SassyCityGirl

Here’s a cute press release for Frost Cupcakes….Who can resist these?

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Sometimes a book or a movie comes around to remind us that for some families living within our community, life isn’t all that OKAY.

Starting next Monday July 7, “Okay? Okay” cupcakes will be available for sale at $3.49 each, with $1 per cupcake donated to Pediatric cancer research at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Exciting news in the Seattle spirit world!

June 26, 2014 – Seattle – 2bar Spirits is doubling their production to keep up with the overwhelming demand. To ensure all libation enthusiasts in the state of Washington have their satisfactions met, the distillery is expanding and upgrading their current SODO facility.

“At the moment we are not able to meet supply and demand,” said Nathan Kaiser, founder of 2bar Spirits. “With the expansion we will be able to increase our production of Vodka, Moonshine, and Bourbon and ensure a 100% local grain-to-glass approach to making spirits.”

The plan will include upgrading their brew house, stills, and equipment to increase production. This will increase the availability of 2bar Spirits Vodka and Moonshine at their more than 250 distribution locations. 2bar Spirits also has plans to invest in expanding their Bourbon production, which is currently selling out before it can even reach some store shelves.

About 2bar Spirits:

2bar Spirits is descended from five generations who ranched their land under the 2bar brand. For more than a century we have stood for quality, independence, and hard work. Now those characteristics extend to 2bar Spirits, handcrafted in Seattle, Washington.

I love this dog video. Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!

By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

The other night, walking down the prepped veggies section of Whole Foods, I impulsively grabbed a container of pre-washed, cut kale. Of course, three days later, I had yet to open that package. However, instead of my standard pattern of leaving raw veggies in the fridge until they disintegrate into a smelly pile of goo, I decided to be ambitious and make kale chips. WHAAAAT???? I must be getting old, but there I was browsing all the cooking websites for kale chip recipes, wearing bedroom slippers. Someone stop me before I start collecting cats. Egad.

BUT, I learned something. Kale chips take exactly 60 seconds to prep with only 3 ingredients, bake in only 10 minutes, and taste shockingly good. Ok, I get why they’re the new fad…it’s like eating potato chips, but healthier and leave green remnants stuck between your front teeth.

Lazy Mamma’s Kale Chips

1 package of pre-washed, pre-cut kale (you can also use a bunch that has been washed, but you need to pat it dry and rip off the leaves from the hard stems)
1 tablespoon or so of olive oil
sprinkle with salt, or parmesan, or whatever seasoning you like

The easiest way to prep this is to toss the kale into a gallon-sized bag, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil (and parmesan if you want, but don’t use more salt later), then hold the top of the bag closed and shake the oil and kale together vigorously to evenly coat.
Spread the kale onto a large cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with some salt and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Voila! I guarantee your kids will not totally hate it. They might even like it if you don’t tell them what it is and serve it in a dark room. Maybe during a movie?

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I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the fresh, tasty selection that left us all asking for more. I have to apologize, because my photos from that dinner didn’t turn out well, but trust me, the presentation was lovely.

Here’s what I like about O’Asian:

Free Parking. You know this gets me every time. They validate an hour for lunch on the weekdays, and any day after 4:30pm for dinner.

They don’t use any MSG, which is extremely prevalent in Asian restaurants, along with high quality meats, including Kobe beef in their dinners.

The place looks and feels spacious and clean, with several small and large private rooms. We had a group of 10 for dim sum, and had our own room.

Huge bar area for Happy Hour, with a good selection of food and full bar. My quick recs for food? Wasabi-infused prawns, Honey-walnut prawns, Honey garlic spare ribs, and BarBQ Pork buns. As for drinks? Stick with the Classics, which were just as you’d expect…Manhattan with Maker’s, Martini with Absolute. We found the specialty cocktails to be far too sweet.  With the free parking with validation, this is a GREAT place to meet a large group of friends if you want to actually TALK…definitely not the place to BE SEEN.

Finally, each month, O’Asian is offering a four-course Prix Fixe menu for $30pp, with an optional three-wine pairing for $15pp. And, just for SassyCityGirl readers, they are offering a discount for one free dinner, with the purchase of one dinner, plus two wine pairings. It’s an inexpensive date-night! Just click on the link below and print out your invitation!

O’Asian January Global Wine Tour

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By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

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An event for moms who are desperate to shop, but need to bribe their little kids to go along. Know the feeling? Jingle Belles, an event for moms and little kids, is a chance to take the grommets to get their mini-manis, or their hair done at the braid bar. Don’t fall prey to the sexist belief that only girls are welcome, as manly-manis are de rigueur with the testosterone-fueled power-brokers in New York. Get your boys AND your girls addicted to such pampering early in life.

What’s even better than spoiling your kids? The fact that the tickets to this event are only $5 per child AND all ticket sales go to Treehouse, a wonderful organization that benefits foster children in our community. That’s a Win-Win in my book.

Here are the event details, and tickets MUST be purchased online before the event. NO day-of tickets sales!

