{Recipe} Soy and Ginger Glazed Chicken with Baked Crab Rangoons

After many requests {via Twitter! Instagram! Facebook!}, I'm posting my recipes for our Asian-American Sunday night dinner from this past Sunday evening.  I served this meal with a small scoop of brown rice and lime wedges.  I'll warn you - this is no culinary achievement, only an attempt at healthy, delicious food. Enjoy, and you're welcome!

Check out #SundayNightDinner on Instagram for other meals.

{Life Lately} Chilly

January has gone by so quickly.
The cold has gotten here, and I had my New In Town moment yesterday morning. We all knew it'd happen.
Husband typically drops me off at the door of my building in an enclosed overhang most mornings, and I swiftly leave the car door and one second later lay my hand on the building's door. Yesterday, this particular door was locked for some reason.  I shrugged at Husband through the car windshield, then walked around the corner to the other entrance, sliding glass doors. As I turned the corner, a blast of icy, sharp wind hit my whole body, and I let out a cry.
How can it be this cold!?
That morning it was 7 degrees.
I foresee a lot of this in the near future:

Packed snow on a trail.

I'm constantly using my {potentially illegal} space heater under my desk at work.  It has a remote, okay?  I'm legit.

Hash-tag SouthernerProblems?  I think so.

Leadership and Personality Types

Just when you think life is going to settle down, it ramps back up!
I've started my second semester of graduate school, and am taking one more hour/one class more than last time. It's a leadership class, so I don't imagine it will overtake my extra time - I'm really looking forward to it, actually. We had a guest speaker come in, and split us into groups for playing out scenarios for the remainder of the semester. It's like group work, but no pressure.

We also discussed our personality types, in hopes we'll be able to soon discover our leadership styles. We glazed over the DiSC assessment, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator {abbreviated similar test, free}, and even the Johari Window before settling on using the speaker's mash up of several types of assessments.

I was drawn to "The Analyst" approach to working, which is seen as practical, uses data to make logical and analytical decisions, and is skilled at finding the fatal flaw in an idea or project. The description says The Analyst values the words 'objective' and 'organized'. Other types included The 'Get It Done' person {likes to be in control, quick to express urgency}, The Nurturer {friendly, likable team player, feelings-based and trusts own emotions/intuition as truth}, and The Visionary {innovative, creative, sees the big picture, risk-taker}.

Here is a result from a very short Jung/Myers-Briggs mash up test I took:

ESTJ -  "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Take Free Jung Personality Test
Personality Test by SimilarMinds.com

What type of person are you?  What is your leadership style?  Have you taken any of these tests?

 - - - 

Also, it's been sub-zero here in Western PA for the past several days, snowing on and off. This is how the {ADOS} family has been spending their time at home:

Two Cats Mooses Cuddled Up

{Over The Weekend} Chili Cookoff and Home Decor

Monday again.
And, it's already afternoon! Where has this day gone?

Never mind that, I'll just think on what a great weekend I had. It started Friday night with a cocktail: Disaronno and Red Ribbon Root Beer.

I'd mistakenly sworn off the unique taste of root beer years before, as it didn't suit my taste buds. So much wasted time. This cocktail is a sweet go-to now, especially with craft root beer. 

Chili in Wexford

The Texan in me is skipping again. Earlier this week Whole Foods in Wexford contacted me about their inaugural Chili Cook-Off this Saturday {1/12} with an invitation to come and taste the entries. I'm down! Too bad I can't enter the contest! I love making Nigella's Cornbread-Topped Chili or the Yam & Bean Orange-Scented Chili from Everybody Likes Sandwiches. What are your favorite recipes for chili?

Yam & Bean Orange-Scented Chili Via Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Here's the skinny on Saturday's event:

Warm Up From the “Chili”-Weather with Whole Foods Market® Wexford First Annual Chili Cook-Off Competition!  Enjoy assorted chili recipes while listening to local group Broke, Stranded & Ugly

WHAT:           Whole Foods Market Wexford is hosting their FIRST EVER Chili Cook-Off! From slow-roasted crock pot chili to one-pot chili casseroles, Wexford Team Members have begun preparing their best rendition of momma’s homemade chili.  Whether you are accustomed to lamb, lentils, or seafood chili or beef, veggies and tofu, there will be bowls of goodness filled with savory flavors for all palettes at this FREE event. 

For those who prefer the staple made from all organic ingredients to those who swear on canned made chili, the community is invited to vote on which Wexford Team Member’s recipe should hold the bragging rights for “the best chili ever.”  Along with sampling, all taste-testers will receive copies of recipes to try at home as they listen to live music performing in the café from local group Broke, Stranded & Ugly.

WHEN:          Saturday, January 12, 2013

                          12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE:         Whole Foods Market | Wexford

10576 Perry Highway

Wexford, PA 15090

724.940.6100

I'm ready to indulge in mouthful after mouthful of steamy chili {even if the weather's supposed to warm up this weekend} at the new Whole Foods in Wexford.  However, I'm not sure about this band. With a name like that, what do they sing about?!

If you're going, join the Twitter conversation by following Whole Foods in Wexford @WFMWexford and me {if you haven't already!} @CristinAshley.  Tweet me pictures! 

Have a great weekend!

Birthday Twins

I take pride in my Birthday Twins.
In the same breath as my 'thank you,' I usually tell people {whom I haven't already told} who my BTs are as soon as they finish wishing me a happy birthday.
They're that awesome.
A few of my favorite, inspiring, incredible people born on January 8 are:

Carolina Herrera

Via shopposhboutique.com

David Bowie

Via list.co.uk

Elvis Presley

Via tekstovi-pesama.com

These are {were} all very creative people, with 'the sky's the limit' type attitudes. Perfect inspiration for this girl.

Who are your Birthday Twins?

 - - - 

My birthday was a quiet one this year, with a few cards and presents coming via mail from loved ones. I had to attend my first class of the semester {a finance course} last night, so Husband and I didn't plan anything.  Luckily, class ended very early, so we were able to catch dinner at one of my selected options for my birthday dinner. We came home to a gift from Husband: a glass of red wine and a box of Sarris chocolate cremes. Perfect.

New Year: Birthday and Resolutions

I was born in the most hopeful, transitional month of them all: January. To have a birthday in this month each year adds a freshness to becoming another year older.  A sense of endless possibility.  This month starts off a new year, a time of new goals and second chances. You didn't pay off your credit card last year? Here's another chance. You didn't hit your goal weight? This year is your year. It's uplifting, really.

Goldenrod or some such bursting from a rock in Ohiopyle State Park

After a long, wonderful break over the holidays in Texas, I came back to celebrate the new year with new friends, surrounded by a blanket of beautifully white snow.  There's nothing more dazzling than the site of soft, unblemished snow.  Side note: For those that don't live in Western PA, I'd tell you that driving here after it's just snowed is not a big deal at all, unlike trips on the treacherous icy roadways in Texas. The snow stays snow rather than transitioning into ice, as it remains below 32 degrees usually. Also, the salt helps.

I wasn't always so chipper about my birthday, however.  When I was younger, I used to mentally prepare myself for the possibility of smaller Christmas and birthday gifts, as money is tight directly after the holidays.  To a kid, this is most terrible hand you can be dealt.  I'd be so jealous of my classmates who had pool party birthdays in July, stacking their large present boxes on their patio tables.  Now, in my late twenties, being a 'January Baby' is a delight.

With my birthday comes a chance for new beginnings.