Easy Roasted Asparagus

Lately my weekends fly by and on Monday morning when someone asks me what I did with my weekend I really have no idea and think, “did I really watch Friends all day Sunday?”  This weekend was a refreshing opposite, although I still may have watched a few Friends episodes….  We went for a hike, took care of the leaves outside (isn’t that what everyone is doing in January?), I did some cleaning and organizing around the house that was long overdue, finished a book, worked on tax stuff (bonus points for that!) and still had some time to relax as well.   We topped off our productive weekend with some homemade soup Sunday night and one of my now favorite sides, roasted asparagus. 

I was a bit of a picky eater at my house when I was younger.  Cooked spinach and asparagus were on the top of the icky list, but the worst nights were steak nights.  I would cut the steak into little pieces and when my parents weren’t looking I’d throw it under our big wooden kitchen table.  We had a dog, however he was not allowed in that part of the house so unfortunately my habit was discovered.  For awhile I think my mom just thought I was a messy eater.  Eventually I tried swallowing a huge piece of steak whole so I wouldn’t have to chew it and ended up choking.  My aunt gave me the Heimlich and I was never forced to eat steak again.  Score for me!  Unfortunately there were still other foods around that were just plain gross and the spinach and asparagus remained in this category for quite awhile.

I’m still not a fan of cooked spinach but the raw stuff is a permanent staple in our house and I now have a special place in my heart for asparagus.  I prefer my veggies with a bit of crunch and lots of flavor, so roasting is right up my alley.

This is the easiest side dish ever.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  You can skip that step, but it makes cleanup SO much easier.  Snap the hard ends off the asparagus and throw them away.  Lay the asparagus out flat on the baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil (don’t get carried away) and top with salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the tips start browning.  Usually I serve it up just like that but if you want to be fancy you can top with some shredded parmesan cheese.

When In Phoenix...The Farm

I’m starting a new section here on In the Centner of it All called “When In Phoenix” where I’ll be sharing some of my favorite restaurants, shops, and events in the Phoenix area.  Lets be honest though, most of the places will likely be restaurants. 

When I first moved here I was just excited to be in a city with an Olive Garden close.  My best friend and I used to drive almost an hour to go to Applebees in high school so living somewhere with so many options was pretty darn exciting.  Although many chain restaurants can hold their own, I really prefer the unique, home-grown restaurants that offer a different type of experience and there are so many of those here.

Last week Mr. C and I finally made it to The Farm, a place I’ve been dying to visit for at least a couple years.  The issue was that everytime I’d think about going it was summertime and the place is seasonal being that people typically don’t want to pay to eat outside when it’s 120 degrees.  I was worried that after waiting forever to try out the place I’d have built it up in my mind and just be disappointed, but disappointed I was not. 

We saw a little sign for parking and made our way to the entrance.  We started at the Farm Kitchen by placing our order.  Everything on the menu looked amazing but we both decided on the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, passion tea, and split a pasta salad.  The sandwiches were made fresh in a few minutes and served in a cute little basket.   There are so many spots to eat, but we picked a table in the courtyard right outside.  I loved watching the birds hop around, and the view was beautiful, even in the winter when the trees were pretty bare.  Everything tasted was amazing and the pesto primavera pasta salad was possibly the best pasta salad I’ve ever had.

After lunch we walked around a bit.  There is in fact farmland at The Farm that was being worked while we walked around.  At the back of the property there are a couple other places to eat that are a bit more formal and a farmer’s market with some fresh vegetables and local products.

We stopped in the gift shop where I restrained myself from buying everything.  We had fun looking around and I did buy a beautiful black currant scented candle and some of The Farm’s berry preserves.  I love buying unique, local products and when we got up to pay the woman at the counter couldn’t help but tell us how amazing the preserves taste.  She was right – it’s so good!  Everyone we encountered was so friendly, even the cat in the gift shop.

We will definitely be returning to The Farm, hopefully for dinner next time. I also can't wait to see the landscape in the Spring.  I’ve heard it’s one of the most romantic dinner places, but if you’re also looking for a cozy lunch spot to go with a friend or significant other, Farm Kitchen is the perfect place.

The Lost Art of Thank You's

I love trees and I’m all about sustainability and recycling and being green, but I really, really, really love paper.  I really, really, really, really love paper when it comes in the form of a card (or money also).  When I get into a card shop or even the card section of a store I could stay there for hours – just ask Mr. C. 

