FamousAshleyGrant

The Bonefish Grill Wild Orchid Hawaiian Martini Recipe

 

Recently my husband and I went out to our local Bonefish Grill. We were still celebrating my birthday because the freebie Bonefish gives you for your birthday doesn’t expire until like a month after your birthday!

Anyway- back to the reason you are really here- THE DRINK! I wanted to try something a little different and my eyes wandered down the menu and landed on the Wild Orchid Hawaiian Martini. I decided I had to order it and once it arrived it was even more delicious than the ingredients listed made it sound like it would be. SO YUM! 

The good news is with a little help from google, I found the recipe! Supposedly, it is the exact recipe, so here you go:

Bonefish Wild Orchid Hawaiian Martini

Ingredients:

– 1.50 oz Cruzan Guava Rum
– 1.00 oz Zico Coconut Water
– 0.50 oz Monin Coco
– 0.25 oz Monin Desert Pear
– 0.50 oz Fresh Lime Juice
– 0.50 oz Pineapple Juice

Procedure: Combine all ingredients in a pint glass filled with ice. Shake 20x vigorously. Strain into frozen martini glass.

Garnish: An edible orchid floating on top.

Have you had this deliciousness in a glass? What did you think of it?  

Like this drink recipe? Check out a few of my others:

Apple Cider Martini:

Berries and Bubbles Martini:

Black Dahlia:

Wicked Green Ice:

Harvest Moon Martini:

30 Things I’ve Learned in 30 Years

30 is a big round number, and I was inspired to share 30 things I’ve learned in 30 years. Here’s what I’ve learned…do you have any ahas to share? Leave a comment below!

1. There is good and bad in the world. Being with like minded
individuals can either lead to progress or destruction. Make sure you
are in the productive group.
2. Not everyone is out to get you even when it feels like the world is against you.
3. Everyone is dealing with problems and your issue may not be as bad as
theirs. The nicest home can be filled with the most troubles.
4. You can’t trust everyone you meet, but keep close the people that you can.
5. You can forgive everyone that hurts you, but you should never forget.
With that said, it should be noted that revenge is not always sweet.
Sometimes it’s actually really bitter.
6. What’s right is not always popular; what’s popular is not always
right. (all sources I found said this quote is by Albert Einstein)
7. Being the cool kid may not be all its cracked up to be. The amount of upkeep to always be trendy, have the
perfect clothes, perfect hair and coolest gadgets just sounds
exhausting. I’d rather get that extra hour of sleep than have every hair
in place thank you!
8. A smile burns more calories than a frown and it looks better too. A bonus: smiling while unhappy somehow makes it hurt less.
9. Some people are innately evil and should be avoided like the plague.
There really are some people who will beg, borrow and steal their way to
the top and don’t care who they have to step on to get their. As soon
as you realize who they are, pluck them out of your life!
10. Always look out for number 1, but don’t step in number 2 either. (movie line from Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield)
11. When you stop looking for mister right you find him. I didn’t see my
husband Jeremy coming but am so glad his path crossed mine.
12. Speaking before thinking has massive consequences but when the heart kicks in, the head shuts down.
13. I didn’t need to take as many math classes as I did. My calculator
really can solve all my math problems. P.S. love the tip calculator on
my phone!
14. Someone will always be bigger, better, stronger, smarter than me.
All I should really focus on is being the best I can be and following my
dreams.
15. I didn’t gain weight overnight and can’t expect to lose it overnight.
16. Living a healthy lifestyle is imperative and eating crap makes me
feel like crap. Note to self-must find ways to get cheaper healthier
food 🙂
17. The best job in the world is one that you love, can make money at
and are actually qualified to do. When it stops being fun its time to
change it.
18. Money is not the only key to happiness but it sure feels better to
cry in a car with air conditioning than one without…especially in the
Florida heat. Nonetheless, I’d rather be broke and happy than rich and
miserable.
19. Dogs are better than cats for some people and I prefer dogs. No hate
mail please-its my preference and what I learned about me!
20. Sharing is caring except when it comes to my toothbrush. Mom also
always said never share my drinks, my makeup or my hairbrush.
21. Karma is a bitch sometimes but she can be sweet too. Do unto others as you want done to you.
22. One red sock can ruin an entire load of white clothes but pink is one of my favorite colors.
23. If at first you don’t succeed destroy all evidence you tried. Never give up, never surrender.
24. Being an adult is fun but responsibility blows sometimes!
25. I should have stopped wishing I was older and enjoyed every minute
of the present. Too often I look forward to stuff in the future and
neglect the wonderful moments of now.
26. Wine is fine but liquor is quicker; either way hangovers suck!
27. Everything happens for a reason and we may never know what that
reason is. Some things in life have to be accepted and this is one of
them.
28. You don’t always have to know how something works to believe in
it…For example, I don’t know how electricity works but I use it and I
do know this- A man can cook with electricity and electricity can also
cook the man (lesson learned from Bob Proctor)
29. I do not have all the things I want today, but I have everything I
need and for that I’m grateful! There is always, ALWAYS, something to be
grateful for!
30…. The one I learned this year that has become my new mantra is: You haven’t actually failed until you stop breathing!!! I LOVE this lesson! I’m taking it to heart because I have been bummed over not being where I want to be in my career yet and have felt a little like a failure but you know what- as long as there is breath in my lungs and a beat in my heart that means I have another day to work towards making my dreams come true. So, I have not failed! I have just found ways that don’t work and I will continue working towards my goals until I can’t anymore!

