepperoni & Sausage

The total for all the pizzas was under $25.00 and with the 2 extra large pizzas I got a free liter soda and I picked Strawberry (YUMSTERS). So I told everyone to come to my house around 7pm and I had a special surprise for the adults!!! I made my 1st batch of "Pink Panties" and boy did I do a good job!! (Clap, Clap). The pizza was sooooo GOOD!!! I didn’t eat any of the pepperoni pizza the special medium pizza was just for me!!! With a little bit of ranch of the pizza, it really hit the spot!! Everyone else agreed that the pizza was good, so good that I didn’t have any left over. The main game of the night was Uno but then I had to bring out one of my favorites Connect Four! I love Connect Four but I have to get my strategy up because I've been loosing lately. Uno was a hit a few people won but I didn't, all in all game night for "Wednesday Dinner" was a hit! Everyone was laughing and joking it remined me of how “Wednesday Dinner” was when I first started doing “Wednesday Dinner”, before the blog. I will be doing something like this again, maybe during the summer, so I can have it outside. Check out the link for "Pizza King" and give them a try, you won't be disappointed. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" team drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Love is free, but treat it wrong and pay the price" until next time -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/29/10

2010-12-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hola!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, well, WELL! This is my last blog for 2010 and this has been a wonderful year. Not everything has worked out the way I wanted it to however it worked out. Everything I prayed for I got and then some, I fell in love a few times (hahaha) got over it, gained some understanding, patched up some broken relationship and just LIVED my life! I don't really do resolutions, I do goals and so far my goals are to get closer to God, grow as a woman, get more money, secure my financial future, travel, spend more time with my family and friends, give back and just continue to live so with that being said I hope everyone has a SAFE, FUN & WONDERFUL New Years Eve!!!!! Now, let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin, yesterday it was just me, myself & I again. I was just not in the mood to do anything other than go home yesterday, I thought I was going to be raining all day so I decided I would cook but this tricky California weather had me fooled! It stopped raining and the sun came out to play. So I decided I would try something I've been wanting to cook for a while. Years ago my Uncle Joey used to make fish and he would cook the fish with vinegar and onions (I know, sounds weird but its good). Then I got another idea to try and make succotash (minus the Lima Beans) for the first time, so the menu was Baked Red Snapper, Potatoes and Succotash and here is what I used to cook everything:

1 Red Snapper (Fillet)
2 Potatoes
2 Tablespoons of Vinegar
1/2 Stick of Butter
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Rosemary
Mrs. Dash (Yellow)
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Slices of Onion
1 1/2 Cups of Frozen Corn

First I had to peel the potatoes (so not fun) then cutting them up was a task. I steamed them with a pot steamer for about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes were done, I drained the water and put butter in the pot added the potatoes and mixed in the rosemary and Mr. Dash. I don't measure my seasoning I just have an eye for what looks and taste right (hahaha). Then it was time to try this succotash out, I love corn! It's one of my favorite veggies and red bell peppers are always yummy! I am just not a fan of lima beans, so in a small skillet I melted some butter and dropped in the bell peppers, covered it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then I added the frozen corn, covered it back up and let the simmer for about 15 minutes. I had to drained all the access butter and water from the frozen corn then I added a little more butter and seasoning salt to taste. Now it was time to bake the fish, I season the fish with black pepper and seasoning salt on both sides. I cut the fish in half and put 1 tablespoon of vinegar on each piece of fish, topped it off with some sliced onions and a slice of butter for each piece. Covered the fish with foil and let it bake for about 25 minutes. Now all the smells were coming together and it was time to plate my food! It looked and smelled so good; I didn't have a glass of wine with this meal. I kept it PG and had water. I must say so myself that was one of my best meals "Ash you did your thang on that there" hahaha! I enjoyed my meal and just took a moment to reflect on my 2010, it’s been a good ride. So if you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" 2011 movement drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Look back and thank God. Look forward and trust God". Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love always, -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/22/2010

2010-12-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning my loves and whew what a week we've had in California with all this rain. I have enjoyed every minute of it; there is something about the rain that just makes me want to be quiet and still! And yesterday was no different, there was thunder, lightning, hail and then a rainbow and then more rain last night so I decided I was going straight home after work to make dinner and chill ALONE. This week I've been overly exhausted and haven't gotten much sleep, I knew that trying to have dinner out in this rain wasn't going to happen and I was totally fine with that. So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Years ago my Aunt made a dish and I fell in love with it, it’s called Chicken Parmesan. Yea I know every Italian restaurant serves it however I never knew before she made it how easy it was to make! I knew that the Chicken Parmesan would do the trick, it was raining out and I wanted something good to eat. I decided to pair the Chicken Parmesan up with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Toast. Here are the items I used:

Ragu Original Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti Noodles
2 Tyson Breaded Chicken Fillets
Mozzarella Cheese
Caesar Salad (In a Bag)

This dish is so easy a cave man can make it (HAHAHAHA), no but it’s really easy. First I warmed the spaghetti sauce in a sauce pan, I added a little garlic salt and sugar to taste. I let that simmer for about 20 minutes, and then I moved on to the chicken breast. The chicken breasts were frozen, so I put them in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes. I lightly fried the chicken breast because I knew once the spaghetti sauce got on them they would get soggy and I didn't want that. Then it was time to boil the noodles and I must say I am really no good at noodles and rice (sad face) but anyway the noodles boiled for about 10-15 minutes. Then it was time to put it all together, 1st I took the noodles and mixed them with the spaghetti sauce and placed them in my casserole dish. Then I topped the noodles off with some mozzarella cheese, and then I dipped the chicken breast in the spaghetti sauce and placed them over the noodles, poured the remaining sauce of over the chicken and noodles and then put some mozzarella cheese over the chicken breast. I threw that in the oven for about 25 minutes, and then the salad was easy I mean its salad in a bag sheesh! The garlic toast baked for about 10 minutes. Now it was time to plate my food and grub! I ate half of one full chicken breast along with the salad and garlic toast and a nice glass of Stella Rosa! At sat my butt right in front of the T.V and enjoyed my dinner; I was watching Top Chef while I was eating. After I ate I was full, I got back on the couch and took about a 2 hour nap! My dinner came out great and I enjoyed myself! If you like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" club drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Look back and thank God, look forward and trust God" until next week Merry Christmas- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/15/10

2010-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

GOOD MORNING! and first let me start by saying I am sooooooo sorry I didn't post anything last week, I did do "Wednesday Dinner" it was in honor of my dad, it was his birthday so I made dinner and had my family over. I love my Dad and he had a wonderful birthday last week. So last nights dinner was with my good friend Maurice. Maurice and I went to high school together and we weren't close in high school, we knew each other and spoke but we didn't really hang out. As of about a year ago our friendship has blossomed and I really appreciate him as a friend. Maurice and I had dinner earlier this year and I had a wonderful time, so I figured we needed to do it again before the year is over. So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Maurice and I met last night at Tinga (http://www.tingabuena.com/), Tinga is located on LaBrea right between 1st & 2nd street, and I believe they haven't been open long but by the look of the crowd you couldn't tell. When Maurice and I got there it wasn't too crowded but by the time we left it was packed. Tinga is a small little place that puts a huge twist on your classic Mexican food. Serving different types of Tacos on home made taco shells, tamales, rice, beans, corn, etc. Tinga is a really cute place its not to fancy but it’s also not dull at all. A cute modern long table in the middle of the restaurant, a bar and a few tables on the side. They don't serve alcohol however you can bring your own if you desire. There isn't a waiter that comes and takes your order and there are no menus to place on the table. The menu is written on a few chalkboards in cute little colors. You have to order and pay in full at the front and then take your seat. The staff there was super cool; they offered their own recommendations and were attentive and helpful. I felt so bad because this time I was late and I had Maurice waiting. But he got over it, so it was time to order and here is what we got:

Pechuga- 2 Short Rib Tacos, Salsa Verde, Potatoes, and Quesco Fresco
Flat Iron Steak Tacos- Chipotle Tortillas, Tomato Avocado Relish, Dog Snout Salsa, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco, Lime Chipotle Escabeche
Elote Especial- Grilled Sweet Corn, Creamy Lime, Chilli, Poblano Puree
Black Beans- Soaked in Dos Equis with veggies
Chicken Nachos- Thick Tortilla Chips, Chicken Tinga, Creama and Guacamole
2 Watermelon Lemonades
Dolce something or another for dessert

All the food is served on what appears to be recyclable plates with utensils as well. I felt like we ordered so much food and boy was I right. So the food came out and it was time to grub, Maurice and I agreed that everything was on point and good. Maurice’s fav's which I picked up on where the black beans, and the tacos. My favs were the nachos, lemonade and the dessert. The food came out it was hot and fresh, and I knew that I was going to be so full once it was all said and done. Over dinner Maurice and I talked about everything! I had to share with him a recent message I received from someone we both know and it surprised me that Maurice knew exactly who I was talking about before I even said the persons name, crazy right? RIGHT! But nonetheless Maurice schooled me and told me how to handle the situation. Maurice also filled me in on his love life and he is hilarious! He has the funniest laugh and wonderful spirit! I am so glad that we are closer now! Dinner came up to about $50 which isn't bad because we had hella food. I enjoyed dinner and I look for to many more dinners and hangouts with Maurice! Thanks for dinner and coming out Mo! It was fun as usual! I highly recommend you get familiar with Tinga. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" frontline drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com also follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Play your role as only you can" until next week MUAH!-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/1/10

2010-12-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!! My bad for not blogging but I was on a 24 hour food fast do to Turkey day, however I am back, well rested and happy to report I did not gain and extra turkey day weight (hahaha). So let this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. As I mentioned previously I would be switching up by cooking and dinning out, so yesterday I was in the kitchen getting my cook on (HA). I had decided to make an agent Chinese dish that’s been around for centuries, the well known "Fried Rice" (hahaha) along with some chicken egg rolls. I had never made fried rice before but I figured this can go 1 of 2 ways, it can turn out good or it can turn out bad. So I thought what the hell, here goes nothing. I decided to use chicken and shrimp for the fried rice and the egg rolls were store bought so that wasn't going to take much time. Below are the ingredients that were needed for the fried rice:

2 Cups of cooked rice
2 Eggs
3 Green onions
1/2 Cup of shredded carrots
1 Cup of diced chicken
1 Cup of chopped shrimp
1/2 Teaspoon of soy sauce
1 Packet of Fried Rice Mix
2 Tablespoons of oil
1 Box of Market Fresh Mini Chicken Egg Rolls

The 1st thing I did was make my minute rice, and surprisingly it came out perfect. I am not the best rice cooker but can you really mess up minute rice? Once the rice was cooked it was time to do my chicken and carrots. In a skillet I used extra virgin olive oil and butter to sauté the chicken, I seasoned the chicken with seasoning salt, pepper and garlic salt. In a smaller skillet I sautéed the carrots with a little bit of butter. The carrots were fresh and needed to be cooked per the instructions on the rice packet. Next it was time to cook the shrimp; I seasoned the shrimp with the same salts as the chicken. After all that chopping and cooking I was getting a little tired but dinner had to get made, after all the meat and carrots were done it was time to put it all together. I had to put the oil in a skillet add the green onions and the rice, mix that and then it was time to add the rice mix and soy sauce. That’s when the rice started to look like what fried rice should, all the flavors were coming together and it smelled good. Next I added the chicken and shrimp, and then it got tricky......I had to push all that to the side and add the egg, so I did that. I put the top on the skillet and let the egg along with everything else cook for about 15 minutes. During the wait time I put the egg rolls in the oven for about 15 minutes, after the egg rolls were done everything was made and it was time to plate my food. Now it was time to see if it all came together as expected AND................ IT DID!!!! The rice was so YUMMY the only thing I could have done different was fried the egg rolls rather than bake them but now I know for next time. There was enough rice left over for me to have lunch today, which is always a plus. Over dinner I had a little time to think and I am starting to get that "I want a boyfriend" itch (yea I know, I'm sure it will pass). Am I ready to try love and a relationship all over again? Am I just feeling this way because it’s the Holiday season? Or do I really want a MAN? Who knows, I'll take it for what it is and see what happens. I suggest you log on and stay tuned (HA). If you would like to get in the "Wednesday Dinner" kitchen drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com , follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand. Until next week stay true to you- Ashley.

Wednesday Dinner 11/17/10

2010-11-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Buenos Dias my loves and welcome to "Wednesday Dinner" with Ash. I hope you all are doing well and are staying blessed and positive in this world we are living in. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was so much fun and I had a great time. So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin! This week Hello Kitty is celebrating her 50th Anniversary with what I would call and exhibit being held at the Santa Monica airport. This event is a mix of art, games, food trucks, shopping and arts & crafts. For anyone who loves Hello Kitty this is the perfect thing for you to check out! The event will be in Los Angeles until Sunday November 21st, for more details check out (http://www.sanrio.com/smallgift) parking is $10 and the event is free except for on Saturday and tickets are $15. I didn't go alone last night I went with Stephanie, Ari (Stephanie's daughter) and Keyonna (Stephanie's God daughter). We arrived around 6:30pm and the event closed at 9pm, I was all bundled up because I thought this event was held outside but I was wrong it was inside (YAY). Walking in I felt like a little kid it was so cute and just all things Hello Kitty. We started out at the art exhibit and some of the art being displayed was so DOPE and pricey! Ridiculously priced, then we worked our way to the gift store I didn't really see anything I was interested in buying but they did have a few specialty items, like Hello Kitty Monopoly. After the gift shop we made our way outside to where the food trucks were and sadly there were only 3 food trucks out there. Kabob N Roll (http://www.kabobnroll.com/), The Place (http://www.theplacela.com/?p=209) and The Knock Out Taco Truck (http://www.kotacotruck.com/KOTacos/home.html). I have to say we picked the wrong night to go for food because all these trucks were WACK!!!!!!!!!!!! Collectively we spent about $50 on food and it was clearly not worth it! Here is what we got:

The Knock Out Truck- Carne Asada Taco's & Bean & Cheese Taco

Kabob N Roll- Meat Pies, Cheese Rolls, Chicken Kabob & Beef Kabob

The Place- Burger, Place Burrito, Pastrami Cheese Fries, & Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog

Beard Papa's - Fondant Au Chocolate

I tasted just about everything listed and I was not impressed and my tummy started hurting once we left which was no bueno! The best thing was the Fondant Au Chocolate from Beard Papa's and basically what it was a chocolate molten cake it was pretty good. Everything else was all bad; The place messed up on Stephanie's burger about 2 times. I was highly disappointed because I was expecting more trucks to be at the event. After we ate we walked around and Keyonna and Ari played a few games. To play any of the games and do some of the activities you need tickets, tickets are priced at $2 per ticket. Keyonna and Ari did pretty good on the games and won a few prizes, next Ari went to play miniature golf and Keyonna went off to the arts & crafts table. There is also a Farice Wheel and a Yogurtland both at the event also. Ari did pretty on her golfing and then we went and met Keyonna at the arts & crafts table and that were I had the most fun. There are these pictures that you can decorate with colored sand, SO DOPE! I want to go back just to do another picture. Its very time consuming though but I had so much fun, it let all my creative juices flow. It was amazing to see how all the creativity from everyone who was at the table. There were a lot of grown women at the event who clearly love Hello Kitty! I didn't see that many kids? But hey I had a good time, I am going to try and go back before Sunday and I suggest if you have a daughter or a love for Hello Kitty you check this event out. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" Soul Train drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Do what you do and I'll do what I do" until next week, blessings. -Ash

Wednesday Dinner 11/10/10

2010-11-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Gooooood morning and happy Thursday? I am so thrown off by this daylight savings time its not even funny! I hope you are all doing well and I would like to thank you for reading another one of my fabulous blogs (hahaha). Anyway let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week was supposed to be about me trying to hook Stephanie up on a date (and I am not sure if I hooked her up or what). The plan was we would go on a double date with someone I used to date and one of his friends that has been interested in Stephanie for a while. We would all meet for dinner and see how it went but that wasn't the case! The guys were about 2 hours behind schedule and we made 3 different restaurant choices (sweet baby Jesus) and at that point I was reminded of why the guy I used to date I don't date anymore! Everyone knows I don't eat dinner late anymore but these guys didn't get the memo. Our original meeting time was 7pm then it got pushed back to 7:30pm, then to 8:45pm and by the time I looked at my phone it was 9:30pm and we were having dinner (SHAME). The original restaurant choice was Mac & Cheeza but Stephanie and her date weren't to thrilled so then I suggested Citizen Smith but when we all walked in we all walked right back out and went next door to Kitchen 24 (http://www.kitchen24.info/Home.html). Stephanie and I had both been to Kitchen 24 before, last year for her bday we went. I really couldn't tell if the food was good or not because I was so under the influence! However we when walked in we were immediately seated and it literally took about 15 minutes for our waitress to come and take our drink orders (now that’s just ridiculous). It seemed like we were waiting forever for her to come back and the crazy part was that they weren't even crowded! While waiting Stephanie’s date wasn't feeling to good so he took a little walk around the block and just left her at the table with my date and I not sure if she felt like the 3rd wheel (I need to ask her about that). By the time he came back we started ordering and we started with an appetizer:

Chilli Cheese Fries

The fries were ok in my opinion Stephanie really feel in love with these fries. They were fries with veggie chilli and cheese. The veggie chilli had black beans and corn in it and tofu I believe, they were ok but not something I would order again. Then it was time to order dinner and here is what we had:

Ashley- The Big Baller- Jumbo Meatballs cooked in Marinara, served open faced on Focaccia with Provolone

Ashley's Date- K24 Turkey Burger Served on a Toasted Brioche Bun w/ Onions, Sliced Tomatoes, Mayo, Lettuce and Sliced Pickles

Stephanie- Buttermilk Battered Fried Chicken Served with Seasonal Vegetables, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.