By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

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Listen, ladies. Good jeans are expensive. Like, ridiculously expensive. I, too, balked at that high price tag for many years, but you know what? You have to look at every purchase by COST PER USE, and when I look at the number of times I wear all my good jeans, I can tell you that it’s a bargain. Certainly a better value (in cost/use) than almost anything else in your closet because you’ll actually wear them all the time. Splurge and get the ones that flatter your figure and put the RAAWWRR back in your step.

So when there’s an opportunity to save some dough on this extravagance, I want to know about it. Here’s your chance to save up to $125 on your total purchase AND to get a free class from Bar Method just for hitting the fitting room. If you haven’t heard of Bar Method, it’s basically the way yoga-pants-wearing moms get back into bikini shape….this event sounds like a serious WIN-WIN.

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Neiman Marcus &  Bar Method

invite you to

SAY YES TO SKINNY JEANS

at

THE DENIM EVENT

Saturday, November 2

1 to 3 p.m.

Meet Lindzi Cox from The Bachelor and

learn how to look your best with in-store demos

from Bar Method co-owners and instructors

Bev Currier and Maika Manring

Plus, try on a pair of denim and

receive a complimentary class from Bar Method

During the event, receive $25 off your purchase of one pair of denim,

$75 off two pairs, or $125 off three pairs

enter-to-win a Bar Method gift bag and $100 Neiman Marcus gift card

NM Bellevue

11111 NE 8th St

Bellevue, WA 98004

CUSP, Plaza Level

Please RSVP to 425.452.3317

 or RSVPBellevue@neimanmarcus.com

Please present this invitation for a complimentary stainless steel Neiman Marcus water bottle.

By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

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I love Halloween. Costumes? YES. Cheap candy? Definitely YES. Food and cocktails with zombie-theme? Yes, yes, yes.

There are a million things to do in Seattle on this spooktacular night, so I’ll just share a couple good ones as the announcements hit my inbox.

First up: The Belltown Pub is hosting a FREE Zombie Apocalypse Costume Bash, where the key words are COSTUME, ZOMBIE, and FREE. It’s downtown in the heart of fun, so if you’re planning to get zombified anyway that night, swing by after 9pm and enter the contest, grab a bite from the “casket” and indulge in an aptly named dead-themed cocktail. Sounds like an easy win, and a cheap date.

Here’s the press release for your planning pleasure:

Seattle, Washington — The Belltown Pub welcomes all spirits on Halloween to a Zombie Apocalypse Costume Bash at their 4^th annual fright night on Thursday, October 31^st.  During this spooktacular evening, those dying to get in can celebrate the most horrifying time of year from 9pm to close.

Owners Erwin Arceo, Dave Tolan and Zach Nethercutt have orchestrated a thrilling evening of treats, eats and beats, including a special “open casket” buffet of “undead delicacies” for the hungry.  Those suffering from zombified thirst will enjoy featured cocktails like Zombie’s and Black Widows.  There also will be a DJ and dancing to top 40’s and 80’s mix.

A best costume contest is part of the evening’s eulogy. “If you have a creepy get-up, The Belltown Pub is the place to showcase your horror related design,” says Erwin.  “Join the invasion, we’ll put it to an audience vote and the most unsettling ghoul will take home a prize.  The contestants will have roughly 20 seconds to strut their stuff in front of the crowd. Our winner will be determined by the loudest cheers and applause from guests.”

There is no cover charge for the Zombie themed bash.  For more information, contact The Belltown Pub at(206) 448-6210.

By Michele Costanza…bringing you a humorous view on consumer topics in an all-too-serious world

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I’ve been SO BEHIND in all my reviews, interviews, etc. I apologize to everyone for that. Funny how life can get in the way of writing sometimes. : )

One of my absolute favorite local companies, and big-time award winner for their amazing Halcyon Gin, is Bluewater Distilling. This company is amazing, and their vodka and gin are nothing short of superior to everything else out there. It’s a big statement, I know.

I have a lot more to write about this awesome company in the near future BUT, the only way for you to know what I’m talking about is to get a bottle yourself and try it. And if you’d like a great fall cocktail recipe featuring gin, here’s one straight from the Bluewater website. Check it out:

FALL HAS ARRIVED The leaves are turning color and starting to cover the ground, which means it’s time for fall cocktails. Try our new fall favorite cocktail, Halcyon Cider.1 oz Halcyon Organic Gin 2 oz apple cider 2 lemon slices Ginger BeerMuddle lemon slices, add cider, gin, and ice. Shake! Pour tall over ice and top up with ginger beer. Enjoy!

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Who is SassyCityGirl?

Just your average gal with two kids, a giant dog, an interesting life, and an ungodly obsession with certain quirky things. Sunblock for one. Electronics for another. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…

My goal is to share fortuitous oddities and pearls of humor as I discover them. The best hair products, the worst customer service, the most delightfully random photos. You name it, I’ll share it.

I’m not just a Girl-about-town, I’m a Girl-about-town with a penchant for spreading the WORD.