Oh, J.K. Rowling...

Really didn't think I could love the Harry Potter universe more than I already did...



Beautiful video. Awesome announcement. So excited!

Cooking Process!

I sometimes have family or roommates compliment me on my cooking.

So, I thought I'd correct their thinking with this little bit of insight into an evening of cooking. Here are the steps to making an Ashley Tolman meal:

1. See an intriguing recipe while you're web-browsing at work and bookmark it on Pinterest (today's recipe: Creme d'Asperges soup)

2. Drive home with all sorts of ideas on what you'll make for dinner (Maybe pasta! Maybe a grilled cheese with tomatoes! Extent of ideas ends here...)

3. Open the fridge and realize you have crap loads of asparagus that need to be used (aha! You bookmarked an asparagus recipe this morning!)

4. Rinse off and discard half the asparagus that has gone bad. (looks like I'm making half a recipe)

5. Look over ingredient list. Realize you don't have half of the ingredients listed. Improvise.

Example: No creme fraiche? Google says you can use greek yogurt, or whipping cream mixed with sour cream. You mix together cream and yogurt (it'll work, right?)

6. Saute the onion (make sure you make the burner too hot so the onions begin to burn. Perfect!) Add the chopped asparagus and crap loads of salt and pepper. Probably more than necessary. Shrug it off.

7. Grab chicken bouillon (google how to spell bouillon) cubes from the food shelf. Eat a marshmallow. Measure out, meh, a little over two cups of water? Yeah, that looks right. But bouillon cubes back. Eat another marshmallow.

8. Put a lid on the pot. Don't have a lid big enough? That's fine. Use a bigger one. Or a plate. Are the steam juices getting all over the stove? Yup, that's a perfectly-too-big fit!

Also, realize you didn't check the time. Meh, you've been cooking for maybe 3 minutes? Maybe 8? Approximate remaining cooking time. Maybe 14 minutes.

9. Drink some club soda, stir your improvised creme fraiche, surf the web, wash dishes, and eat some more marshmallows while you wait.

10. Commiserate over the fact that this soup calls for blending. Curse the cooking gods. Pull out the blender. Turn on some Noah and the Whale to console yourself and power you through the remaining cooking process.

11. Check your soup at the time you estimated. Give it a couple more minutes. Worry that it smells a bit like clam chowder, and that can't be right...? Trust. the recipe. Wait more.

-Realize you turned the burner off at approximated time and soup hasn't been cooking for the last two minutes. Roll your eyes. Turn burner back on.

12. Pour (or splatter) the soup into the blender. Turn on the blender and be thankful that you put on the lid or that would have gone freaking everywhere! Be terrified of the blending process. Put soup back in pot and guesstimate the amount of improvised-creme-fraiche necessary.

13. Stir the soup. Get some on the stove top. Rinse out creme-fraiche bowl to use as a serving bowl. (You're cooking for yourself here. Don't get fancy.)

14. Ladle soup into bowl. Test it. Burn your tongue (Never miss this step! No matter how much you hate it!)

15. Marvel that the soup miraculously turned out delicious!

16. Make a piece of star toast. (the recipe calls for it!)

17. ENJOY your delicious asparagus soup ala Ashley Tolman

P.S. Realize you forgot to add that last tablespoon of butter. And then rejoice that you made a BETTER version of the soup because it's lower calorie! Go you (and your mistakes)!

We were so different then...

This song is so good, it makes my heart hurt.


That beautiful opening guitar riff.
The way the song even sounds nostalgic.
How it makes me think of my own personal childhood even though my childhood had nothing to do with growing my hair or sneaking out at night or driving around forever. And even though I'm still good friends with so many of my "old friends."
The way it makes me want to drive for hours through the city with the wind blowing through my hair.
The amazing drum build-up in the middle.
My heart yearns for that childhood, listening to this song. So much, it makes me want to cry.
And somehow, it's such a good thing!

Thursday Thoughts

1. The song "I Could Never Be Your Woman" is sung by a man, right? I'm not making this up am I?

2. Also, in the song category, I truly love the song "Black Betty" with all my heart. In every rendition I've ever heard. But most especially, one of the first recordings by Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter.

The random hand claps. The honey voice. Magical.

3. Eating tuna fish always makes my stomach feel fully empty. That probably makes no sense to anyone. But have you ever eaten enough that you're full, but you feel like you need another meal still? This usually happens when I eat salads. And tuna.

4. I've always felt that admitting that I'm lonely and wouldn't mind having someone love me was such a weakness. I still feel it. Writing that out scares me, because everyone will read it and know what a baby I am. But, you know, I don't think you guys mind. I'm a little lonely today. There, I've admitted it.

5. My new cubicle space at work makes me never want to be at work. But only because I've decorated it with 18 photos of the lovely places I've traveled to. Maybe I should re-think my decorating scheme...

6. My can of worms Christmas-ornament-turned-desk-fixture still makes me giggle. Every. single. time I look at it.

7. I should get back to work. I have piles of things to do. What is it about work that makes us so desire to procrastinate? That seems like such a non-sensical consequence to having a job...

Weekend to-do list:
~get sandwich fixins for tomorrow's lunch with the sisters
~go see Goonies at the park
~pick up my Bountiful Basket
~go to the Farmer's Market
~find a wax seal kit
~pick up my car from the service shop (for the 3rd time in a month)
~get my car registered
~ponder my thoughts from watching Into the Wild last night
~finish reading BossyPants

The Sun and the Moon

I got to see three incredible bands within two days.

It was almost as good as Coachella (but not quite close enough...)

I began to listen to Noah and the Whale about a week and a half ago. Adam and Sierra gave me a crash course in their goodness during our road trip to Mesquite for the annual family vacay (I kinda hate myself for writing vacay... but it's staying because I'm nothing if not honest.)

Noah and the Whale was coming to concert on the following Thursday, and I had to go. So I joined Adam and Sierra after purchasing my $17 ticket.

And it was incredible! So, so glad I went! I'm quite in love with the lead singer.

And on the following Friday, Lacy and I showed up at the same venue for The Head and The Heart with Iron & Wine.

The Head and the Heart were so good! Like, SO good! I've been listening to their album over and over since the show. Please observe:

Iron & Wine was good, but it felt almost as if I was privy to one of their jam sessions. So I got a bit bored and distracted during those portions. But man, can they rock out with an entire band on stage... Beautiful, jazzy music.


I must be on my way because me and the roommates are about to experiment on a genius s'mores idea...