Stephanie's Date- K24 Turkey Burger Served on a Toasted Brioche Bun w/ Onions, Sliced Tomatoes, Mayo, Lettuce and Sliced Pickles

My apologies to the guys because I totally left them out, I didn't take pictures of their food but they did say that their burgers were ok. My sandwich was alright the meatballs could have been seasoned a little better. Stephanie liked her meal as well but she did mention that the chicken could have been seasoned better as well. Over dinner we talked as a group and then there we a few side conversations between the two groups. I could tell Stephanie was having a good time because she kept smiling, which is great! Her and her date seemed to hit it off. I am trying to help her get over her break up and try something different which is "being single and dating". Not sure if I will dub myself a "Match Maker" just yet but hopefully this was the first of many more dates! Our service at Kitchen 24 was horrible I mean just WACK! I am not sure if the guys left a tip, I didn't ask but if I were paying I wouldn't have left SHIT! (excuse my french). The atmosphere in Kitchen 24 is cool they play a mix of top 40 jams and have a bar with Happy Hour until 11pm Monday-Thursday, they also have a cute candy station at the front counter however if you take all of that away they pretty much suck! All in all the double date was cool however I am going to opt out of doubling dating again! Even though we all know each other it’s still a little awkward. After dinner it was time to say our goodbyes since it was a week night there was really no time for anything extra since we all have to be at work before the crack of dawn. I did get a chance to look at the bill and it was about $72.00 and some change which makes it about $18 per person oh Kitchen 24 ya'll wrong for that! If you would like to be hooked up with "Wednesday Dinner" or a date holler at me wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "It gets greater later" until next week DUECES- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 11/3/10

2010-11-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!! I had to take a much needed break from blogging because my life has gone in a whole nother direction from the last time I blogged. Let me start with saying "Hello, Good Morning"! I hope you are all well and life is treating you good. I took a break from "Wednesday Dinner" because I moved. YES Jody finally left the nest (Hahaha). This has been a life changing no scratch that a life style change for me and I am sooooooo HAPPY!!!! So due to moving and trying to work out my living expenses "Wednesday Dinner" was put on hold , however I’m back, re inspired and I have decided to switch the blog up. Twice a month I will be cooking dinner and having people over for dinner and twice a month I will be dinning out and either be eating solo or be accompanied by a guest. So this brings me to last nights dinner which was in house with my sister and if I must say so I did my thing on the ones and twos. I have an abundance of food in both my refrigerator and freezer! I wanted to make something good but I also wanted to use some of the items in my fridge before they went bad. So I decided to try this Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Pasta, my sister Melissa told me I need to name it but for some reason I am only good at naming drinks not food (hahaha). Since I've moved out I've become an old person when it comes to eating dinner, I try not to eat dinner any later than 6pm so most nights I'm eating dinner by 5-5:30pm and I cook every night. I know that’s crazy but I get off work at 3pm so it’s only right, right? Anyway along with the pasta I decided to make this Greek Salad I've made before, which is really good & refreshing if I must say so myself! So here are the ingredients for the pasta & salad:

Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Pasta (Prep time 45 minutes)

• 1 Chicken Breast

• 2 Cups of Penne Pasta

• 1 Bag of Fresh Spinach

• 2 Handfuls of Fresh Mushrooms

• Butter

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Fresh Garlic

• Classico Alfredo Sauce

• Mozzarella Cheese

• Seasoning Salt, Garlic Salt & Black Pepper

• 2 Slices of Texas Toast

Greek Salad (Prep time 10 minutes)

• One bag of salad

• Feta Cheese

• Sliced Olives

• Tomatoes

• Cucumber

• Red Onion

• Italian Salad Dressing

• 1 Slice of Pita Bread

So let me start with the pasta, so easy to make and if made correctly its DELISH! First I cut the chicken breast in cubes and seasoned it with seasoning salt, garlic salt and black pepper. Warmed my skillet and put extra virgin olive oil & butter, let it get hot and then dropped the chicken in. I had to keep my eye on the chicken because I didn't want to burn it or for it to be under cooked. The chicken cooked for about 20 minutes and was done; the pieces were moist and very flavorful. Next it was time to sauté the spinach & mushrooms. I heated up another skillet with butter, fresh garlic (minced it myself) and seasoning salt let the skillet get hot then I dropped the spinach & mushrooms in. I let the veggies sauté for about 10 minutes and they were done. Now the alfredo sauce was up, I had about a little less than a full jar of Classic Alfredo sauce in the fridge, I didn't think it was going to be enough so I added a little milk in jar and shook it up, put the sauce in a little sauce pan add about 2 pinches of mozzarella cheese and let it boil for about 5 minutes, I added a little seasoning salt to taste. Next it was time to do the noodles, I boiled 2 cups of penne pasta, and of course pasta is tricky because you don't want to under cook or over cook your noodles. It took about 8 minutes for the noodles to be done and now it was time to mix everything up. I did a little sample taste and DAMN that pasta was DELISH. Next up was the Greek Salad, extremely easy to make even a cave man can make it (hahaha). I placed the lettuce in a bowl, cut up the red onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Added the feta cheese and olives and then put about 3 squirts of the Italian dressing on. Mixed it and abra cadabra the salad was made. I put in the fridge and warmed up my Texas toast and pita bread, I rubbed the pita bread down with some butter and let it get a little crispy along with the Texas toast. By 5:30pm dinner was ready , Melissa and I were ready to eat. We ate the salad first; I set the table and everything! Melissa enjoyed the salad and pita bread and so did I. The pasta was served as the 2nd course and I am sad to report Melissa doesn't eat mushrooms, so she picked them out. She enjoyed the pasta as well she told me "Good job Ashley". Over dinner we just talked about small things here and there, it was soooo HOT yesterday sheesh. After dinner we were both FULL so we sat on the couch and didn't move for about 20 minutes. All in all dinner was good and of course I'll get Melissa to leave a comment on the food. I really enjoy cooking and decided this would be a great addition to what I've been doing with "Wednesday Dinner". If you would like to dine at the "Wednesday Dinner" table or have a recipe suggestion, drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Life is so short...kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly" Until next we I love you and peace! -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 9/8/10

2010-09-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Good morning, love bugs!! Happy Thursday!!!! Life is good, I can't complain so let me get into this blog. I had been craving Chinese food for about a week. So I decided to visit one of my old faithful places, "Bamboo Garden" in LA off of Vermont and Manchester. "Bamboo Garden" doesn't have a website but check out the yelp link (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bamboo-garden-restaurant-los-angeles). I used to frequent "Bamboo Garden" years ago and they really had my heart but I haven't been there in some time. "Bamboo Garden" is your hole in the wall classic Chinese food restaurant, with menus posted all over the wall and offering many different food items this place is far from typical. The prices are extremely reasonable and would make one second guess themselves if they are not comfortable. "Bamboo Garden" offers take out only and only accepts cash. There were so many items to choose from but I decided on what I wanted and here is what I got:

No. 1- Chicken Chow Mein, Pork Fried Rice, Barbeque Pork, Egg Roll, 2 Fried Shrimp, 1 Fortune Cookie & 1 Almond Cookie
Broccoli & Beef

"Bamboo Garden" has a lot of dinner specials that come with 3 items or more and like I said the prices are extremely reasonable. So since I could only take my food to go it was back to the house to eat. The total for the No. 1 was $7.75 and the Broccoli & Beef was about $5.50 which rounded off my total $13.25 which wasn't bad for the amount of food I got, this meal was big enough for at least 3 people. I have so much food left over, by the time I arrived home the food was still HOT not warm but HOT and I appreciate that. The chow mien was yummy!! Hearty pieces of chicken and veggies!! Pork fried rice isn't my favorite but I did the trick, not to many pieces of pork so I got to really enjoy the rice. Barbeque pork was alright I only ate a few pieces of that not a huge fan of it but it was still alright. I didn't fool with the egg roll, the shrimp was BOMB with a little sweet & sour sauce it was right on point. The broccoli & beef really hit the spot it was BOMB also. All in all I was full and glad I stopped by "Bamboo Garden". If you like classic Chinese food stop by "Bamboo Garden" it’s the perfect place to get take out on date night or when it starts raining. They are open 7 days a week until 8:15pm however it’s located in the cut so if you’re not paying attention you’re going to pass it. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Don't regret anything because at one point in your life it meant everything" until next week I LOVE YOU! -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 9/2/10

2010-09-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well good morning and happy Thursday! The weekend is here and I am so looking forward to this 3 day weekend. I want everyone to have a safe and happy Labor day! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was short but OH SOOOOOO GOOD! The sun was shining yesterday and it was such a lovely day here in California and I was feeling very Cali-ish with what I wanted to eat. I wanted something simple and flavorful and I got just that. I decided to stop by "All About the Bread" (http://allaboutthebread.com/), "All About the Bread" is located off of Melrose in a tiny little strip complex joined with another restaurant and a Pinkberry (EWWW). At first sight I got turned off because there was no parking in the front, however with a slight left turn into the alley I was greeted with Valet and I got a free hour of parking. Walking into "All About the Bread" I was immediately in sandwich heaven, I have to be honest but sandwiches are one of my favorite things to eat! "All About the Bread" was so clean, neat and it had this fresh aroma to it. I smelled the fresh bread being baked!!! There were quite a few people dining solo inside so I didn't feel alone and there were a group of guys sitting outside eating. With a variety of meats and cheeses and one type of bread ordering was easy, I was a little distracted because there was a cute guy taking my order but I was able to compose myself and here is what I ordered:

Small Honey Turkey & Swiss and Chips

"All About the Bread" makes all their sandwiches with the works which include (Vegan mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, Italian dressing, and roasted peppers, mild or medium Chicago style peppers). At first sight this might seem like a lot on a sandwich however its not. I got everything except the peppers, I asked for those on the side but I guess the guy didn't hear that. I was a little taken back that the drinks and chips were so expensive! A bottled drink is $3.00 and $1.75 for a bag of chips (SHAME) good thing I had my water in my purse. I waited about 5 minutes for my sandwich to be made, "All About the Bread" cuts their meat and cheeses in house which is great. So my name was called and it was time to dive into my sandwich. And it was LOVE at first bite! The freshness in this sandwich was so apparent! I could taste every veggie, the meat and the cheese. This sandwich was not overly saturated with onions or anything. It was absolutely amazing!!!! The vegan mayo along with the Italian dressing gives this sandwich its stand out taste! My total came to $8.25 which included $6.50 for the sandwich and $1.75 for the chips. Unfortunately I only ate half of my sandwich but it was good down to the last bite. I strongly suggest that you get familiar with "All About the Bread" real soon! I am claiming this as my #1 sandwich place!!! I will definitely be going back sooner than later! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" invite list drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "You can't arrive to your new situation until you leave your old destination. Until next week stay fly- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 8/25/10

2010-09-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late, however I was debating if I should blog about last weeks dining experience, which I would like to say was less than appetizing. Last week I had a lot going on; Shelby was preparing to leave for college and life was hectic last week, however we managed to get her off safe and sound. So last week was Shelby's last "Wednesday Dinner" for a while and the last "Wednesday Dinner" for August (I mean that’s nothing special but hey). So I was trying to get her and Melissa out for dinner, however the 3 of us together are extremely indecisive, we went to dinner about 8pm which is very late for me but whateve! We couldn't decide what we wanted to eat so I made the executive decision and decided to try "Nathan's" (http://nathansfamous.com/PageFetch/), "Nathan's" has a new location in Manhattan Beach and I have to say that I was not pleased with the service or my food. We arrived around 8:20pm and it was just all bad, the cashier/order taker was very sharp and rude. The food was gross! It had an overly fried taste to it, here is what we ordered

Melissa- Bacon, Cheese & Ranch Fries
Shelby- Chicken Tenders
Ashley- Hot Dog Combo with Onion Rings

Everything was not appetizing, I am not sure how a hot dog can't taste good but it happened. I think it’s because the bun wasn't soft! I don't think I'll be going back to "Nathan's" ever! See the pictures and decide for yourself. Over dinner my sisters and I laughed and joked as we always do! My food came to a total of $6.40 which is a little much for a hotdog combo! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" crew drop me a line wedenesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "In order to have demands you must be in demand" Until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 8/18/10

2010-08-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!!!! Today is a great day, I am a little tired but nonetheless I am here! Special "Shout Out" to summer for finally arriving. Yesterdays "Wednesday Dinner" was very quick and I kept to myself. Yesterday the sun was shining and I was feeling like eating something light and something I hadn't had in a while. I had been craving Hawaiian BBQ, I know I know, Los Angeles is really the last place to get authentic Hawaiian BBQ but hey it is what it is. So I decided to stop by "Q Hawaiian BBQ" which doesn't have a website and there is nothing really on the yelp link. "Q Hawaiian BBQ" is located in the heart of my neighborhood in Inglewood on Crenshaw in one of the new Inglewood Plaza strip mall buildings. "Q Hawaiian BBQ" is very clean and neat on the inside however the customer service SUCKS! I don't know what is going on in Inglewood but I've noticed that the customer service is horrible at a lot of these food establishments, which I think is a crock of shit! Seeing that in Inglewood we pay the highest tax 10.25% which is just utterly ridiculous. Anyway let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. I ate a little early because I had plans later on in the evening, I arrived at "Q Hawaiian BBQ" about 4pm and there were a few people in there, there was this group of 2 guys in there and they kept looking at me (WEIRD) because I don't like when people stare at me. Anyway I was looking at the menu and I decided I was going to switch it up and I ordered and this is by pure memory because I can't find my receipt:

#4 Hawaiian BBQ Mix- BBQ Chicken, Katsu Chicken, BBQ Spare Ribs (White Rice, Cabbage & Macaroni Salad)

The total for this came up to $8.70 which wasn't bad at all, I ordered my food for "here" and clearly that meant nothing! Because my food was still served to me in styrofoam but whatever. The food: the bbq chicken is pieces of dark meat matted and cooked like chicken breast. It’s grilled with a hint of bbq flavor but not overly saturated and served in whole pieces, the katsu chicken is their version of fried chicken. The katsu chicken is a mix of white and dark meat and it’s served sliced. The bbq spare ribs (which are my favorite) are your traditional koren bbq spare rib but just sold in a Hawaiian restaurant. The cabbage (which I love) is your regular cabbage, no fancy seasoning or anything, however I have to make it known that I like my cabbage soft! The macaroni salad taste like something I'm not used to but something I have gotten used to, the best way to describe it is it’s not overly done with mayonnaise and seasoning but suttle and good. It took me about 15 minutes to eat my food and people watch. As I was enjoying my food this young man decided to sit right across from me and eat his food and as I was looking down I saw the crack of his ass. Ummm it was to pack this food up and be OUT! and that's exactly what I did! I was full and I had to get to my mom's house because Shelby was having movie night with her friends, Shelby leaves for college next week (sad face). The movie night was hilarious and Shelby has a great group of friends, their loud but a great group. All in all dinner was great and if you are ever in the Inglewood area stop by "Q Hawaiian BBQ" and give them a try. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" shopping list drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner . In closing I'd like to leave you with this “Promise little and do much" Until next week xoxox Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 8/11/10

2010-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, honestly my loves this morning I DO NOT feel like blogging. I am beyond tired, I over slept this morning, made it to work an hour and 15 minutes late. I woke up with enough time to shower, brush my teeth, and wash my face and dress. I didn't do my hair and I'm wearing flip flop, I know I know shame on me. But hell I made it to work! Yesterday’s dinner was extremely special to me!! I had dinner with my Grandma (Grandma on my mom’s side); my Grandma was taking me to dinner for my birthday. Yes my birthday was officially 2 weeks ago as of today, but better late than never. My Grandma had given me 3 choices of places she wanted to take me and one of those choices was Marie Callendars (www.mariecallendersgrill.com/) which is now called Callendar's Grill located at the Howard Hughes Bridge. Let me give you this disclaimer first “Callendar's Grill” is totally different from Marie Callendars as far as the menu and the set up of the restaurant, however if you Google “Callendar's Grill” the Marie Callendar website comes up (I hope they can fix this). So it was just my Grandma and I for dinner, I love spending time with my Grandma. She's always so young spirited and vibrant and I love that about her. "Callendar's Grill" is very clean, neat and modern in the inside it reminds me of a restaurant you would see in a movie. It’s very spacious and a perfect place to hold a dinner party. Their menu is very simple and they offer a selection of "Tonight’s Specials" on a separate menu, it didn't take my Grandma and I long to decide what we wanted. First we placed our drink orders and here they are:

Ashley- Glass of Riesling
Grandma- Cosmo Martini

Riesling wasn't my first choice for wine originally I wanted a glass of Kendall Jackson, but they were all out (a little strange but ok). So now it was time to order (sadly I am doing this review all by memory because the website doesn't reflect what we ate). But here it goes:

Ashley- Blackened Tilapia with a creole sauce served with jasmine rice
Grandma- Quiche & Waldorf salad Sampler