Also check out Celebrites I Share My Birthday With!!!

Where I found the picture at the top of this post

This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

My First Beignet…and My Second and Third?

 

I’ve been wanting to try a beignet ever since first hearing about them on the Girls Next Door (don’t judge me!). The girls were in New Orleans for Mardi Gras- Kendra and Bridget were sick and Holly bought them coffee and beignets in attempt to bring them both back to life. I hadn’t heard of beignets before that episode actually- I know. I need to get out more. Well, today I got my chance to try beignets because one of the gals I work with has a dad who apparently loves cooking and has a killer recipe for these powdered sugar covered fluffy concoctions. Above is a photo she took after her dad made a batch and this morning she brought some into the office.

The best way I can describe a beignet now that I’ve finally eaten one is an airy pastry coated in crack powdered sugar. Just don’t call it a doughnut!!!

These little bastards are good and I confess one wasn’t enough so I had a second. The second one was just as good as the first. I would definitely be willing to stuff my face with them again if given the chance. Apparently they are best when made fresh though. I went back for a third about a half an hour later and it wasn’t as good.

Too impatient to wait on a trip to New Orleans or for someone to bring you some to try? Here’s a recipe to make your own at home.

This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

My Life’s Purpose- Why I’m Here

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately and I have read a lot of self help books. We all have those moments when we want to know why we were put on this planet and that is something I’ve been seeking to find over the last several months. After really digging deep I’ve come up with my mission statement for my life:


My purpose in life is to learn how to be financially independent and how to take care of my mind, body and soul and to teach others how to do the same…

There it is. Why I’m here…To teach.

I have actually known this deep within myself for years and had that epiphany while I was in my freshman year of college. I remember a random bike ride with my mom where I broke down crying and told her I wanted to change my major to education.

Fast forward to today and for anyone who doesn’t know my major and the degree I ultimately graduated with was mass communications. However, the desire to teach never left me.

What I have realized over the past decade (wow- has it really been a decade since I was a college freshman?!? holy crap!!!) is that my mission in life IS to teach, but not in the traditional grade school setting I thought of many years ago.

I think this is why I was feeling the strong pull to become a writer. I want to learn something and then share what I’ve learned and writing has been a wonderful medium I’ve used to teach.

Now, that I have officially determined and written out what I know my full life’s purpose to be, I feel like I can create goals and passion projects that are centered around it.

It may seem silly to you, but simply defining what my purpose is has given me a new sense of excitement and a strong desire to fulfill it.With every project I think of going forward I will know how to center it around my life’s purpose and therefore be more passionate about the things I do and the life I live.