I love sending out cards, getting cards, and buying cards to stockpile for the special and not-so-special future times I know I’ll need them.  Thank you cards (and the process of sending them) seem to get a rap for being not so fun, but I disagree.

I recently sent out a few thank you notes for Christmas gifts and thought it was a perfect topic for a post.  I was taught that when someone gave you a gift, you sent a thank you note.  Over the years I like to think I’ve done a pretty good job keeping this up.  There are definitely exceptions although I’m sure proper etiquette wouldn’t agree with me on that.   If a close friend or family member gives me a gift in person I generally don’t send a thank you note, but Christmas gifts, mailed gifts, and any type of shower gifts always get one.  There’s something about getting a hand written thank you note that’s just not conveyed in an email or text.

Here’s a few pointers for sending your own:

1. Find some pretty cards that fit your personality.  If you find cards you love, you’re more likely to want to send them.  I always find cute cards at Target but I'm dying to add these chalkboard cards, snail mail cards, and these colorful cards to my collection.  I love these fill in the blank cards for kids!

2. Use a nice pen.  I love felt pens and they always seem to make my writing look prettier.

3. Mention the gift and why you love it.  Maybe it sits on your desk and you think about the gift giver when you look at it, or you smile everytime you use it.  If someone gives me money or a general gift card I usually try to mention how I plan to spend it.  I usually add a little extra about what's new or something that's going on with them to wrap up the note.

4.  Find some cute washi tape and use it to seal your cards.  It's the extra touches that count!

Lastly, don't forget to actually mail the cards!  I promise your note will brighten someone's day!

Let's start it out right

You know how some times you're super tired and shouldn't be doing things but you push yourself because you have a lot to do?  That was me last night when I worked on part of this post, saved it, and then realized in the morning that I hadn't actually saved it but had actually hit the publish button!  Some of you may have received my mess of a post which wasn't meant to be an actual post yet, so I apologize for that.  Since then I've gotten some sleep and I'm functioning like a normal person now.

There are a couple things I consider necessities for the start of every year - my planner and a calendar are in that category without question.  In the spirit of a new year and new resolutions, I went a little farther this year and made a list of some things to help start the year off right.  

1. My Erin Condren Life Planner.  I know I have a calendar on my phone, but I like paper!  I like being able to write things down and decorate the days and put stickers on the dates for birthdays.  It takes me forever (at least a month) to decide on the cover I want (now the covers are interchangealbe!) but I’ve had an Erin Condren planner for the past three years and I honestly have no idea how I organized my life without one.

2. Some snazzy new clothes.  I went shopping after Christmas and found some clothes to help me start the new year off right.  Check out this blue chevron shirt at one of my favorite stores, Maurices.

3. The Up 24 by Jawbone was at the top of my Christmas list.  It tracks steps and sleep (my favorite feature), reminds me when to go to bed, wakes me up at the optimal time, nudges me when I've been sitting too long, and has a bunch of other cool features through the app.  This fits right in with a couple of my new year’s resolutions too.

4. My Quoteable calendar is a staple in my office at work.  One year I said no to getting the ugly office calendars and decided to spend a few dollars buying my own calendar.  I have a bit of an obsession with quotes as it is and I love looking at these colorful ones.

5. One of my resolutions was to spend more time on my passions, one of which is writing.  This Alphabet Soup journal caught my eye as we were shopping before heading to the airport a few weeks ago.

6. A good book is an amazing thing.  I actually finished this book, "How Lucky You Are", last month and loved it.  I’ll be downloading another by the same author soon, but I can’t say enough good things about this one.

7.  My style has evolved a bit in the past few years (thankfully – I looked at high school pics when I was home a couple weeks ago and that was not a good fashion period for me).  I have a few simple pieces of jewelry that have become my fashion staples.  This Kate Spade Heart of Gold Bangle is one I’d love to add to my collection.

What's on your list to start the new year off right?

2015 Resolutions

I've never really been a fan of new year’s resolutions, but this year I’m all over it.  Because I love lists and pretty things, I made some word swag to share with you as a template to make your own resolutions. 

I thought about what I did well this year, areas I'd like to improve upon and the things that make me happy and came up with a few realistic resolutions.  I'll be printing a copy to put in my closet where I'll see it everyday to remind me what I've committed to.

Did you make any resolutions this year?  If so I'd love it if you'd share them in the comments section. Here's to 2015 being the best year yet!