It took about 15 minutes for our food to come out and during that time my Grandma and I just talked. We sat in a booth which had a window view and that was great because we got to people watch. I was a little taken back that there was no bread bout out to us while we were waiting????? So the food comes out and both entrees looked delicious. My food was piping HOT! This was my first time ordering Tilapia, I've been getting tired of fried foods and wanted something light with a lot of flavor and that’s what I got. The Tilapia was grilled and blackened; it was very fresh and tender. The creole sauce was a little too spicy for me (since I've been having run ins with heart burn lately), you can't go wrong with jasmine rice. I would have liked this dish a little better with some kind of grilled vegetables, and a different type of sauce. My Grandma's food was the BOMB, if you are not familiar with Quiche (it’s a baked egg pie that’s filled with whatever you want to put in it). This quiche had bacon, spinach and gouda cheese, served with a waldorf salad. Of course I took a taste and it was DELISH! It was very fresh and refreshing, in my opinion the perfect summer dish! I should have gotten what Grandma got! But mine was good for what it was. Over dinner my Grandma and I continued to talk and I love talking to her. She has been such a great Grandma to me and to all of my cousins. I remember when I was little spending so much time with her, playing dress up and just letting her love me. I have so many wonderful memories with her, although she doesn't use the internet I just want to say THANK YOU GRANDMA & I LOVE YOU!!!!! After both of us were only able to finish half of our food it was time to pack it up and go, however my Grandma wasn't going to leave with out letting our waiter now that it was my birthday and that I am a blogger. Thankfully no one came over to sing happy birthday, I did receive a slice of free pie. I ordered:

Double Cream Blueberry

This pie was DELISH and it was just the right size slice, I single handedly finished that slice of pie and I only offered my Grandma a slice when I was 2 bites away from being finished. All in all dinner was GREAT, the total came up to $46.30 which isn't bad. I recommend you stop by and visit "Callendar's Grill", so after dinner with my Grandma I went to meet my homie Justin to catch this movie screening. Justin came up on some passes to see the screening of "The Lottery" the new movie with Bow Wow. OMG Justin is theeee worst (hahaha) we were like 30 minutes late for the movie due to parking issues but SHOUT OUT to the lady that gave us a pass and let us in. The screening was at the Man Chinese Theater in Hollywood (www.manntheatres.com/). I am not sure what the fascination is with Hollywood, but it’s always too crowded down there. When we finally got in the movie, it was crowded; we sat about 4 rows from the bottom. I won't spoil the movie for you guys but its cute, everyone go see it when it comes out and support the black dollar! Thanks Justin for thinking of me I had a good time! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" letter head drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Do something life changing and that’s when life changes" until next week, blessings - Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 8/4/2010

2010-08-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello and Good Morning. My deepest apologies for not blogging last week, however there were a lot of things going on in my life last week. But with the grace of God I am back and feeling better than ever. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was very special to me because I was able to spend it with my favorite "youngins" as I like to call them (Shelby, Taelor, Genova and Maya). All of them will be going off to college within the next two weeks so I need to try and spend as much time with them as possible. So I invited them to meet me at the "Grand Lux" (http://www.grandluxcafe.com/) yesterday for a late lunch/early dinner and they all agreed. When I arrived of course they weren't there yet, but they didn't keep me waiting long. Looking at them I can't help but smile because I have watched them all grow and blossom into young ladies. Especially Shelby and Taelor, sheesh it makes me feel so OLD! But they all looked so cute and it’s clear that they are really growing up! "Grand Lux" has Happy Hour and you don't have to be 21 to sit in the bar area and enjoy Happy Hour. So we were seated at the bar and it was time to get "Wednesday Dinner" crackin! During the week "Grand Lux" has drink specials during Happy Hour, yesterday's special was a Raspberry Cosmo and OMG that was theeeee best Cosmo I've ever had! And it was only $5.00 (SCORE)! I decided that I would order for Shelby and I because we like a lot of the same food and Taelor, Genova and Maya would be on their own. So here is what was ordered:

Ashley & Shelby- Skillet Meatballs, Mini Buffalo Bites, Mini Lux Salad, Crispy Calamari, BBQ Pork Sliders, & Fried Pickles

Taelor- BLT with no Tomato

Genova- Skillet Meatballs, Mini Buffalo Bites

Maya- Mahi Mahi & Shrimp Scampi

Let me just start by saying that Shelby and I did not get all that food at once it was spread out over the course of time we were there. Our waiter was good, shame that the tip was already included but oh well. So let me start goin in on the food: Skillet Meatballs- DELISH! These are chicken meatballs (which I've never had) the meatballs were so moist, seasoned very well and topped with a very good marana sauce and cheese served with mini slices of garlic cheese bread. For $5.95 you get 3 meatballs and about 4 pieces of garlic cheese bread and in my opinion it’s worth every bite. Mini Buffalo Bites: its buffalo flavored chicken and cheese rolled into a mini ball and fried DELISH also! Served with blue cheese the only thing missing is carrots and celery that would have made this complete. However you get about 8 mini buffalo bites for $4.95 you can't beat that! Mini Lux Salad- was your average side salad, an arugula spring mix with tomatoes and a huge crouton served with balsamic vinaigrette dressing this salad was very refreshing and enough for 2 for $3.95. Crispy Calamari- calamari is one of Shelby and I's favorite things, this calamari is fried in a tempura like batter and was very GOOD! also enough for 2 and served with traditional marana sauce it was worth $4.95. BBQ Pork Sliders- I am not a huge pork fan but for some reason these stood out to me, these pork sliders were DELISH! Served on mini buns its bbq pork, coleslaw and a pickle, it’s just the right size I think a big sandwich like this would have been too much. I give the bbq pork sliders 2 thumbs up and for $4.95 you get 3 not too bad. Fried Pickles- now I have had fried pickles before and I wasn't impressed but these were the best I've had so far. These were dill pickles fried to perfect (not to crunchy and not to soft) and were served with an amazing remoulade sauce. Hi five to the "Grand Lux" for this one!! For $3.95 you get about 10 pickles and its well worth it, these pickles were so YUMMY! By the time we were finished Shelby and I were on FULL! Taelor is such a picky eater she had the BLT and didn't get the T (tomato) she doesn't like them. Genova was satisfied with her Buffalo Bites and Meatballs. Maya was late (as she always is! Haha) and she ordered the Mahi Mahi & Shrimp Scampi which I tasted and it was amazing, I am going to have to try that when I go back to the "Grand Lux". Over late lunch/early dinner we laughed and talked. I love hanging out with my "youngins" because they keep me young (hahaha). Shout out to the "Grand Lux" for playing some good oldies while we were eating. I have to say that I am so proud of Shelby, Taelor, Genova and Maya. They are all working and getting ready for college. Shelby is going to Channel Island, Taelor is going to Howard, Genova is going to San Francisco State and Maya is going to El Camino. I am so glad to have them in my life and I LOVE YOU GIRLS, good luck and much success in your futures xoxox. The reason why I mentioned the pricing of the food because "Grand Lux" has mini tapas specially priced and also Monday-Friday Happy Hour were drinks are specially priced and selected appetizers are $5.00. "Grand Lux" has one of the best Happy Hour I've seen so far, starting at 4pm and ending at 6:30pm what more could you ask for and as I looked at my reciept I am pleased to inform you that "Grand Lux" now takes reservations. The bill came and the total damage was $112.74 (WHEW) with 18% gratuity included shame! It was time to leave the "youngins" were going to the mall and then who knows where else. I got in the wind and had some business to handle. If you live in L.A. there is no reason why you haven't been to "Grand Lux" if you haven't kill yourself NOW! (haha), but get familiar with it. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" bandwagon drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I want to leave you with this "Success builds character, failure reveals it". Until next week lots of love -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 7/21/10

2010-07-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Dolls!!!! Its Thursday, the weekend has officially begun so let's gooooooo! I am so excited my birthday is in exactly one week. I will be 28 on the 29th and I feel so blessed and I am truly in love with my life, thanks to everyone who has been a part of my journey this far!!! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was at one of my favorite sushi places. I experienced the taste of sushi 10 years ago when I was a senior in high school, although I can't remember the name of the place I do remember that I tried the world famous "California Roll" and fell in love with it. Since then I've loved sushi and have eaten it a few places but my all time favorite place for sushi is "Kabuki" (http://www.kabukirestaurants.com/), I always go to the "Kabuki" in Los Angeles located at the Howard Hughes Bridge and I have always had great service and have never been disappointed with my food and yesterday was no different, well let me hold that thought! I was happy to know that "Kabuki" now has Happy Hour (Mon-Fri. from 3pm-6pm), in my opinion that is huge for this restaurant. It appears that a lot of restaurants are following this Happy Hour trend and it seems to be working. I also appreciate the fact that you can enjoy the benefits of Happy Hour with out dining at the bar. The Happy Hour at "Kabuki" is pretty dope with menu selections starting as low as $2.95 and nothing over $5.95 and with alcoholic beverages starting as low as $1.95 and nothing over $6.75 which is pretty damn good. Yesterday I ate alone and I am really starting to dig this solo dining thing, its pretty fun. I went to "Kabuki" right when I got off work because I didn't want to mess around and miss Happy Hour, I arrived around 4:30pm and it was clear that there were plenty of folks there enjoying the benefits of Happy Hour. I didn't have to wait I was seated as soon as I got in the door, it was funny because I sat in the exact same place I sat when I was there with my sisters 2 weekends ago (coincidence? maybe). When I sat down I viewed the menu and I was ready to order. "Kabuki" gives you the option to fill out your sushi order slip however I couldn't because I didn't have a pen. It took about 8 minutes for someone to come over and get my drink and food order and I was shocked because I've always received prompt service at "Kabuki" but in their defense they were pretty crowded. So it was time to order and here is what I ate:

BBQ Beef Rib Appetizer
Spicy Tuna Roll
Philadelphia Roll
Tempura California Roll
Water with Lemon

Ok, I know that's a lot of food but if you know me you know that I didn't finish all my food, my eyes have always been bigger than my stomach and I really just like to taste a variety of food. While I was waiting for my food my server brought out some Edamame (I think their Japanese peas). However they are so good and if you’re not careful you can eat the whole dish before your food comes (I almost did). First my BBQ Beef Ribs came out, nice and hot over an arugula spring mix. These ribs are one of my favorite things to order, they were very tender and not over saturated with bbq sauce, the right amount of everything they are really DELISH-IS! Next my sushi came and that’s when it was really time to get excited! On one dish the spicy tuna and philadelphia roll and on the other dish was the tempura california roll. OMG that was a lot of food at a table for one person but hey I wasn't trippin. The spicy tuna was on point, very fresh and spicy, the philadelphia roll was amazing also the salmon was fresh and the tempura california roll was also amazing I was so pleased and stuffed. Over dinner I noticed I have a serious problem! I have a tendency to stare at people; I guess I can officially call myself a people watcher (ha-ha). But there was a lot of interesting sights in "Kabuki" yesterday. My total for my food came up to $20.63 and here is the break down (BBQ Beef Appetizer $7.95, Spicy Tuna Roll $2.95, Philadelphia Roll $2.95, Tempura California Roll $4.95, and $1.83 for tax). Now had I not gone to Happy Hour my total would have been $26.23 (tax included) so I saved about $5.60 which is pretty good. I was totally stuffed when I left "Kabuki" I definitely had a food baby in my belly. My food was DELISH-IS and well worth it!!! If you are not familiar with "Kabuki" get familiar it’s such a cute little place for dates, group gatherings, etc. and its one of my favorite sushi places. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" drill team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it" until next week love always Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 7/14/10

2010-07-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!!! I hope you all are well and doing wonderful positive things in this life. I have to be honest; this week has gotten the best of me. I found out that one of my friends lost her grandfather and dad in a matter of days, so my prayers are with her and her family during this time. Other than that I've been going through something’s personally, but as of today everything is on the up and up, so let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Yesterday I was on another solo mission, I am not sure if you know this about me or not; but my mother is part Jamaican. My grandmother was born and raised in Jamaica, she came to the US when she was 19 and has lived here since. Neither my mom nor my grandmother has a Jamaican accent and we weren't really raised on Jamaican food however we do eat a few Jamaican items. So yesterday I traveled to "The Jerk Shack" (http://www.jamaicanbbqjerk.com/). "The Jerk Shack" is located at the Bridge at Howard Hughes; if you live in L.A. you know where it’s at. I went straight from work, and to my surprise I was the only person in that joint. I noticed that their menu is pretty simple and straight to the point; however they threw me for a loop with some of the other menu selections (pasta, egg cream cheese sandwhich, and tacos). When I walked in I noticed the restaurant was very clean and empty, I mean not a soul was in that place. The menu was simple and so I decided to order two meals. I know I know my inner fat child was released and so here is what I ordered:

#1 Kingston Special- Jerk Chicken, Rice & Beans, Plantain, & Cabbage
#5 Lunch Curry Bowl- Yellow Curry Chicken & Coconut Rice

It took about 10 minutes for my food to be prepared, I thought I told the cashier that I wanted my food for "here" but apparently she heard "to go" and bagged me up. I was a little shocked that "The Jerk Shack" does not have a restroom for their guest, because I had to piss like nobodies business (excuse my french) but I had to go bad. Once my food came out I was ready to eat, I started with the Kingston Special; the jerk chicken was a leg and thigh quarter, it was saucy, tender and very SPICY!!!!!!!!!! The rice and beans was alright, I was expecting more from the rice and beans. The cabbage was DELISH (I love cabbage), this cabbage was very SPICY also, and then there was the plantains (OMG DELISH!!!!), I have fallen in love with plantains. This Kingston special was ok, it had a little too much spice for me, I think the menu should reflect that this dish is spicy. I've had jerk chicken before but I remember it being more like bbq. The meal would have been great minus the spiciness and the rice & beans. Next was the curry chicken bowl with coconut rice, this was an interesting taste. I expected the curry to be a little more yellow and thicker and the rice had actual coconut shaving in it (???). The curry chicken had peas, carrots and potatoes in it, this wasn't spicy although it was missing something, I can't put my finger on it but some kind of seasoning was missing. The total for both meals was $15.35, I don't think I'll be going back to the "The Jerk Shack" anytime soon; my dinner was quick because I had to use the ladies room. I am sure there are better Jamaican restaurants in Cali so someone please let me know. Of course I didn’t finish all that food I ordered, but I just couldn’t decide on what to get. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" red bean team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “The only thing that intimidates good is great" until next week live, laugh and love- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 7/7/10

2010-07-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Good Morning my loves and happy Thursday!!!!!!!! And so we have all made it to the end of another week! Thank you so very much for tuning into another one of my blogs!! If you have been following me from the beginning then you know that today marks my 1 year anniversary of blogging! I want to take this time to sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of "Wednesday Dinner with Ash" from the restaurants, to my quest, to everyone who reads my blog ,I want to say "Thank you, thank you, you’re far to kind". Now with that being said, let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin, yesterday I was on a solo mission I was feeling a little excited and tired at the same time. Excited because I can't believe I've been at this blogging thing for a year and tired because I got some not so good news yesterday but the day turned so big ups to the universe for looking out for me! So I decided I wanted to go some place new that maybe just opened or hadn't been open that long because there was a sense of relatedness there with a new food place and my blog. I remember my 1st blog entry (http://wednesdaydinnerwithash.blogspot.com/2009/07/wednesday-dinner-7809.html) I remember having so much to say and being so hyped that I was pushing myself to be this "self proclaimed food critic" and now 51 blogs later I am still eating and blogging. I had been to "Kalbi Burger" (http://kalbiburger.com/) a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, I actually blogged about it on my 2 other blogs (http://weareallovercali.blogspot.com/) and (http://www.allashleymarie.blogspot.com/). I decided I would go back again. Located in Korea Town off of Wilshire, "Kalbi Burger" is a cute little burger place with a Korean twist on an American classic. With its cute and posh decor inside you can't help but to be attracted to the oar inside. With menu options from burgers to hot dogs, there is something for everyone. On "Kalbi Burger's" website they advertise that they are known for their "Lulu Burger" so here is what I had:

Lulu Burger Combo

The Lulu Burger was topped with swiss cheese, bacon, pineapple, lettuce, tomato and Lulu sauce, in my opinion a very Korean-esc spin on a hamburger. It came with french fries and a drink, on the website "Kalbi Burger" also has a 10% off coupon if you sign up for email notifications you get the coupon. So of course I did and I presented my coupon, my total was $8.95-.89=$8.06+tax for a total of $8.84 which wasn't bad. Yesterday "Kalbi Burger" wasn't as crowded as it was the first time I had been there. It took about 7 minutes for my food to come out and it was freshly prepared. "Kalbi Burger" prepares all their burgers medium well unless instructed otherwise. The Lulu burger was pretty big, I didn't realize how hungry I was until I looked up and I was on my last bite. This was a good combination of flavor from the patty to the bacon, to the swiss cheese oozing out of the sides to the pineapple giving it that fresh taste. Although the Lulu sauce was hidden somewhere in the burger, I had to ask for a side of it to get the flavor. It taste like a brown sugar soy sauce mix, extremely thin and in my opinion should be a lot thicker in order to stick to the burger and really get what the Lulu sauce is all about. The french fries where average not seasoning just your regular order of fries, for what I paid I got more than enough food because when I was done eating I was stuffed. I highly recommend "Kalbi Burger" it’s a cute date spot or just a place to go and grab a quick bite to eat and the service is good too! Over dinner I took a moment to reflect on all my blogs and my life as a blogger (hahahaha) and I really enjoy what I am doing and I will continue. Once again thank you for reading my blog and Happy Anniversary baby we did it!!!! (hahaha). If you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" celebration drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Stop yappin and make it happen" until next week xoxoxoxoxox- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/30/10

2010-07-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, I wish this summer gloom would be gone already!!! SHEESH!! Well it’s the 1st of the month and the second month of the summer (WOOHOO). I hope you all are going to be doing something fun this 4th of July weekend! Just remember to be safe and don't drink and drive. Now let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Last night I had dinner with my dear friend Erica Flowers and her daughter, Erica and I haven't been since last year I believe (http://wednesdaydinnerwithash.blogspot.com/2009/10/wednesday-dinner-101409.html) at Truxton's. Anyway Erica and I have been friends since I we were 3 and 4 years old, we go way back. It's so funny seeing Erica with her daughter because her daughter looks just like Erica did when she was little. I want to take a minute to shout out Erica because she is doing her THANG! She is a LV at USC Hospital and she recently purchased a condo (GO GIRL)!! I am so proud of you and glad to call you my friend! So last night Erica, her daughter and I met up at "The Gardens of Taxaco" (http://www.gardensoftaxco.com/) "The Gardens of Taxaco" is located in West Hollywood off of Harper Ave. Harper is a side street so if you’re driving to fast you will miss it. I had been to "The Gardens of Taxaco" years ago with my family we were celebrating a birthday. I decided to pick "The Gardens of Taxaco" because on their website they have a coupon where you can get a 5 course meal for $14.95 (http://gardensoftaxco.com/popDiscount.html). So here's the thing with "The Gardens of Taxaco" they don't have any menus online or in the restaurant. So let me set the seen for you. Like I said its located on Harper a side small street, its decorated inside like a classic authentic Mexican restaurant, with about 10-15 male waiters, very clean but the lighting is extremely dim inside a little romantic kind of. Our waiter came over and only explained the dinner selections to us, which were about 5 chicken items, 5 beef items, 2 meat combination items and 3 seafood selections. It was interesting trying to pick our dinner selection because the waiter was so animated and it was hard to make out everything he was saying but Erica and I decided to go with a beef and shrimp combination. Now keep in mind that we were getting 5 courses, now the other 4 courses were not mentioned they were just brought out to us. While we were waiting for our food the usual chips and salsa was brought out along with some veggie medley that consisted of cauliflower, carrots, and celery it was pretty strange looking. The chips and salsa were delish!!! The chips were fresh and salsa wasn't too spicy or bland it was right in the middle. So now it was time to start eating and here is what was brought to us:

1st course- Cheese Quesadilla topped with guacamole
2nd course- Meatball Soup
3rd course- Chicken Enchilada topped with cheese sauce and a black olive
4th course- Dinner -Beef and Shrimp combination
5th course- Dessert - Banana Pudding

The 1st course the cheese quesadilla was so yummy, it was sooooo cheesy and the guacamole was good too! It was just a slice of a quesadilla but it was just the right size.

