Design*Sponge » ashley english

small measures with ashley: homemade butter

Ashley — Sat, 14 May 2011 13:00:29 +0000

I don’t recall exactly when the switch occurred, but sometime in the mid- 80′s, our house went from being a butter-eating domain to a margarine-eating one. I can’t really blame my mom, as margarine was all the rage back then. Right along with Jazzercise and “Just Say No,” consuming margarine was de rigueur health-wise at the time. Butter’s pleasures weren’t entirely gone from my life, though. Whenever I’d visit my dad and his wife, there would be sticks of the stuff chilling in the fridge, spread on hot toast, dolloped atop Pop’s “world famous” pancakes, and slathered over ears of steaming Jersey corn.

Perhaps owing to that period of buttery abstinence, I’m now a firm believer in the stuff. Butter is a mainstay chez English. And not just any butter, but homemade butter. Say it with me-homemade butter. You just swooned a little bit, didn’t you? For today’s “Small Measures with Ashley“, we’re making butter. It’s easier than you can imagine and delivers a product far superior in taste and considerably less costly than its wrapper-clad cousin.

CLICK HERE for the full post and how-to after the jump!

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small measures with ashley: onion relish & quick pickles

Ashley — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:00:46 +0000

The growing season is revving up for many of us. Seeds are being sown, vegetable starts are going into the ground and greenmarkets are reopening, showcasing their earliest offerings of the year. Among those newly emerging crops are members of the allium family. From ramps (SO good in mashed potatoes!) and garlic to shallots and scallions, the green shoots of alliums are seasonal harbingers of all sorts of goodness to come.

For today’s Small Measures with Ashley, I’m sharing two of my go-to recipes using perhaps the most well-known allium of them all: onions. I’ve got a relish and a pickle for you, with these most odorous of bulbs featured front and center. They’re super easy to make, are excellent host/hostess gifts for a dinner party or casual get-together and allow you to put some springtime in a bottle, to be enjoyed now and later. — Ashley

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small measures with ashley: herb-infused vodkas

Ashley — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:46 +0000

Now that it’s becoming warm again, I enjoy an early evening ritual most days — the alfresco cocktail hour. Whether it’s a glass of rosé paired with a bit of sharp cheddar and green olives or a mocha stout partnered with salty pretzels, I like to pour myself a little something and hang out on my patio, sipping away as twilight falls, looking on as the forest creatures wind down from the day’s activities and the light turns otherworldly.

This time last year, I was pregnant, so alcohol was off-limits. Now that I’ve resumed partaking, I’ve been longing for a cocktail. Inspired by the profusion of both perennial and annual herbs growing full steam in my yard, as well as the Asheville Herb Festival I attended this past weekend, I thought what better way to capture the true flavor of the season than by making infused herbal liquors? And so, today’s Small Measures with Ashley offers 10 suggestions for making herb-infused vodkas. You’ll make use of all-natural and abundant flavoring agents while getting your drink on. Bottoms up! — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post and herb-infusion ideas after the jump

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small measures with ashley: seasonal pancakes

Ashley — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:00:22 +0000

When you’re a full-time stay-at-home writer and your spouse works at home as well, the specific feeling of certain days of the week can get a bit wonky. What might feel distinctly “Monday” to someone else can feel like any day to us. In fact, we often lose track of what day it is, working just as studiously on, say, Sunday, as one might on a Tuesday. That said, we still like the idea of holding true to “weekend” activities, like pizza and a movie on Friday night and pancakes on Saturday morning.

Pancakes, in addition to being incomparably delicious, are also an ideal “vehicle” on which to introduce seasonal ingredients. Now that spring is going full-throttle (we had some MONSTER thunderstorms blast through here last night as a testament to the season), fresh produce is again available for the picking. And so, for today’s Small Measures with Ashley, I’m offering suggestions for enjoying pancakes packed with seasonal goodness year-round, beginning with a tasty spring-themed Strawberry, Rhubarb & Orange Maple Compote. — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post after the jump!

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small measures with ashley: earth day outings

Ashley — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:00:23 +0000

It was during a visit to my mom’s house this past Saturday that I saw the photo. I don’t have any recollection of viewing this particular image before, but there it was. On full display, for all the family gathered to bear witness, was irrefutable proof that since quite a young age, I’ve been a tree-hugger. Clad in denim overalls, the photo showed me at probably age 7 or 8 clinging tightly (legs and all) to a tall pine tree in a forest visited long ago.

Today is Earth Day, and I’m proud to be the same tree-hugger I’ve been since that fateful photo. When I thought about what I’d like to post on Design*Sponge to honor this holiday, all I could think about was being outdoors. So today’s Small Measures with Ashley is about that very thing — exploring our verdant planet. Following are a number of suggestions for outdoor forays that will, hopefully, prompt you to do all you can to care for our shared home. Nothing like romping around in it to make you want to exercise stewardship of it, right? Be forewarned, though. These jaunts just might make a tree-hugger out of you, too! — Ashley

CLICK HERE for 25 things to do in the great outdoors!
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small measures with ashley: pea trellis & pea frittata

Ashley — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:10:53 +0000

A number of stories involving peas floated around my house growing up. There’s the tale about my older brother, who, as a toddler, squirreled away a storehouse of the tiny green orbs in his cheek during a feeding, only to expel them, cannonball-style, at my parents later. There’s also the story my mom would tell of a prom date that despised peas. During their posh pre-prom dinner, he secretly hid one pea at a time under his dinner plate, only to have his deed made public when a waiter removed his dish, revealing the semi-circle of peas beneath it.

As for me, I’ve never met a pea I didn’t like. Snuggled alongside butter, pureed with fresh herbs into a savory dip, baked into a samosa or swimming in a chicken pot pie, wherever peas are involved, I’m a fan. And so, today’s Small Measures with Ashley pays tribute to the verdant legume, with ideas for creating your own pea trellis and a recipe for a delectable Pea & Spring Herbs Frittata. — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post and a delicious recipe for a pea frittata after the jump!

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