The 2nd course was the meatball soup, this was my 1st time eating meatball soup and surprisingly I liked it; I don't think its something I could eat all the time. It was piping out served in a beef broth with a lot of veggies like carrots, celery and onions. There was only one meatball in the soup but that was just enough. It was served in a standard size soup cup and it was seasoned very well. I enjoyed it!

The 3rd course was a chicken enchilada topped with cheese sauce and a black olive this was my favorite! The enchilada was small enough for one person and it was a corn tortilla stuffed with chicken and topped with this amazing cheese sauce and a black olive. I totally wish I could've gotten another one of those enchiladas. All the flavors worked together and it melted in my mouth. 2 thumbs up!

The 4th course was DINNER! I am not sure what the name of this dish is but it was beef smothered in a tomato sauce with onions and bell peppers and the shrimp was sautéed in a cilantro cream sauce it was served with rice and beans and flour tortillas. This was a pretty good combination; the beef was good it was pretty tender and well seasoned. The tomato sauce was a great way to serve the beef and cilantro cream sauce was great for the shrimp. I wasn't able to finish all my dinner so I have left over’s for lunch today.

The 5th course was dessert; dessert is my favorite meal of the day! (Hahaha). This dessert was somewhere in between a pudding and a flan. I believe it was a vanilla based cream with bananas at the bottom and topped with a cherry. At first bite this dessert is extremely sweet but its also refreshing it was served in a small dish and I was actually please. Erica thought it was too sweet and her daughter gave this priceless reaction to hers (it was too sweet for her taste also).

Over dinner Erica and I caught up on girl talk, our dating lives! This is always funny because we are so much alike with our dating stories! Erica and her daughter shared the dinner, Erica kept the beef and her daughter got the shirmp. Erica’s daughter is so cute and so well behaved, I would go out to dinner with them anytime. “The Gardens of Taxaco” wasn’t crowded when we first got there but by the time we left it was pretty packed. All in all dinner was GREAT and like I said we got all of that for $14.95 per person which is an extreme deal. The total for dinner without the coupon would have been $53.02 but with the coupon it was $35.02 which saved us about $18.00!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend "The Gardens of Taxaco" especially if you like Mexican food, it’s a cute place for dates and group outings. They do serve alcohol, wine based margaritas and sangria. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" squad drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Neither success or failure is permanent". Until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/23/10

2010-06-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yooooooooooo! I hope you are up and doing something productive this morning and so it is you have made it to read another one of my fabulous blogs and for that I say thank you, thank you your far to kind. Anyway let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Yesterday I was so tired that I forgot it was Wednesday and I was going to call dinner off. On Tuesday my baby sister Shelby graduated from High school (What's good Shelby) so Tuesday night I was up late and yesterday I was really sleepy. But I know I have to give you guys what you want so "Wednesday Dinner" did happen. My original plan was to go to dinner with Stephanie but she cancelled because she had a meeting to go to. Yesterday my friend JB hit me up to ask me where I was going, I told him and again it was me and him for dinner. Even though Stephanie cancelled I still wanted to go to the place her and I were going to go to which was "The Habit Burger Grill" (http://www.habitburger.com/), "The Habit Burger Grill" has 37 locations through out Southern California and was voted "Best Burger in Ventura County" on May 12th of this year. I decided to go to the location in El Segundo which sits on Sepulveda in a strip mall along with Walgreens, Wells Fargo and Chipotle. Arriving I noticed that "The Habit Burger Grill" was extremely clean and neat, it wasn't too crowded and the menu is exactly how it looks online. I was extremely interested in trying "The Habit Burger Grill" because of their prices, cheeseburgers starting at $2.95 and nothing on the menu is over $7.00 and the menu is very classic. Serving burgers, salads, sandwiches, fries, onion rings, and desserts (sundaes, shakes and cones). I swear this is a foodie’s heaven because burgers, fries and shakes are the all American meal. After standing in line for about 2 minutes looking at the menu I was ready to order and I had:

#1 Charburger with Cheese-well done (Includes fries and a regular drink)

JB waited about another 2 minutes after me to order and he had:

Teriyaki Charburger

The dining area was very clean and I noticed there was a family celebrating what appeared to be a grandfather’s birthday and a family dinner, JB and I and then a few more people came in ordering take out and there were a group of women dining outside. We waited about 5 minutes and our food came out and I was ready to dive in face first. My burger was oozing with cheese and looking at it, it was the perfect size not too big and not to small. All their burgers are served with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, mayo and pickles and that totally worked for me, cheese was extra and I was fine with that. I took the first bite and I was very pleased I didn't expect for this burger to have this classic taste to it (DELISH), the fries were in my opinion typical burger fries nothing special. I think I should have followed my first mind and got the onion rings, JB's burger looked good his had teriyaki sauce, pineapple, swiss cheese and lettuce, I tried to talk him into getting onion rings but he wasn't going for it. Over dinner JB and I talked about family, career moves, his business idea and life all around. I love talking to JB because I didn't know how much a like we are, it’s crazy but back to the food. My total for my meal was $7.08 and I think JB's burger came up to just a little under $4.00 which isn't bad at all; we both liked this place and agreed that we would both come back. I liked it because it has something on the menu for everyone, its cheap, it’s clean and they have outside seating which would be nice on a sunny L.A. day. It’s a cute place to go on a date also (hint hint). All in all dinner was great and thanks again JB for rolling with me, I was sooo FULL and I didn’t finish my burger of course I took it home and finished it later on yesterday day night. If you are not familiar with "The Habit Burger Grill" get familiar. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" list drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "The great essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for" until next week I got nothing but love for you -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/18/10

2010-06-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hello, good morning (in my Diddy voice). Why the hell is it soooo gloomy outside, this weather makes me want to stay home in bed watching movies all day!!! But I can't live my life with out money so it’s another day at the office. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was a solo mission, yesterday afternoon I was feeling so "California-ish". I think I was feeling that way because the sun was shining and right before I left work I was listening to Katy Perry's "California Girls" and I must say I have been a fan of Kate Perry and I am reminded why I like her with her new single. So yesterday I decided to drive out to Manhattan Beach and eat but unfortunately for me it wasn't that easy. Anyone who really knows me knows that I have a horrible since of direction and yesterday that was confirmed once again. I set out to go eat at "Wahoo's" (http://www.wahoos.com/), "Wahoo’s" is known for their fish tacos, and since I was feeling so California I thought this would be the perfect place to eat. After driving around in the same area for about 20 minutes I gave up on the location that is listed in Manhattan Beach, personally I don't think that location even exist because it was no where in sight. I remembered that there was another "Wahoo's" tucked away in good old faithful Torrance and that is were I drove to. Tucked away off of Torrance Blvd on a small side street behind the "new" Del Amo shopping center is "Wahoo's". "Wahoo's" is so Beach like, with stickers, surf boards on the walls and TV’s playing pro surfers you’re reminded of what California is really all about. Very clean inside and not to crowded I was able to walk right in and place my order:

#7 Chicken Teriyaki Bowl (with white rice and black beans)

"Wahoo's" wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either, from what I noticed there were about 3 people there eating alone, a family having dinner, a couple tucked away on a date, and a mother and daughter eating dinner together. It took about 5 minutes for my food to come out and it smelled and looked GREAT. I've been to "Wahoo's" a few times and I always get the same thing and I have always been pleased with my food. Along with my bowl I like to get the "Wahoo's" Green Sauce and "Mr. Lee's Chili Sauce" mixing those two together and putting it on my food is the way to go! The chicken was seasoned very well it wasn't over saturated with teriyaki sauce, the white rice (I mean can you really go wrong with rice?), and the black beans (which are my favorite kind of beans) where good as well. On the side of my bowl there is a little garnish of salsa and lettuce, I threw that in the mix and there was a lot of flavor going on in that bowl. I was in heaven, the total was $8.77 which isn't bad and I was very pleased and full. While eating alone, I really started to put my brain to work thinking of all the things I have experienced in life up to this point and I have to say I am truly blessed and thankful. Dinner was very short; I mean there wasn't really much for me to talk about by myself HAHAHA! "Wahoo's" also serves beer and wine, wine is sold by the glass or by the bottle and the beer selections are quite awesome sold by the bottle or by the pitcher. I would definitely suggest you get familiar with "Wahoo's" it’s a cute place for an inexpensive date, family outing or to grab some food to go. If you would like to become a "Wednesday Dinner" pirate drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “Expectation is a set up for disappointment" until next week peace, happiness and love-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/9/10

2010-06-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!!!!!!! Happy Thursday and can you believe that summer is almost here?!?! I hope your ready and you plan on making it a memorable one. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was special for me because I got to hang out with one of my closet male friends, JB. JB and I have been friends for quite a while and I must say that our friendship has matured and grown in ways I never thought possible. I can always count on JB to be there and to keep it real, so thanks JB!!!! JB had been telling me about this burrito spot that I needed to try so yesterday was the day that I did just that. JB and I went to "El Tepeyac”, "El Tepeyac" is located off the 10 in a small little community. It is truly one of those hole in the wall places, it’s located on a residential street and if your driving to fast you will surely miss it. Its very small inside, I'm guessing their maximum capacity is probably 25 people. When we arrived inside there was a family and a couple having dinner, but by the time we were leaving there were quite a few more people coming in to eat and to order take out. "El Tepeyac" also has outside seating as well. Since this was my first time going there I let JB order because this was his suggestion, so here is what we got:

Manuel Special Burrito with Chicken

"El Tepeyac" is famous for these HUGE Burritos that can feed up to 10 or more people; we ordered the one that can feed 2-4 people. The burrito is filled with shredded chicken, rice, beans and guacamole and topped with jack cheese and a tomato sauce. "El Tepeyac" doesn't have a website but check out this link to view the menu (http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurants/el-tepeyac-cafe/). Our waitress was very sweet and attentive!!! There were 2 types of salsa that was brought out with the chips one green and one red and I have to say I prefer the green one over the red; the green one was more mild, chunky and flavorful. The red one was kind of chili based and thick (no thanks) but JB seemed to like that one. It took about 10 minutes for the burrito to come out and when it did I was in shock, this burrito was HUGE! I was so hungry but I knew that there was no way that JB and I were going to be able to eat the whole burrito; this was clearly a job for 4 people. So it was time for the 1st cut and it was mine, and I started to grub. This burrito was surprisingly good, although cutting it was a little messy. The burrito or "The Manuel Special" as some people call it isn't for chumps. This burrito isn't stingy, its filled with plenty of chicken, rice, beans and guacamole and believe it or not I was only able to eat my one piece, JB was able to eat a piece and a half. Over dinner JB and I talked about it all (relationships, work, family and everything else). This was JB's first "Wednesday Dinner" so I want to thank him for coming out (What up Boy!). JB and I have this unspoken respect for each other and for our friendship, I can always count on him to tell me the truth and not hold any thing back and I have always appreciated that about him and since I've known him he's always remained the same dude and we make eachother laugh and we did plenty of laughing lasy night. So thanks again JB for dinner! After my little piece of the burrito I was FULL and I had a slight case of the itis, all in all dinner was good. I recommend "El Tepeyac" to experience this burrito, if you watch the show Man vs. Food he's done a challenge there and that’s how JB found out about "El Tepeyac". Dinner came to a total of $26.00 which wasn't bad at all for 2 people and we had half of the burrito left over. If you would like to play in the "Wednesday Dinner" playground drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/ashamallie. In closing I would like to leave you with this "You can't have what you don't work for" until next week it’s all good -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 6/2/10

2010-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Bueno's Dias mi corazons!!!!!! I know it’s a little gloomy outside but get out and get on your GRIND. We have all made it to live to see another day so let's get it!!! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was another solo mission and it was short. I had been hearing about this pizzeria on Melrose right across from Fairfax High School, "Tomato Pie" www.tomatopiepizzajoint.com/ for sometime. So yesterday I decided to try it out, I went straight from work because I work not to far from Melrose. "Tomato Pie" sits directly across the street from Fairfax high and it’s a very small pizza joint. Inside there is a bar like table that goes around and there is one table in the middle, there were 2 tables outside for sitting also. There were quite a few varieties of pizza to choose from but I decided to go with:

1 Slice of Sicilian Pizza with Pepperoni and Sausage
1 Slice of Cheese Pizza
1 Small Root beer

It was a little crowded inside "Tomato Pie" but maybe I thought that because that place is extremely small inside. I felt like I was being rushed when it was time to order and the cashier kept calling me "Sweetie" and that is like one of my biggest pet peeves. I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of pizza they serve because I really didn't get a chance to see. I noticed that they also serve cold deli like salads, and cheese cake, there was no menu posted anywhere you have to grab one and stand to the side and look at it and of course I didn't notice that until after I ordered. The cheese pizza was blah, I've had better, it was very thin and not that cheesy. The Sicilian pizza was more my speed, it was thick and cheesy, my total came up to $5.75 and that worked for me. In my opinion "Tomato Pie" is a place for high schoolers and stoners, like I said I've had better pizza. If you would like to get in the "Wednesday Dinner" address book drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "People do what they want to do and they don't do what they don't want to do". Until next week- Ash

Wednesday Dinner5/26/10

2010-05-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

OH Good Morning and Happy Thursday!! Another day, another dollar! I am so tired and ready to enjoy my 4 day weekend; I hope you are looking forward to it too. FYI Summer is around the corner! Are you ready? Anyway this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was old school style. I am not sure how many of you remember "Pioneer Chicken" (I know, I know). I remember "Pioneer Chicken" when I was a little kid, well unfortunately business for them was big in the 80's and 90's but then came along Louisiana Fried Chicken (hahaha). Most of the "Pioneer Chicken" locations have closed down, the only one that I know of now is the one that sits on San Vicente between Fairfax and Olympic. So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin: Yesterday I ate solo which was fine with me because lately I've just been in one of my moods (I'm feeling much better today). Upon walking in I noticed "Pioneer Chicken" was clean and empty and there was a meeting going on in the back, what type of meeting you ask. The health inspector was there grading them, and the grade given was a "B". Not sure what the grade was prior to the B, but I guess what I don't know won't hurt me. So it was time to order and here is what I ate:

No#5. 3 chicken strips, french fries, coleslaw, biscuit, and a drink

"Pioneer Chicken" has a lot going on on their menu (fish, shrimp, gizzards, and desserts) a little strange but I decided to stick to what I know. It took about 7 minutes for my food to come out and when it did it looked good. The only issue I had was that my fries were a little too crispy for my taste. The chicken strips were good they were nice size and seasoned well, the coleslaw was good, the biscuit was fresh and soft and the drink was yummy (Fanta Strawberry). To accompany my food I had hot sauce, ketchup and honey. "Pioneer Chicken" is ok; I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. My total came to $7.50 which isn't bad for the amount of food I was given, the only suggestion I would give on visiting "Pioneer Chicken" would be just to remember your child hood, if you ever ate there as a child. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" dream team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Too much of one thing is just that, too much". Until next week-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 5/19/10

2010-05-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Gooooooood Morning and Happy Thursday!!!! I hope you are getting and enjoying all you can out of life!!! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was all about me, it was short and straight to the food and that worked just fine for me. Yesterday I had Lunch-er (late lunch, early dinner) at "Versailles" (http://www.versaillescuban.com/menu_b.html), "Versailles is one of LA's most talked about Cuban Restaurants. I went to the one on La Cienega in Los Angeles, at night "Versailles" reminds me of something out of the movie Scarface. I have been trying to get back to "Versailles" for quite sometime but yesterday was the day and I am so glad that I went. I wasn't really in the mood to have luncher with anyone else, sometimes we all just need to spend quality time with ourselves and that was exactly how I was feeling. When I arrived at "Versailles" it wasn't to crowded but it wasn't too empty either, I was handed a menu and seated right away. While I was looking at the menu the waiter bought over some bread, now this bread was some type of french baquet and was buttered generously and had a hint of garlic to it. It was soft and toasty and was really good, by the time I looked up I had eaten 3 pieces of it and I was only given 4. So now it was time to place my order and here is what I ate:

7a Bistec de Pollo (Chicken Steak)- Tender chicken breast grilled to perfection topped with garlic sauce and garnished with white onions, served with rice, black beans and fried sweet plantains.

It took about 5-7 minutes for my food to come out and when it did a big smile came over me, I knew that this food was going to touch my pallet and I would be in heaven. The food came out and it was hot, smelled good and looked so yummy, I had to wait about 2 minutes after my food to get my black beans (why, I don't know) but that was fine because it gave my chicken a chance to cool down. I mixed my black beans and rice together for 2 reasons 1. it taste great together and 2. that 1 extra dish out of the way. The chicken looked just like it was described on the menu "grilled to perfection", topped with garlic sauce and white onions. The chicken was seasoned so well and so tender, with the onions, sauce, rice and beans I was in a foodie’s heaven at that moment. The plantains were soooo DELISH and another one of my favorites, because I didn't get that many with my meal I had to ration them out. I asked the waiter could I have 2 extra plantains (because really 2 more was really all I wanted) he told me I would have to order a side which came with about 9 pieces, ahhhhh no thanks. So I was pacing myself with luncher and before I knew it was FULL, I was able to conquer half of my meal and that was my limit. If I would have taken another bite I would have exploded at the table, the total for my food was $14.25 which in my opinion wasn't bad at all because I have left over’s. The service was good and I enjoyed my food. If you are not familiar with "Versailles"get familiar and get familiar QUICK! If you like cuban food there is no reason for you not to try this place; they have 5 locations in Southern California. Ladies and gentleman if you are trying to think outside of the box for a dinner date this would be a great place!!! All in all dinner was bomb.com and I will definitely be going back to "Versailles". If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" drill team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. Spread the word about my blog!!!! In closing I would like to leave you with this "Expectation is a set up for disappointment" Until next week, it’s all love -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 5/12/10

2010-05-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

Gooooood Morning and so it is Thursday again, and you are reading another one of my amazing food blogs (hahahaha). But anyway, I hope all is well and that things are going great for you. This week I've been really unbalanced but now I've put things in perspective and I am feeling much better. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was at one of my favorite places and with one of my favorite food buddies S.(Dot) aka Stephanie. I have been trying to get back to this place for a minute since Stephanie and I hadn't gone together in like a year. So last night we had dinner at "The Counter" (http://www.thecounterburger.com//). "The Counter" is a very sheik and hip build your own burger restaurant/bar serving burgers, fries, along with beer and wine only. They have quite a few locations through out Southern California and their most recent location is in L.A. on Sunset. Stephanie and I met at the one in El Segundo, when we arrived it wasn't too crowded but it wasn't empty either. There was no wait and I noticed that they had a DJ in the corner playing all the hip hop jams, it was crazy but I enjoyed it. "The Counter" has a little menu for you fill out with what you want on your burger and they have a selection of pre made burgers also. They also serve chili cheese fries, sweet potato fries, onion strings, burger in a bowl, shakes and some dessert items. I was STARVING last night, for the past 2 days I was dieting so my mouth was watering and I was ready to grub. It took Stephanie and me no time to decide what we were going to have on our burgers so here is what we ate:

Ashley- 1/3lb Turkey Burger with Swiss Cheese, Organic Lettuce Mix, Tomato, Grilled Onions, Avocado, Pickles and Russian Dressing on a English Muffin

Stephanie- 2/3lb Beef Burger (well done) Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onions, Avocado, Pickles and Russian dressing on a Wheat Bun

1/2 French Fries & 1/2 Onion Strings

At "The Counter" they have 3 different sizes of meat; 1/3lb, 2/3lb and 1lb, I was hungry but I didn't want to over do it so the 1/3lb was just enough for me. We also shared fries and onion strings. I love the fact that the "The Counter" has so many different items for you to top your burger with for example; grilled pineapple, jalapenos, salsa, fried egg, bacon and many other options. They also serve chicken and veggie patties along with the beef and turkey. The waitress was cool the only thing I didn't like was that they brought out our fries and onion strrings before the food came out, we explained that we wanted them with our burgers and then the onion strings and fries were brought out 2 more times before they got the message. OMGeeeeeeeee my burger was soooooo good; I was in heaven once I took my first bite. Everyone knows I prefer turkey burgers over beef and this was a reminder of why I do. The turkey patty was seasoned well and all the toppings just flowed and made this burger YUMBO. Although trying my burger on an english muffin was a first but it was great. When my burger came out Stephanie said "That looks good" and it sure damn was! Stephanie's burger also looked good but it was a little big because she was only able to finish half (hahaha). The onion strings and fries were good I think next I am just going to stick with just fries. Over dinner Stephanie and I talked about relationships because that is what is consuming our lives right now (hahaha). And we just had all around girl talk. I was sooooo full and I thought I would have been able to finish my burger but sadly I didn't, I felt kind of crazy asking for a box because I literally had 1 bite left. I knew that last bite was going to be soooooo good later on last night but I never got it to I was so full I tossed and turned all night. Over all dinner was great, "The Counter" is one of those all purpose places its good for dates, family dinners, girl’s night, and guy’s night. "The Counter" is not expensive the total last night was $31.55 which is about $16-$18 per person including tax and tip. If you are not familiar with "The Counter" step your game up!!!! Thanks Stephanie for coming out!!! If you would like to join the "Wednesday Dinner" step team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "You deserve what you tolerate" until next week 2 fingas- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 5/5/10

2010-05-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning and "How you doin" in my best Wendy Williams voice! I am up, refreshed and ready to make things happen. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was short and in honor of Cinco De Mayo. Yesterday I went to one of my favorite taco spots, "Los Taco's" located in WeHo (that's West Hollywood for you lames) on Santa Monica Blvd. "Los Taco’s" is open 24 hours and in my opinion has the best chicken taco's. "Los Taco's" doesn't have a website but here is a yelp link (http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-tacos-w-hollywood). The first time I ate at "Los Taco's" was about two years ago, I was out with my friends and we went after we left the club. It was about 2am and the placed was packed, they have 1st come, 1st serve seating and when we arrived the line was out the door. My friend urged me to try the carne asada taco's but instead I decided to go with what I know and order chicken taco's and that’s when I feel in love with "Los Taco's". Ever since then I've been going to "Los Taco's" and only ordering the chicken taco's and yesterday was no different. Yesterday when I arrived it wasn't crowded with people dining inside but there were quit a few people coming in and ordering for take out. "Los Taco's" is cash only operating business and the inside is very clean and neat (when it’s not busy). I didn't take much time looking at the menu because I already new what I wanted to eat and if you can't tell yes yesterday I had dinner by myself. So here is what I ate:

1 Chicken Taco
1 Medium Lemonade

OMGeeeeee this chicken taco is just DELISH!!! Its kind of served open face but not really because you can tell it’s a taco. The shell is fried just right; not to crunchy and not to soft, the chicken is season well and its served with just the right amount of lettuce, tomato and melted cheese, the taco was also served with a few tortilla chips. "Los Taco's" has a great tomato salsa and you can get as much sour cream as you want and some taco's just need sour cream on them. Each bite of my taco was soooooo yummy and when I was done I was sooo FULL. The lemonade was awesome also, not to sweet and not to bitter, it hit the spot. “Los Taco’s” is pretty cheap; my taco and drink came to a total of $5.21 but I noticed that nothing on the menu was over $10.00 with combination meals starting at $8.95 which isn’t bad. If you aren’t familiar with "Los Taco's" get familiar!!! Like I said they are open 24 hours. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" spreadsheet drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Success requires no explanation and failure allows no alibi's" until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 4/28/10

2010-04-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Dolls and welcome to another ending of the week and yes we have made it. I hope that you all are feeling refreshed and moving in the right direction in your lives. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was a funny one, I hooked up with my good friend Justin (What up boy!). Justin and I haven't been to dinner since July of last year (http://wednesdaydinnerwithash.blogspot.com/2009/07/wednesday-dinner-71509.html), although we talk often we haven't done a "Wednesday Dinner" in a while. Its always good seeing Justin because he keeps me entertained and what I mean by that is he really is a character with the things he says. When Justin and I had dinner last year it was at what I like to call a "hole in the wall" and yesterday we repeated that. I had been craving one of my favorite places and I just needed to get there by any means necessary. "Mario's Peruvian" on Melrose, "Mario's" doesn't have a website but they have a Yelp link (http://www.yelp.com/biz/marios-peruvian-and-seafood-los-angeles). "Mario's" is located on Melrose and Rossmore and is not a fancy place; with about 15 tables and 2 waitresses this place is always packed. You have to seat yourself and try your hardest to get the attention of your waitress. Justin arrived 5 minutes after I did which wasn't bad because everyone knows I hate waiting on people. Before you order at "Mario's" they bring out homemade bread and it is soooooo warm, soft and yummy, served with butter this is a good look. Since Justin hadn't been to "Mario's" before I took the task of ordering, I figured we could share because I was hungry but I wasn't HUNGRY. So here is what we had:

#34. Chicharron De Calamares- Deep fried squid, served with onion salsa and tartar sauce
#20. Saltado De Pollo- Chunks of chicken sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and french fried potatoes. Served with lightly seasoned rice

Here is a link for their menu (http://www.sporq.com/losangeles/mariosperuvianrestaurant/5786melroseave)

Before the food came out Justin and I were just shooting the shit about life and then we got on his love life (OOOOOHHHH BOY) and this is when the laughter started. Justin and I have a great friendship and we are always giving each other advice, let me rephrase that I am always giving Justin advice. Justin shared with me details of this girl he's been seeing for about a month and how things have kind of moved too fast, of course I gave my input and then that's when it started to get interesting. For Justin's sake this girl will remain nameless (HAHAHAHA) but I will say that men have a funny way at looking at situations. Justin expressed that in his world he would like to have one main chick and still be open to date other chicks. WOW that might work if both parties are on the same page, but in real life situations like that only complicate things. So now it was time to eat, when the food came out it was hot and I was ready to dig in!!! The Saltado De Pollo was DELISH!!! Chicken, tomatoes, onions, french fries, and rice it seems weird but it’s a perfect combination and taste soooooooooo GOOD! I was checking on Justin to make sure he liked the food and he did, then the Chicharron De Calamares was sooo good too! I love fried calamari its one of my favorite things and we were both pleased with what I picked. What I ordered was just enough for the both of us because I was FULL after. There wasn't any calamari left when we were done eating and there was just a little bit of the chicken left. So back to the conversation Justin and I were having, I explained to him how women are emotional and often times we can not separate sex from emotion and then we starting talking about my summer conversation group "Summer of the Sexes" (coming soon"). Justin gave me his feedback on my summer project and I want to thank him for that. All in all dinner was great; the total for everything was $26.07 which wasn't bad. Justin, thanks again for coming out, I had a good time!! If you would like to go on a "Wednesday Dinner" hike drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Be quick to listen and slow to speak", until next week xoxoxoxxox- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 4/21/10

2010-04-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Good Morning my loves!!!!!!!! Hope all is well; I am in a little bit of pain. My wisdom tooth is giving a lot of drama, so luckily today it is being pulled. But on a lighter note, yesterdays "Wednesday Dinner" was wonderful!!!!!!! Yesterday I met up with my sisters (Melissa and Shelby) at MILK http://www.themilkshop.com/, MILK is located on the corner of Beverly and Poinsettia in LA. It is your modern day Ice Cream Parlor and for me it was love at first sight. Ever since I can remember ice cream has been one of my favorite things, as a kid Blue Bubble Gum ice cream was my favorite. I remember having one of my birthdays in an ice cream parlor. I had been hearing about MILK for quite a while but never made my way down there so yesterday was my first time there. The weather yesterday was not your typical ice cream day but if you know me I will eat ice cream in any weather. Meeting with my sisters is always great and I really cherish the time that we spend together now more than ever because Shelby will be going off to college soon. As soon as I walked into MILK I fell in love with everything from cakes to cookies, ice cream to ice cream sandwiches, salads to soups what more could a girl ask for. Its very sheik and modern with great customer service, the only thing I didn't like was that a lot of the treats were open, as in just sitting out and no really covered but hey that’s just how I feel. I decided I would get something to eat and then go HAM on dessert and that was exactly what I did. Shelby and I decided we would share something to eat and here is what we ate:

Crispy Skin 1/2 Chicken- served with bacon, scallions, sour cream, mashed potatoes, string beans and dijon mustard sauce

It took all of 10 minutes for the food to come out and when it came out it was piping hot and it looked sooooooo good! Shelby and I split the meal right down the middle and it was just enough for the both of us. The chicken was juicy, a little crispy and well seasoned, the mashed potatoes where great and the green beans where on point as well. It was the perfect combination and really hit the spot, Shelby was pleased as well. I ordered an Arnold Palmer to drink and I have to say that was one of the best Arnold Palmers I've had in a long time. My sisters are hilarious!! I love spending time with them. Over dinner we just joked and it really makes me appreciate the relationship my sisters and I have. After we ate of course there was plenty of room for dessert, here is what we ordered:

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes
Coffee Toffee Crunch Shake- coffee ice cream with toffee crunch and espresso
The Blondie- A white chocolate blondie with vanilla ice cream, butterscotch and a pecan praline
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar

Ok so I was already in love with MILK but after ordering these desserts I was deeply in love! The mini red velvet cupcakes were good (Melissa makes way better ones tho). Now it was time for The Blondie, OMG this sundae was big enough for all 3 of us, the blondie was at the bottom and topped with vanilla ice cream, whip cream, pralines, carmel sauce and and 2 cherries. All 3 of use finished that sundae and it was DELISH. Shelby got the Coffee Toffee Crunch Shake, I didn't taste it Melissa did and I think Melissa liked it. Then I ordered the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar to go (I ate it when I got home and it was DELISH). I love MILK because the make all of their own ice cream treats (ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, bon bons, cupcakes, cakes, etc.). This is my new favorite dessert place, I will definetly be going back. The grand total for everything was $36.07 which in my opinion was not bad because I wasn't disappointed I was extremely happy and satisfied! If you haven’t been to MILK get there and get familiar!!!! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" playlist drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Judge me and you'll have no room left to love me". Until next week it’s all love- Ashley M.

Wednesday Dinner 4/14/10

2010-04-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!!!!! Be thankful that we are here and have made it to see yet another day and another weekend. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was HORRIBLE! So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week I changed my plans around (for what I don't know); I should have followed my first mind. Earlier this week my cousin Chanel mentioned to me that I should try the "Gumbo Grill" formally known as the "Gumbo Shack". The "Gumbo Shack" was located on Market Street in Inglewood and in my opinion was one of Inglewood’s best kept secret. The "Gumbo Shack" had this amazing Shrimp Po Boy sandwich and delicious Red Kool Aid! It was low-key the kind of place you could go and eat with your significant other, meet with the girls, have a family dinner or order take out. From what I heard the "Gumbo Grill" bought the "Gumbo Shack" and made some major changes. I met Stephanie there for dinner last night and I was highly disappointed. The "Gumbo Grill" is located on Prairie still in Inglewood, however the parking lot is small and the decor in the "Gumbo Grill" is not what I expected. Bar stools all around and then a small table right under the stair way (HUH???). The cashier appeared to be all over the place and didn't really know what was what. The place was EMPTY! It was just Stephanie and I for dinner in there. The menu was pretty much the same from what I remember the "Gumbo Shack" serving; however I noticed a few things that had been added. My fist thought was to order a Shrimp Po Boy (stick to what you know Ash) but then I remembered Chanel telling me to try the Tacos (why did I listen to her!). Stephanie and I really couldn't decided, Stephanie asked to sample the Gumbo. I stay away from anyone’s Gumbo except for my Grandfathers (he make THEE BEST GUMBO EVER). So after about 5-10 minutes of looking at the menu here is what we ordered:

Ashley- 1 Turkey Taco, 1 Fried Shrimp Taco, French Fries & Red Kool Aid
Stephanie- 1 Turkey Taco, 1 Grilled Shrimp Taco, French Fries & Red Kool Aid

It took about 10-15 minutes for our food to come out and when it did it looked very appetizing but it wasn't, all the food had a funny and gross after taste to it. It took another 10 minutes for the french fries to come out, which was all bad because I was already done with one of my taco's buy then. I was already irritated because my kool aid was cold and we had to ask for more ice. The concept of these tacos is great however the taste not so much. The turkey was season very well but it was a turkey burger patty??? That’s a FAIL! Ground the damn turkey and put it in my taco don’t cut a burger patty in half and serve it to me in a taco! The shrimp was also seasoned great but cocktail sauce and cheese on a taco is just WRONG! Stephanie got her shrimp grilled and no cheese on her taco and didn't like the cocktail sauce either. The food isn't that expensive, for both of us the total was about $18.00 which isn't bad but the food wasn't good! Over dinner Stephanie & I talked about our foolishness that we will be creating this summer. The owner of the "Gumbo Grill" was shamelessly trying to hit on Stephanie by offering her a job (OH WOW). All in all the food was horrible and I will NOT be going back there again! I seriously need to find out why the "Gumbo Shack" sold their business. If you would like to get in the "Wednesday Dinner" both drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Love the life you live and live the life you love. Until next week -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 4/7/10

2010-04-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning dolls and happy Thursday!!! And so here it is, we have made it through another week of life and we have another story to tell. Today I woke up feeling like crap! I have a headache this size of Precious! But the show must go on. I had been craving a particular something; I'd say for the past 2 weeks or so and had been trying to get there. My original plan was to go somewhere else but I changed my mind. Yesterday it was such a beautiful day in LA, and so it was only right that I ate what I had been craving. I heard a couple of my friend’s mention this place also, so I took that as a sign and my mind was made up. I invited my sister Melissa to come with because she had never been to where I was going and she agreed. So no let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin; I had been craving "Earlez Grille" http://www.earlezgrille.net/eg/The_Official_Earlez_Grille_Website.html and so that’s where we went. "Earlez Grille" is an LA classic and if you know like I know they are famous for their chili and hot dogs. About 2 years ago "Earlez Grille" moved from Crenshaw and 42nd and now they have moved to Crenshaw right before exposition. I noticed that there are all types of people that eat at "Earlez" from white, black and asian and last night that is just what I saw again. It wasn't crowded last night but it wasn't empty either, there were a few different type of interesting groups there; men playing dominos, a group of co-workers, a family having dinner and a boyfriend and girlfriend. There was a group of girls ordering before Melissa and I and the whole time they were ordering I could feel one of looking at me. Grrrrr, I don't like people who just stare for no reason! So now it was time for Melissa and I told order and here is what we had:

Ashley- Turkey hot dog with chili
Melissa- Pastrami and Fries

I always get the same thing when I go to "Earlez Grille" it was Melissas first time, Melissa doesn't really care for hot dogs she’s is more a sandwich and burger type of girl. Along with our food we both got something to drink, I got lemonade (soooooo good and sweet) and Melissa got a Sprite. My grand total for everything was $15.91 which wasn't bad. So now it was time to eat and we did! My hot dog was DELISH as usual topped with chilli, cheese, onions, relish, mustard and ketchup it really hit the spot. Melissa's pastrami was good but it wasn't anything close to Johnny's Pastrami. The french fries where big steak like fries and I personally don't care for those kind of fries, I like skinny fries. These fries were way to HOT and I burned my tongue trying to eat them. Over dinner Melissa and I talked about her new job, yes that’s right MELISSA GOT A JOB!!!!!!! WOOOHOO! and then it was time to leave. We were both full and satisfied. "Earlez" is one of my favorite spots and I will definitely be going back, now if you haven't been, get there. Just so you know "Earlez" is known for their chili, hot dogs and playas punch. If you would like to swim in the "Wednesday Dinner" pool drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this; "Don't go through life, grow through life". Until next week, blessings- Ashley.

Wednesday Dinner 3/31/10

2010-04-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning my loves and Happy Thursday!!!!!! Oh yeah and Happy April Fool's Day!!! And so we have made it through another week and it’s the end of the 1st quarter of 2010. Hopefully you all are on track with your 2010 goals and are moving forward in your lives. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was a solo mission; it was a table for 1. I came across this coupon book at work and was surfing through it and came across quite a few restaurants and thought I should try some of these out. I had coupons for "Dukes" http://www.dukeswesthollywood.com/, so I decided to go there. This worked out perfectly, since it was just me I didn't have to wait for anyone and I could just go straight from work. I didn't realize how close "Dukes" was to my job, it took me all of 5 minutes to get there. I was super excited to try somewhere I haven't been and I haven't heard much about. "Dukes" is located on Sunset right in the heart of Weho, Weho is a place I don't frequent do to the over crowding of weirdo's. Parking is located directly behind "Dukes" but it’s a little strange because it seemed like everyone was double parked and there was no parking attendant there. Walking in I felt kind a strange since this would be my 1st time having dinner alone, but after I noticed that there was another person sitting alone I felt better. "Dukes" is a nice size and could fit 40 people in there easily; it has the feel of a diner. With the colors brown and orange I kind of felt like I was at Hooters, it wasn't very crowded but while I was there a few more people arrived. I ordered lemonade to drink because I don't really drink soda and then it was time for me to review the menu. With breakfast being served all day and so many choices, I was a little torn. I felt like a burger, then I felt like a sandwich, and then I felt like getting a hot entree. So I finally I decided to order and here is what I had:

Burger Patty Melt- 1/2 lb. burger, grilled onions, mushrooms, swiss cheese, thousand island dressing

I noticed I have been eating a lot of beef lately so I decided to switch it up and get a turkey patty instead. The patty melt was served on sourdough bread, accompanied by french fries. When my food was brought out it was super PIPING hot, it was actually to hot. By the time the sandwich cooled down I was full and almost finished. The french fries were average with no seasoning. The patty melt was good the only issue I had was that the sourdough bread was a little to hard, but the combination of mushrooms, swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing was good. If the bread would have been a little softer and if it wasn't so hard it would have been the perfect patty melt. All in all dinner was good, but for some reason I think "Dukes" is probably known for their breakfast. I was unable to use my coupon because I didn't read the small print, my coupon was only valid from 6pm-2am, but I wasn't tripping my meal was only $12.29. Even though I am not a believer in tips I tipped the waiter $3.00 which brought my total to $15.29, the service wasn't bad and it wasn't exceptionally good it was average. I will go back to "Dukes" and I will definitely try breakfast. If you would like to ride the "Wednesday Dinner" rollercoaster drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com, and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "One day your life will flash before your eyes...make sure its worth watching". Until next week, keep it pimpin. Ashley.

Wednesday Dinner 3/24/10

2010-03-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Dolls and Happy Thursday!!!!!! Whew this morning has been a little crazy but the day must go on! I am sooooooo EXCITED for this weekend, tomorrow I will be watching my boo Jay-Z perform and I can't wait!!!!! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was special, I had dinner with my Grandma and my Sister. I haven't had dinner with my Grandma since last year and dinner with Melissa wasn't that long ago. My Grandma put an APB out on me 2 weeks ago wanting to go to dinner because she had all these gift certificates she needs to use by the end of March. When I called her 2 weeks ago she mentioned she had gift certificates to my all time favorite place "PF Changs" http://www.pfchangs.com/, I didn't waste anytime asking her when she wanted to go. So we made arrangements to have dinner yesterday. On Tuesday my Grandma mentioned to me that she felt bad for not inviting Melissa and would I ask Melissa if she wanted to join us, of course Melissa was more than glad to join us. Melissa coming actually worked out in my favor, she was able to pick Grandma up since I work down the street from "PF Chnags" (Beverly Hills) it was so easy for me to leave work and head straight there. It was so funny that Melissa and I met in the parking lot at the same time (hahaha). When we arrived at PF Changs there was no wait and we were seated in no time, I was so hungry and I couldn't wait to order and eat. Anyone who knows me knows that "PF Changs" is my favorite, FAVORITE restaurant and I can never get enough of it. Melissa says that "PF Changs" never taste the same to her and my Grandma knew what she was ordering. Melissa suggested that I do the ordering and she would just eat (classic Melissa). It was time to start with an appetizer but before I tell you what we ordered let me tell you; "PF Changs" has happy hour 7 days a week from 3pm-6pm and its not just in the bar area but you can also eat in the dining room. Drinks and appetizers rang from $3-$6, you can't beat that. So to start, we ordered:

CRAB WONTONS -Crunchy wonton filled with rock crab meat and served with a side of spicy plum sauce

I was so hungry and didn't realize that I ate 4 out of the 6 crab wontons (WOW). We didn't order any drinks I don't know about my Grandma & Melissa but I wasn't really in the mood to drink, we had waters all around. Here is just a little tip when going out if you are going to order water; make sure you ask for lemon on the side. Lemon kills all the bacteria that might be in your water (you can thank me later). The crab wontons are one of my favorite appetizers; I always order them when I go to "PF Changs". After literally demolishing the wontons it was time to order dinner and here is what we had:

PEPPER STEAK-Quickly cooked steak with red and green bell peppers, yellow onion, garlic and black pepper

CHANG'S SPICY CHICKEN-Lightly dusted and stir-fried in a sweet Sichuan sauce. Our version of General Tso's and always a favorite

P.F. CHANG'S FRIED RICE-Wok-fried rice blended with egg, soy and sliced scallions. Choice of vegetable, beef, pork, chicken or shrimp

GARLIC NOODLES-Egg noodles tossed with garlic and chili peppers

When the food came out it was PIPING HOT and I love that!!! Yesterday was my first time trying the pepper steak and I will say I will definitely order it again it was delish. The changs spicy chicken is one of "PF Changs" signature items and it is so good, with just right amount of spiciness to it. The fried rice is a classic and I always get the combination (shrimp, chicken & beef) and the garlic noodles are my new favorite!!! In my opinion these are the best garlic noodles ever. I have never had a bad experience at "PF Changs" and I am glad! Let me re track that I haven't always had the best experience with the wait staff but I have never had one complaint about anything that I've ordered. Over dinner we talked about age, Easter and memories, I am so fortunate to have my Grandma around!!!! She will be 85 this year and she looks amazing! She is walking, talking and in her right state of mind, what more could I ask for and not to mention she is hilarious! Whenever she finds something that she likes she refers to it as "The BOMB". I love my Grandma. After dinner there was still a little room for dessert. My Grandma is the Queen of dessert; she has the biggest sweet tooth I think that’s where I get mine from because no matter what time of day it is she can always go for something sweet. After looking over the dessert menu we were ready to order again and here is what we had:

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE-Served with fresh berries and raspberry sauce

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE DOME-Served with fresh berries and raspberry sauce

OMG! Can I just say that after eating these desserts I now have another reason to LOVE "PF Changs". I was in love and in heaven while I was eating these desserts, of course we decided to share them and honestly I could've probably eaten both of those cakes by myself that’s how good they were. The cheesecake was HUGE, fluffy and creamy; it was served with fresh berries and raspberry sauce. It was probably one of the best cheesecakes I've had in a while next to Harriet’s. Up next was the chocolate dome, OMG this chocolate dessert was amazing and it’s not made with any flour and you can't even tell. It was rich, thick and sooooo chocolaty it melted in your mouth, also served with fresh berries it was DELISH! All in all dinner was amazing and anytime I can spend with my Grandma works for me. I love and her and thank her for dinner and all that she has done for me. Melissa too, love you boo! I am sure that many of you have been to "PF Changs" but if by chance you haven’t been you need to GO like right now or if you know someone who hasn't been take them like right now. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" cheer team drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "There's no time for celebration, there’s to much work to do". Until next week 1 love- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/17/10

2010-03-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Good Morning honey bunches of sunshine, and so it is; another week and we have been given chances to make progress, I hope you did! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was for all my L.A. folks. This week I met up with my best friend Tiffany again at one of my favorite places, "Arts Wings & Things". If you've ever driven down Crenshaw Blvd then you've seen "Arts Wings & Things", its located between Mavericks Flat and the Liquor Bank and it can't be missed. "Arts" specializes in wings and tempura style fried vegetables, they also serve other things such as tacos and burgers but I only mess with the wings. I have been going to "Art's" for over 10 years, I remember in high school I would go everyday and get the lunch special, I remember it was; 10 wings. 5 piece veggies or fries, and a drink for $5.50. Boy has times changed they still offer the lunch special but I think it’s around $8.00 now. In my opinion "Arts" is the number one wing spot in Los Angeles; I prefer it over "Wing Stop" and any other wing place. So here is what Tiff and I ordered:

20 Piece (Mombo BBQ)
5 Piece Fried Broccoli
12 Piece Mixed Fried Veggies
1 order of Fries
2 Hawaiian Punches

Tiff and I decided to eat our food there, and I swear every time I sit in "Art's" to eat my food I get nervous. I feel like they could get robbed at anytime, I just get that feeling when I am in there. With a strict operation they don't play no games in "Arts", there is no public restroom, and asking for anything extra is kind of on the "you better not” side. I have formed some kind of relationship with the lady who owns the place, so it’s kind of cool if I need to ask for something extra (hahahaha). Waiting for the food can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes if you don't call your order in, we waited about a good 15 minutes which wasn't bad because the food was hot and fresh. So now it was time to eat and boy did we, the Mombo flavored wings are the best and my favorite. They have this sweet bbq taste but nothing like any other bbq flavor I've had before. The fries are skinny, crispy and lightly seasoned with seasoning salt. The fried veggies are to die for too, the mixed veggies include fried broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and mushrooms and those are delish too. Accompanied by their ranch dressing this was like the perfect "Wednesday Dinner" for yesterday. Over dinner Tiff and I were just chit chatting, catching up on this week. Dinner was very short, one thing about "Art's" is that you don't want to stay in there too long because you might see something crazy or continue to feel like your going to get robbed. All in all "Art's" is the #1 wing spot in L.A. and all my L.A. folk know what I'm talking about, we were so full that we had enough food to take home for left overs. Unfortunately "Art's" doesn't have a website but drive down Crenshaw and you'll see it, they all acceot EBT cards so you already know! Hahaha!. If you would like to ride in the "Wednesday Dinner" car drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twittter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional". Until next week 2 fingas- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/10/10

2010-03-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves and happy Thursday!!!!!!!! So glad that we have all made it through another week and we all got a chance to witness life and be a part of life. This week has been great for me, I've learned something’s about myself and I am realizing that it’s not that heavy and life does go on so move on! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was simple as far as the food choice but awesome as far as my guest choice! Yesterday I had dinner with my BEST friend in the whole world Tiffany Dawson, Tiffany and I haven't done a "Wednesday Dinner" since the summer. I mean we hang out a lot but we just haven't done a "Wednesday Dinner". Tiffany had been hounding me about going to the Olive Garden for about 3 months now so yesterday I was like what the hell, let’s just go. So off to the Olive Garden http://www.olivegarden.com/ we went. The fun and laughter started as soon as we got in the car together, Tiffany and I have this awesome friendship where we get each other and I mean we really get each other. We both have the same sense of humor and we are both going through a lot of the same things as far as dating and just being women so Tiff this one is for you (LOVE YOU DOLL). We got to Olive Garden pretty early since we went straight from when I got off work; I think we got there at 5pm which was great for me because I really don't like eating late anymore. Anyway Olive Garden was pretty packed for a week night and an early week night for that matter, we waited about 5 minutes and then we were seated. Our waitress was so BOMB she was friendly, polite and on point (Thanks Bree)! I will be calling today and speak to her manager to compliment her. After looking over the menu for all of 5 minutes Tiff and I were ready to order and here is what we started with:

2 Glasses of Castello Del Poggio Moscato (Sparkling Moscato)
Bread Sticks
Olive Gardens Famous Salad
Caprese Flatbread

Tiff and I both LOVE, LOVE the sparkling moscato and when we took our 1st sip we both looked at each other like "We soooo needed this". The wine is so sweet and refreshing it’s my personal favorite. Over our appetizers we talked, laughed and reminisced about all of our craziness over the years. Tiff and I have been friends since the 3rd grade so if you do the math it’s been 21 years we've known each other (DAMN GINA) that’s along time but I wouldn't trade it for anything. After we finished our appetizers it was time to order dinner and here is what we got:

Four Cheese Stuffed Pansotti with Chicken

Ordering was hilarious, Tiff is very simple with what she likes once she likes something she LIKES IT, I am the opposite I'll try something new. Tiff was originally going to get her usual (Chicken Alfredo) but she decided to try something different which was I got and she was very pleased. Over dinner the laughs just kept coming we had such a good time so good that we almost drank a whole bottle of wine. All of the food was DELISH, especially the Four Cheese Stuffed Pansotti with Chicken it was nice and hot and cheesy, saucy and just all around DELISH. I also enjoyed the Caprese Flatbread and the salad. I love fresh salad and hot food which is exactly what Olive Garden had to offer last night. I have never had a bad word to say about the Olive Garden I was especially pleased with the service and with the food. The only thing I don't like is that what we ordered is only there for a limited time other than that everything this was GREAT. Tiff and I went balls to the walls last night for dinner because we also ordered dessert and here is what we had:

Torta di Chocolate

In laymen terms it’s similar to a chocolate lava cake but this cake has no sugar added (WHAT) and we couldn't even tell it was amazing. It was warm, gooey it was DELISH. Served with vanilla custard and fresh strawberries this dessert hit the spot even though it was good I would have preferred to have it served with vanilla ice cream but it was still an amazing dessert. After dinner Tiff and I were beyond FULL, she was ready to go home and go to sleep and so was I. I want to thank Tiff for coming out and having dinner, love you mucho. Dinner came up to a grand total of $78.58 which wasn't bad because we had a ball!!!! If you would like to participate in the "Wednesday Dinner" festivities drop me a line
wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Give a person enough rope to pull you close or hang themselves". Until next week be breezy -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 3/3/10

2010-03-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves, and so it is Thursday and we have made it to yet another day and we are all looking forward to the weekend. With rain in the forecast, I want everyone to be safe, have fun but take it easy out there on the streets. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was very special to me, this week I met up with my cousin Chanel. Chanel and I haven't had dinner since last year, so yesterday it was all about Chanel and I. Chanel and I met at "Father's Office (http://www.fathersoffice.com/), "Father's Office has two locations one in Culver City and the other one is in Santa Monica. Chanel and I met at the Culver City location which is off of Venice and Helms. "Father's Office" is very sheik, modern, and kind of exclusive in a sense, I say exclusive because their menu is not posted, you must be 21 to dine there, no taking photo's of food is allowed, they don't serve ketchup and its not your average restaurant. When I arrived I noticed the outside has a club appeal to it, with red carpet, ropes and someone standing to check your id, I was really interested to see what this place was all about. I heard about "Father's Office" from my cousin, but I am not sure if she has been there. The seating there is 1st come, 1st serve and they do not take reservations, but do have seating inside and outside. Ordering food is something else that was a lot different then what I am use to, all orders are taken at the bar at which time you can view the menu and daily specials. Looking at the menu you realize that this would be a new experience for you with items from mussels, to beet and goat cheese something or another to a good old fashion cheeseburger. However this is not your usual cheeseburger, with being warned by the waitress "All of our items come as they are, you can not make any changes". So my gut along with Chanel's decided to go for what we knew and we ordered:

Office Burger and Frites ( aka Fries)

Chanel was going to be kind enough to pick up my tab for dinner but I am not sure the waitress heard her, so I will be taking Chanel up on that offer next time. Chanel had a glass of wine and I ordered a ginger ale, my total came up to $17.50 which included my burger, fries and drink. After we got done ordering we went back to our seats and waited for the food to arrive, within 10 minutes Chanel's food came out and my followed shortly after. This was not your usual cheeseburger!!!!!!! Served on a french roll with gruyere cheese, arugula lettuce and caramelized onions this was a taste I would definitely fall in love with. The frites aka fries were sprinkled lightly with parsley and served with a garlic aioli sauce for dipping, these fries were just right it was the perfect off setting to accompany the cheeseburger. Over dinner Chanel and I talked about so much: of course Taelor (her daughter) and her prom date and her college choices, we talked about relationships, family and most importantly my new hair cut!!!!!!! As many or most of you know Chanel has been doing my hair for almost 20 years (damn I am getting OLD, hahaha). I have decided its time for something new so I will be cutting my hair soon! As I was talking to Chanel over dinner I noticed a different type of dynamic in our relationship now, it’s not like big cousin and little cousin its more like woman to woman. I am not sure if she noticed it but I am feeling more mature these days in my speech and in the way I carry myself (tooting my own horn for a minute, hahaha). After dinner we were both kind of jonesing for dessert, however "Father's Office" couldn't help us with that because they don't offer any dessert. I kind of had a sweet tooth but that burger did the trick for me, I was FULL. As we were leaving "Father's Office" really started to pick up and when I looked up the place was PACKED, I guess the recession is OVER. Anytime Chanel and I get together it is always awesome (Thanks for dinner, I had a great time). I will definitely be going back to "Father's Office" for the office burger and frites; I strongly suggest you try the same thing if you like burgers. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" Roster drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this “Love the life you live and live the life you love". Until next week, ONE Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/24/10

2010-02-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Buenos Dias my loves! And Happy Thursday and so we have all made it to the end of our work week and the weekend is among us. This week was a little topsy turvy for me with a lot of things but I am here, I am good and keeping it moving! This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" came from a recommendation from my best friend Tiffany. Tiffany had been telling me for a while now I should try this taco place so yesterday I decided to try it. This one is for all my West LA folks who frequent Pico Blvd...... So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story began. If you live close to Pico Blvd or not to far then I am sure you have heard of "Sky's Taco's" http://www.skysgourmettacos.com/, and if you haven't heard then listen closely because this place just might be Pico's best kept secret. Located on Pico Blvd right after Fairfax "Sky's" is a small, quaint eatery with a lot of flavor to offer. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and specializing in "Mexican food with a splash of Soul". As many times as I have driven down Pico and never even saw "Sky's" I was surprised of the location and I thought why haven't I stopped here before, but anyway Tiffany recommended that I try a taco and a burrito and so I rolled with that, so here is what I ate:

Chicken Taco

Shrimp Burrito

Chips and Guacamole

I must say that I was very very please with my food, "Sky's" puts another twist on their food not only is the food Mexican with a splash of soul but the tacos and burritos are served open faced. With a unique flavor on their food and a special salsa that has a very sharp taste of chili powder the food is DELISH. I didn't really care much for my taco but I LOVED the burrito hands down! They were not to skimpy on the shrimp and the burrito would have been enough to get me full. I also ordered chips and guacamole, the chips are your classic home made tortilla chips seasoned (I couldn't quite figure out the seasoning but it was good). The guacamole was good too it wasn't to onion-ny or bland it was just right. Inside of "Sky's" is very quite, clean and cozy, I would definitely suggest it for a date or a lunch meeting or just a quick to go type thing. I also ordered Lemonade and their Lemonade is to die for, served in a Jar if you dine in to give you that down home type feeling (I can dig that). I was totally impressed with the food and the service and this proves my fact that some of the best places to eat are in neighborhoods and on streets you wouldn't expect! After I ate there was still a little room for dessert. I noticed that "Sky's" doesn't have a huge dessert menu they serve one thing and one thing only; Cheesecake! With 4 different types of cheesecake to choose from my choice wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be but I decided to have:

Carmel Crunch Cheesecake

OMG this cheesecake is up there with "Harriet’s" as being one of my favorites. Served with carmel sauce drizzled on the side and filled with nuts this cheesecake was amazing! I spent a total of about $13.00 yesterday on everything which isn't bad because I did order a lot and I must say again that the service at "Sky's" was great to (THANKS). All in all dinner was DELISH and I will be going back sooner than later! Special thanks to Tiffany for the recommendation. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" menu drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com also follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "If you want power show it, if you want respect earn it and if you want more take it" Until next week, that's all -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/17/10

2010-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves and Happy Thursday!!!!!!! The week is almost over but we know that doesn't mean our work is done. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was very simple and straight forward so let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. Yesterday it was so beautiful here in LA so I was in the mood for some BarBQue and because I am a Inglewood native there was only one place to go "Phillips" on Centinela (all my Inglewood folks clap for that, hahaha). "Phillips" BarBQue has been around for a long time and its located right next door to my favorite cheesecake place "Harriet’s". "Phillips" is usually crowded on the weekends and sometimes during the week but yesterday I got lucky because there was no line which means I didn't have to wait long. They have the menu posted outside and inside and I noticed that they aren't participating in any recession friendly deals on their BarBQue. Their prices rang from $9.37 for a sandwich to $17.00 for a combination plate, so here is what I had:

Beef Hot Links
Potato Salad
BarBQue Beans

It came to a total of $10.33 which wasn't bad for the amount of food I got. The only problem I have is that the sides are very small but hey I didn't even finish all of my food anyway. The links were sliced and soaked in sauce; there were probably about 15 slices on my plate. Of course you can't enjoy the BarBQue from "Phillips" without the 2 slices of white bread. "Phillips" BarBQue isn't like your typical BarBQue isn't not sweet and/or sticky like most people are used too, its very saucy and they have 3 different flavors (which I didn't know about) Regular, Mild and Hot. The food was good and I had enough for left over’s which is always a plus in my book. So it was only right that since I was getting food right next door from "Harriet’s" I stop by and get a slice of cheesecake, so here is what I got:

Praline Cheesecake

Before I go in on the cheesecake, let me just say that I love, love, love "Harriet’s" but the Praline cheesecake just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was because there were too many nuts and the tasted more like almonds than Pralines, I'm not sure but I won't be eating that flavor again. All in all dinner was good and I went to bed FULL. Neither "Phillips" or Harriet’s have a website but they can be googled but if you know like I know you know where they are! Dinner wasn't to interesting this week because I am in the first week of studying for the BIGGEST test of my career, but next week I'll be sure to bring the heat! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" frontline drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I would like to leave you with this "It's not how much money you make, its you do with the money you make". Until next week, that's it & that's all - Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/10/10

2010-02-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

Good Morning and Happy Thursday to you all! I hope you all are feeling good and being positive! Valentines Day is Sunday and I am so not excited or interested in any of its festivities, with that being said let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week I went to dinner with an old friend from high school Maurice Hall. Maurice and I had been trying to catch up and do a "Wednesday Dinner" for a while but we just kept missing each other. So last night we met up and went to dinner. I had been having a taste for Sushi and Korean BBQ so Maurice suggested "Wokcano" (http://www.wokcanocafe.com/) so "Wokcano" it was. "Wokcano" has 6 locations through out Southern California and we went to the location on 3rd Street. Maurice lost some cool points with me because he was 14 minutes late (hahaha), the location on 3rd Street is small but it was clear that people love eating at this place because business was booming yesterday from take out to dine in "Wokcano" was getting plenty of business last night. We even had a celebrity sighting, we saw Capricorn from "I Want to Work for Diddy 2". So now it was time to order and here is what we ate:

Vegetable Tempura
Shrimp Tempura
Philadelphia Roll
Spicy Tuna Roll
Shrimp Tempura Roll
California Roll
Korean Short Ribs
Spicy Garlic Chicken

Before I get into the food and the conversation I must say that I was not to pleased with the service at "Wokcano" last night, our waitress wasn't the best and I don't like that. Over dinner Maurice and I did A LOT of catching up, we haven't seen each other since high school but thanks the Facebook we got back in touch with each other. I just have to say that Maurice is hilarious and he has a great spirit and laughs a lot. Catching up with him was great we talked about so much from what he has been doing since high school and his recent fascination with Poker. Maurice appears to be the next big Poker sensation; he plays both online and at casinos. There wasn't a dull moment at the table last night at all, Maurice kept me laughing. The food was DELISH . "Wokcano" is a cross between Asian/Korean Fusion food. I did find it hard to believe that it was taking as long as it did for the Sushi to come out but when it came out it was DELISH! I hadn't had Sushi in a long time so this was a treat. I appreciated the fact that Maurice ate Sushi too. We had a really great conversation; he shared with me his amazing story of recovery after being shot a few years ago. I noticed that Maurice has an amazing attitude and outlook on his situation where I know most people would have given up and let it get the best of them but Maurice is the total opposite. When the rest of the food came out it was piping hot and DELISH too. The ribs were a little fatty but seasoned well the spicy garlic chicken was DELISH too it had a little bit too much onion for me but it was still DELISH. Maurice also shared with me over dinner his interest in dating outside of the African American race and it was too funny, he said "Foreign women are more willing to try freaky things". Maurice suggested that we go to dinner together once a month, I'm not sure how I feel about that (hahaha) just kidding, I would love too. Dinner came to a grand total of $74.63 which I guess isn't bad for the amount of food we ate. I am not to sure if I will be going back to "Wokcano". After we ate I was extremely full and there was absolutely no room for dessert, but I was in for a little treat. After the bill was paid our waitress brought out fortune cookies, but these cookies were dipped in white chocolate OMG DELISH so maybe I'll go back to "Wokcano" just for the fortune cookies. Before I close I do have to give a quick "Shout Out" to Maurice for hitting on me during dinner (hahaha) I saw you being mesmerized by my beauty (just kidding), but really I enjoyed myself. Maurice you were a lot of fun! Check out Maurice's blog (http://mbhall.blogspot.com/) also. If you would like to get on the “Wednesday Dinner” team or have any suggestions drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com . Also thanks again to Maurice for dinner and taking all the photos last night! In closing I would like to say "Love Who You Are, For Who You Are"! Until next week, hasta la vista- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 2/3/10

2010-02-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!!! And so it is we have been granted another 24 hours of life, what a wonderful gift. Make things happen and get one step closer to your dreams. This week has gone by fast for me, I have learned a lot this week and I have decided that I will be doing less talking and a lot more listening. With that being said let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week I went to dinner with my sister Melissa, Melissa and I hadn't done a dinner where it was just her and I it’s always been the three of us (Ashley, Melissa and Shelby). I had been thinking and thinking and was very undecided about what I wanted to eat for dinner the original plan was to have Melissa meet me somewhere by my job and we would eat over here somewhere but I just didn't have a taste for anything over here. So when I got to my moms house I asked Melissa what she felt like eating and clearly she was undecided, so Shelby's friend Maya suggested that we go to one of her favorite Soul Food Place "Flossie's"(http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/170925/torrance_ca/flossie_s_southern_cuisine.html)"Flossie's. She was like "Ash you'll like it", so I double checked with Melissa and off to "Flossie's" we went. Everyone knows I'm always down to go somewhere local and get something to eat and I am a firm believer that some of the best food is found in the most unexpected places. "Flossie's" is located in Torrance around the corner from El Camino College on Redondo Beach Blvd, located in a shopping plaza there is a lot happening over there in that area. It was about 15 minutes away from my mom’s house which was great and when we got there it wasn't crowded at all. I noticed that "Flossie's" really has the down south appeal with Black Art on the walls; pickled jars of who knows what in them and the people there were very hospitable. It’s very small inside with maybe about 7 tables and a flat screen TV (I was able to watch Tyler Perry's House of Pain-which is one of my favorite shows). At the time when we got there it wasn’t busy but as we sat down and ate it picked up, most people took they’re food to go. I noticed that there was no menu posted but they are more that willing to share with you what they have available, I liked the fact that all the sides and meat is pretty much viewable when order, they have a buffet style set up. They have a ton of sides from Jambalaya, Steamed Zucchini, Mac & Cheese, Cabbage, Yam, Greens, Mashed Potatoes, Rice & Gravy, Corn, Red Beans, and Green Beans. And as far as the meats yesterday they were serving; Meat Loaf, Baked Chicken, Fried Chicken and Catfish, whew that’s a lot of choices but here is what we got:

Ashley- Catfish with Corn, Mac & Cheese and Yams
Melissa- Catfish with Greens, Mac & Cheese and Cabbage

"Flossie's" is not like most soul food places (M&M's & Soul Food Kitchen) they give you your monies worth! Those two places I named charge way too much and are skimpy on the food. For $10.99 (plus tax) which brought dinner to a total of $24.12, we got our dinner along with hush puppies, biscuit or corn bread and a drink WHAT! That is crazy talk! And I also love that fact the "Flossie's" website is in accordance to what you actually get when you go there. The catfish was filet'd which I love because fried fish is one of my favorite things but I don't like bones in my fish (Ewwww). The food was well portioned and DELISH! Over dinner my sister and I just caught up and had a brief chat about her finding a new job (So if you know of anyone hiring hit me up asap). It was hard to keep a conversation going because we were both so into our food. They have this

amazing tarter sauce to accompany the fish that is the bomb, the mac & cheese was dope not to cheesey and not to runny, the corn hit the spot also! The yams were ok; they could have been a little sweeter. To drink I got my usual Arnold Palmer (Iced Tea mixed with Lemonade) and that was good too. Melissa enjoyed her food also, I noticed that "Flossie's" food doesn't taste like all these other soul food places their food really stands out, I know most people I know always say "All those soul food places taste the same" but that wasn't the case here. So after dinner it was time for dessert, the dessert menu for yesterday was; Sweet Potato Pie, Peach Cobbler and Lemon Ice Box Pie and we decided to go with:

Lemon Ice Box Pie

I like peach cobbler but I like mine with vanilla ice cream and I didn't ask them if they had ice cream but I should have because I wanted to try the peach cobbler. But Melissa decided on the ice box pie, I have eaten the ice box pie before but this slice was different it was meringued on the top which kind of threw me off. The pie was good a little to frozen for me but it was still good, they're desserts are $4.00 which isn't bad at all. Two people ate for under $30.00 sounds like a win to me! If you haven't been to "Flossie's" get down there and check it out, they have my vote and we definitely be going back! All in all dinner was delish and I had enough for left over’s today! If you would like to play in the "Wednesday Dinner" band or have any suggestions drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com. In closing I would like to leave you with this "Don't just make a difference make history" until next week Arrivaderci Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/27/10

2010-01-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves!!!!! And welcome to yet another day and another chance to do what we didn't do yesterday! I hope you are all doing well and are well rested in your mind, body and spirit. Yesterday was just a day of craziness for "Wednesday Dinner", my original plan was to go eat with my friend from high school Tiffany A. but yesterday afternoon Tiffany emailed me and said that she dropped her phone in the elevator shaft at work and we will have to reschedule. I felt so bad for Tiffany (and I will be checking on her this afternoon, I hope she got that phone thing squared away). So then I decided to take my BFF Tiffany D. out because her birthday just passed on Tuesday the 26th, but Tiffany was waiting for one of her ex co-workers to stop by and visit with her and the baby (but the co-worker never showed up-SHAME) so I was kind of lost. By the time I got home from work for some strange reason I wasn't very hungry, so I pitter pattered around for a little while and I decided I would go see my little brothers (Brandon & Ryan) play basketball. Both of them attend Hamilton High and they are both seniors, yesterday Hamilton played Fairfax (and I saw my cousin Taelor at the game too- Hey Tootie (if your reading this)). Since I've been out of high school which has been 10 years that was the first sporting event I've attended since graduating. The game was amazing my brothers played great and almost won, they lost by 3 points (final score 63-60). I am not sure of anyone who went to Hamilton has attended any of they're games but they have a Mascot now, and it is hilare!!! This kid dresses up like a real Yankee and goes balls to the walls. I was like what the hell we didn't have a Mascot when I went here, but anyway on a side note I'd like to give a "Shout Out" to all my little homies at Hamilton graduating this year (Shelby, Brandon, Ryan, Maya, Amber, Toi,) I see ya'll. So after the game it was time to eat, by the time the game was over it was 8pm and that was late but Momma Bear was hungry. So since I was in the Hamilton area I started thinking, thinking, thinking and I decided to go to "Daphne's" Greek Cafe (http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/) in good old downtown Culver City. I had never been to Daphne's but I had been wanting to try it, so here is what I ate:

Fire Feta Hummus & Grilled Pita Starter
Street Gyro& Chicken Kabob Plate (with Greek Salad & Rice)
Baklava
Green Tea Peach Iced Tea

Ok so Daphne's has this recession special because everything except for the drink was $7.00, its part of they're "3 Courses for $7.00". When I saw that I was like huh? all of the food there is reasonably priced but I felt like this was the best way to go since this was my first time eating there, this gave me more bang for my buck and I'm always down with that. Including my drink my entire meal was $9.64 (WHAT-in my Lil John voice); I am so rollin with that. I liked Daphne's a lot because it was super clean and the Manager/Cashier was overly nice, I also like when you eat out at a cafe or something and they serve you on real plates with real silverware (I don't like dinning at a place on plastic). So when my food came out, they brought it to me and it was time to grub!!!!! Everything from start to finish was DELISH!!!! The Hummus was bomb!!! I just started eating Hummus about 3 years ago and I usually go to the Farmer's Market to get it, but this was the right amount and it was YUMO! The Gyro, Kabob, Salad, and Rice where also on bomb.com status! To top everything off was the Baklava and that was YUMO too! I was soooo FULL and at the same time very impressed, also I loved, loved, LOVED my Iced Tea. I really don't drink a lot of soda, hardly ever so when I saw the Green Peach Iced Tea I was on it. I had never heard of that type of Ice Tea or seen it anywhere so I tried it and fell in love with it; it’s made by Lipton so I'm going to find out where I can buy it. All in all dinner was DELISH and I will be going back to Daphne's real soon. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" flight or have any suggestions drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com. In closing I would like to leave you with this "There is Triumph in every Tragedy" until next week Peace Out-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/20/10

2010-01-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!!!!!! I hope that you all are driving safely and staying dry out here in this "It never rains in Southern California rain" Hahahaha! This weather is so crazy and it so makes me want to stay home and lay in my bed, but there is money to be made and the world needs to be changed so I have to do my part! So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin; This week I met up with Stephanie for a early dinner late lunch, since both Stephanie and I get off work before 5pm and it was raining cats and dogs yesterday there was no way I was trying to be out late if I didn't have to. So we decided to meet, Stephanie and I both love a good burger and for the past week I have been watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network and ran across this place called Umami Burger (http://www.umamiburger.com/) which was highly recommended so I decided what the hell lets give it a try. For me this place was right on time because it was extremely close to my job so I was able to make it there in no time, but for Stephanie not so much she was coming all the way from the El Segundo area (So big ups to Steph for meeting me in the rain yesterday, you rock!!!). Its funny because Stephanie actually beat me to Umami burger, everyone knows I have a horrible sense of direction (no more to say about that). Umami is located right on the corner of 8th and LaBrea; it’s a cute not so typical burger place. It’s very clean and I'd say with a modern budda type feel to it. Umami wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty, the one thing I didn't like was the parking lot was extremely small!! I had to park on the street and it was raining (that was no bueno). When I arrived Stephanie was already waiting for me at our table which was right in front of the door, now pardon me but why would someone want to sit in front of a door when it’s raining. SO when I arrived we moved, to a table further in the restaurant. I also noticed that Umami has a little private area that can probably hold about 10 people for maybe a dinner party or meeting (very cute). So now it was time to order and here is what we got but before I tell you that let me just say that at Umami you can't alter any of their food items, what you read is what you get.

Ashley-Arnold Palmer, Socal Burger (butter lettuce, oven dried tomato, spread, house made american cheese, caramelized onions)

Stephanie- Lemonade, Socal Burger (butter lettuce, oven dried tomato, spread, house made american cheese, caramelized onions)

Onion Rings, Fires and Pickle Platter to share

Ok so here is my disclaimer on the food, the burger was very good however Stephanie likes pickles on her burger I could care less about pickles but Umami doesn't offer pickles on their burgers they offer a pickle platter which has about 4 different types of pickles on it. We ordered that and clearly the kind of pickles we were looking for weren't on there, but the show must go on. I also didn't like the fact that they brought out our fries and onion rings before they brought out our burgers. I prefer to eat the two together while both are hot! Our waitress wasn't the best she kept giving us the run around on the questions we asked, I guess maybe she wasn't use to people asking question I guess. So over our fries, onion rings and pickle platter Stephanie just had our usual "Ashley & Stephanie" talk we discussed relationships, birthdays, outings and other randomness of yesterdays happenings. After that it was time to eat and the burgers were brought out (Wooohooo), I was so hungry and had been waiting all day to eat. This burger to me was the perfect size for a woman and what I mean by that is it was just enough I had nothing left over and I was full. This was a fancy shamanzy burger that was reasonably priced at $9.00. Along with the fries and onion rings the meal was pretty good. Umami also offers a variety of throwback sodas like Coca Cola, Orange and Grape Crush in the Bottle (got to love those). So after we ate it was time to see what they had to offer for dessert, Umami offers desserts made by this company called Cake Monkey (http://www.cakemonkey.com/) I wasn't to sold on those so I decided to go with an in house dessert better know as:

Ice Cream Sandwich

This ice cream sandwich was delish!!! It was what Stephanie and I call "Cookie) filled with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream dipped in chocolate. I know most of you are thinking why would I eat ice cream on a rainy day but everyone’s know I love ice cream no matter the weather!!! I managed to eat the whole sandwich by myself Stephanie only had a taste. After that it was time to get the bill and roll out, with everything we ordered the bill was $41.72 which wasn't bad for 2 people. After eating that I was so FULL all I wanted to do was take a nap (I had a real case of the itis). I will definitely go back to Umami Burger, and I would suggest you all try it to, I like the twist they put on a regular burger and make it something to remember. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" stage or have any suggestions drop me a line wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com . In closing I would like to leave you with this "Its all about solutions not excuses" until next week Shalom- Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/13/10

2010-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Good morning dolls!!!!! And Happy Thursday, I hope all of you are feeling good and looking forward to the end of another work week. I am so tired do to last nights "Wednesday Dinner" excursion. So I will let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. I had been following and trying to catch up with this food truck I have been following on Twitter. I am not sure if any of you are familiar with the Kogi BBQ Truck (http://kogibbq.com/), they are a Korean BBQ truck with a twist on comfort food favorites like taco's, burritos, quesadilla's, etc. Basically you have to follow this truck on Twitter to know where they are going to be and clearly the stars must have been in my favor because they were finally close to where I live. Last night they were parked in Carson which is about 20 mins away from where I live, the only problem was that they weren't going to be in Carson until 10:30pm. Many of you know I never eat that late especially during the week, so this was a stretch for me. But I made it there at 10:30pm only to find that I played myself with arriving right at 10:30pm. Since Shelby was up, I decided to bring her with me because she is just like me when it comes to food. So when we got there at 10:30pm I noticed there was a line that was out of this freakin world!!!! There where so many college kids out there that it was ridiculous, at one point I was just ready to throw in the towel and come back home but I thought to myself "Your already here". While Shelby and I were standing in line we befriended a gentleman who at first Shelby was making fun of. Shelby was clowin this guy because he was playing music from his phone which was loud enough for everyone to hear and Shelby noticed that this dude was like almost 30 years old. But this guy was pretty helpful but once he started talking he actually kind of struck me as a little weird because he was holding conversations with my 17 year old sister. Anyway he gave us suggestions on what to try since this was our first time visiting the Kogi Truck. We were standing in line for about 45 mins and we saw and caught some pretty random stuff, I was so mad at Shelby because she didn't bring her video camera. But the most random thing we saw last night was a dude playing a Ukulele, that was hilarious to me and what was also funny was that Shelby knows the sound of a Ukulele. So it was finally our turn and here is what we ordered:

7 Taco's (6 Short Rib, 1 Chicken)
Sliders
Sweet Chili Chicken Quesadilla w/ Salsa Naranja

The food is reasonably priced, Taco's are $2, Sliders are $5 and you get 2 and the Quesadilla is anywhere from $5-$7. The food came up to $32.95 which wasn't bad, I was a little disappointed last night because by the time I got to the window to order they were out of Tres Leches. Tres Leches is their dessert special for the week, but now that I think about it I am kind of glad I didn't get any dessert because I probably would have been up all night. I have visited a few food trucks and it’s clear that the Kogi truck is in high demand and has a huge following. The food was good, I liked everything we ordered the only thing I could have done with out was the salsa on the quesadilla we should have just ordered a plain chicken quesadilla. I learned a good lesson last night, which is the next time I am going to try and catch a food truck especially the Kogi truck I need to be there at least a hour ahead of the arrival time. I would strongly suggest that you get familiar with the Kogi Truck because as of right now they are killing the food truck game. If you would like to get a "Wednesday Dinner" golden ticket drop me a line at wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and also follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner. In closing I want to talk about the tragedy in Haiti, lets all do something to help out, weather is a donation of money, clothes or time. Please visit http://www.yele.org/ and/or www.redcross.org/ to get more information on what you can do to help. Also I would like to say RIP Teddy Pendergrass and "It's all good loving somebody when somebody loves you back". Until next week Love, Peace and Soul-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 1/6/10

2010-01-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves and Happy New Year!!!!!!! I am finally back from my little blogging vacay, I hope you all are doing well and this New Year has started off great for you. It has been for me until this morning, the Pacer is giving me some problems but I will get through today and deal with that damn car later. As I mentioned before I plan on making this blog way better than it was last year so let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. This week for dinner I finally caught up with my girl Tati, Tati and I met through a mutual friend named Maurice (he has a blog also check it out: http://mbhall.blogspot.com/). Tati and I had been trying to meet up for dinner since I started this blog but time just wasn't in our favor so I decided that she would be one of the first people in 2010 that I went to dinner with. A while ago Tati had mentioned The Boiling Crab to me as one of the places I should try, so after much thought and viewing the menu that's where we decided to go. The Boiling Crab (http://www.theboilingcrab.com/) is not local by any means, most of its locations are further out in California. The one we decided to go to was the one in Garden Grove which is one of they're biggest and most popular locations. Upon arriving there I noticed that there was a plethora of people standing outside which for me was not a good sign after being on the freeway for 40 minutes I was ready to eat. I met Tati outside and her and her friend Tammy where walking up, Tati told me that she called and they told her that the wait was at least 1 hour (WHAT THE?????). So I went inside and placed my name on the list (Ashley party of 3) Hahaha. At this time it wasn't looking to good for us, I was told the wait was anywhere from an hour and a half to an hour and forty-five minutes (ARE YOU SHITING ME???) is what I was thinking. But I drove way too far to turn around and go home. While waiting I noticed that there were a lot of young people waiting and a lot of young people working for The Boiling Crab, which explains why they're customer service SUCKED! While waiting for a table Tati, Tammy and I had a little girl talk, about the usual men and dating. I found that Tati and I are very similar with our views when it comes to dating men, so after girl talk we all couldn't get over the fact that we were still hungry and we had been waiting way to long. So we decided to walk over to The Boiling Crab To Go which is in the same area as the restaurant this is just for people who want to take their food home or eat outside. So we placed our orders and here is what I had:

1lb shrimp

1lb King Crab Legs

2 corns & 6 Sausages

Seasoned with The Whole Sha-bang Mild Style

The way The Boiling Crab serves they're food is like Crab Boil style, everything season and in a bag and you eat on paper with your fingers. This is all fine with me and would have been much better had I not had nails! My food came up to $36.13 which wasn't bad for the amount of food I got and I still have some left over!!! I was so hungry and all over the place that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of what Tati and her friend got to eat. So since we were ordering to go the only solution to eating our food was to eat outside. I am not sure if any of you where outside yesterday night but it was BRICK ASS COLD. But I was determined to eat my food, so I got paper to lay on the table a bib and went to work, Tati left Tammy and I and went back down to The Boiling Crab restaurant and was determined to get us a table. I wasn't wasting or waiting anymore so I opened my bag and started eating while I was eating Tammy noticed that Tati was trying to call her, Tati had gotten us a table at the restaurant so we bagged up our food and walked down there. At this point it was late and we had been waiting two hours to sit down and eat so I wasn't playing any games. The whole time I was eating I don't think I said anything, I was in heaven the food was hot and well seasoned!! Tati and Tammy seemed to be satisfied as well, they had been there many times before but it was my first time. I don't think I will be going back to The Boiling Crab to eat but I will definitely do the To Go thing. I was so full that dessert wasn't an option and by the time we left it was 9:30pm and I still had to make it to the Gym (oh yea, I'm working on my fitness). All in all the food was good and a great way to start my 2010 "Wednesday Dinner". If you have any suggestions on where I should go next or what to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" spaceship drop me a line wedenesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com and don't forget to follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner). In closing I will leave you with this quote "Pettiness has no value" until next week Bon Voyage-Ashley

Wednesday Dinner Revamped and Ready

2010-01-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Dolls, as I prepare to come back tomorrow I just wanted to drop a little note that "Wednesday Dinner with Ash" has made it to Twitter (www.twitter.com/wednesdaydinner). And I also have a new email address (wednesdaydinnerwithash@yahoo.com), so follow me around the city on my food journey and I will also be updating the Twitter page with new restaurants, new deals and any and everything else dealing with food. Email me with any suggestions you may have, and I will see you all tomorrow. Peace -Ashley

Wednesday Dinner 12/16/09

2009-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

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

Wednesday Dinner 11/18/09

2009-11-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Good Morning my loves! I hope you all are doing well and in a good mood, I know I am. Anyway this weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was wack, I was stood up by my cousin (Shame on him). My plans where to have dinner with my cousin Marc but for some reason Marc was double booked helping my cousin Mikey move into his apartment yesterday. So I was left to fin for myself, which was fine but the only problem was I had no clue of what I wanted to eat. I had waited so long to eat I was starting to get irritated and get a headache. Anyone who knows me knows you don't play with my food or my money! I was going back and forth with what I wanted to eat, I didn't want to drive far but I wanted something good. Sheesh I know I was all over the damn place. So after much thinking I decided to go to good old "El Pollo Loco" (http://www.elpolloloco.com/) and here is what I ate:

2 Taco's Al Caborn (Chicken)
1 Chicken Taquito
1 Loco Salad
Chips and Guacamole
2 Churros

I know that sounds like a lot of food and it probably is to most people, especially for one person to eat. But if you know me you know I'm greedy and there is a fat person that lives inside of me! I got all of that food for $7.02 WHAT! I know crazy right! Don't sleep on El Pollo Loco's value menu! I went inside to order my food and I have no idea why the hell I did that because this El Pollo Loco was PACKED! There were parents and kids all over the place and it seemed like it took about 10 minutes for me to get my food. They where just really going thru it over there. So I just bought me food home, tore it down and it was a wrap. All in all the food was good, the best part for me was the Churros (YUMMY)! If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" ride or have any suggestions get at me ashleymarie729@gmail.com. In closing I would like to talk about CHOICES. A choice is defined as: the act of choosing, the right to choose. In life we all make choices some good and some bad. However at a certain age in your life you have to make a effort to make only good choices. Recently I found out that someone I once loved and cared a lot for made the ultimate bad choice. I felt so bad and wanted to try my hardest to help, fix or make it better. However what it boils down to is a "Choice" that that person made and now has to live with it. Never let anyone choose for you, and make sure the choices you make in your life are choices you can live with. At the end of the day one bad choice can bring a lifetime of unhappiness. Think about it! Until next week Cheerio- Ash

Wednesday Dinner 11/11/09

2009-11-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

Goooood Morning! I am so well rested its ridiculous! I went to bed at 9pm, which is a first for me in a long time. Anyway I hope you all are doing well and are looking forward to something positive in your life. This weeks "Wednesday Dinner" was all about reflections, inspirations, friends and family. This week I was on a solo tip, for the simple fact that this week marks my 20th blog! Which means I have been blogging and doing dinners for 20 weeks, that's crazy. I am so glad to be consistent with this and thanks to all the people who have and are following my blog, and I can't forget about all the people this far that I've had dinner with (thanks to you guys too). This is just the beginning and there is plenty more to come! So let the "Wednesday Dinner" story begin. I was so on the fence with what I wanted to eat because I couldn't figure out what I had a taste for. So yesterday I was in limbo with that for a long time, after I left work I stopped by my Uncle Mickey's house (Brittany & Mikey's Dad) because my cousin Mark was babysitting my God Daughter Skye (Dominick's Daughter). I was excited to see her and she was excited to see me! I hadn't seen her in a minute, so it was good to see my little baby. She is getting so big and talking so well at 3 years old! She is HILARIOUS and of course oh so dramatic, bouncing of the walls, screaming, playing and I guess clearly being a kid ( I love her). After I was there for a while my cousin Brittany came by followed by Uncle Mickey and then Mikey came home. It was so good to see my family, I spent a little more time and then I peaced out. On my way home I was holding a very interesting conversation with my best friend Tiffany and I swear, we have a relationship that only the two of us understand. She told me she was waiting for her daughters father to get a hair cut, so I decided to pop up on her. But the funny part is she saw me before I could surprise her. So we chit chatted for about 30 minutes and then I went home. When I got home I was still undecided with what I wanted to eat, so I pitter pattered around the house for a minute and then it came to me. I decided I wanted to eat "Okie Dog". If you grew up in LA then you are familiar with "Okie Dog". Located on Pico down the street from Roscoe's. "Okie Dog" has been around forever, I was raised on the food there. It's one of my dad's favorite spots, so here is what I ate:

Pastrami Burrito (chilli, pastrami, cabbage, bell peppers, onions and I get mine with cheese)
French Fries

"Okie Dog" is one of those neighbor classic places, and unfortunately they don't have a website. They have all kids of good, greasy and fatty foods. From chilli cheese hot dogs and fries, burgers, teriyaki bowls all kinds of stuff. When you go inside they have pictures of all the Famous people who have stopped by. As much as I love "Okie Dog" I would never eat my food there, its not located in one of the safest neighborhoods. I was so hungry that I ate most of my fries on the way home, the one thing I do love about "Okie Dog" is that the food is so hot that by the time I got home is was still warm. The burrito is HUGE and big enough for two people, of course I only ate half of mine and it was DELISH to the last bite. Most people wouldn't eat all of that stuff together in a burrito but I say "Don't knock it until to try it". After eating that I was extremely full and ready to call it a night. But I had a taste for something sweet, so I decided to go to "Lucy's" and get a Strawberry Malt. OMG so good! Lucy's is another neighborhood classic if you grew up in LA! So after that it was lights out for your girl. All in all dinner was DELISH my day and time was well spent. If you would like to get on the "Wednesday Dinner" order form drop me a line ashleymarie729@gmail.com. In closing I would like to just say THANK YOU again to everyone who reads and supports my blog. To all of those who have experienced "Wednesday Dinner" and to all of those who are going to experience "Wednesday Dinner". You guys are the BEST and the support is so appreciated, please spread the word and tell people to tell people to check out my blog. On that note, until next week See ya- Ashley.