5 Things I Learned from Bridget Marquardt

Bridget Marquardt

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a die hard The Girls Next Door 
fan. Ever since the first episode I watched featuring Bridget Marquardt, Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson I was hooked! Who wouldn’t want a
life of luxury and fantasy that these women got to live?!? I personally
wouldn’t want to be a girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, but I would love the
perks they got from living at the mansion!!!

While watching The Girls Next Door
I learned a lot believe it or not. My favorite girlfriend was and always will be Bridget Marquardt. Why? Well, she was a mass
communications major, I too was a mass communications major. She loves
Halloween, I love Halloween. She loves to dress up and I do too when I
have the money to do so. She likes to party plan and I do as well…the
list goes on and on of things I have in common with this awesome chick.
Of the many lessons I learned watching the show, here are five that
REALLY stuck with me:

1. Never give up on your dreams!
Bridget tested to be in
Playboy and didn’t get chosen so she went back
to school. However, she didn’t give up on her dream of being in 
Playboy.
When the opportunity to move into the mansion came up she jumped at the
chance. Not expecting anything from it, she just set out to have fun.
Low and behold though moving in led to the chance to be in the magazine
and she was stunning in every pictorial she was a part of.
2. Age ain’t nothing but a number!
Even over the age of 30 Bridget still had a rockin’ body and got in
Playboy magazine. Now, I don’t desire to be in Playboy, but as a gal
that is not exactly getting any younger this inspires me! You can be
sexy over 30!
3. Be genuine! In the first
episode Bridget talks about how she was there at the mansion to have fun
and not to see what she could out of it. She was always genuine and the
girls that were fake were weeded out of the mansion. People can tell
when you are just being friendly to use people. Be genuine with people
and your relationships will be deeper and more fulfilling.
4. You CAN eat and look good!
The episode where Bridget prepares for her strip tease and the episode
where she prepares to do a workout video both spoke to me. I’ve
struggled with my weight since high school and it was nice to see
someone who loves food as much as I do could workout in a fashion that
burned off pizza, cake and whatever else she wanted to eat!

This is a twitter exchange I had with Bridget in January about her workout routine nowadays:

5. Once a Dream Comes True, Dream Bigger! You can keep dreaming even after your dreams come true. The end goal of being in Playboy led Bridget to dreaming of being a radio host, hosting a travel show and so much more. I hope that all of my dreams come true and once they do I plan to make new lists of new dreams and go after them too.

Are you a fan of  The Girls Next Door? What are your favorite episodes?!?
Want to get the series on DVD? Click the HERE to get all of the episodes.

Source for the image above.

Have a drink you want me to try or a product you want me to review? 
Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly ?

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Full Disclosure Policy for Famous Ashley Grant

So…Apparently as I’m reading people’s blogs I am finding that there is a rule about Full Disclosure. In order to make sure I am not harassed at a later date after I become hugely famous online for being such an amazing blogger-let’s get the Full Disclosure out of the way!

The Following FTC Disclosure holds true for all of my blogs and websites including but not limited to:

The Famous Ashley Grant and Famous Ashley Grant 2.0

Living the Secret

First, My Amazon Associates Disclosure:

Famous Ashley Grant is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

And now, for the rest of my disclosure – The Full Monty

This blog and the other blogs I’m working on are not primarily financially driven, but I hope that they lead me to becoming a millionaire. How’s that for honesty? I began blogging in 2008 for several reasons- to have a place to write how I feel, to show people where to find my articles and links to photographs I have taken, to voice reactions and opinions (goes back to how I feel), to teach people things and hopefully learn things too and to establish a little more credibility for myself as a journalist.

That said, beginning December 1, 2009, the FTC requires bloggers to provide disclosures whenever there could be hidden interests or unspoken biases related to recommendations.

First, the obvious: I am a content creator. Essentially I will write and/or take pictures for anyone that will pay me and if they don’t pay me I get some form of compensation whether it be in advertising and promotion, food, products or services.

Second, the less obvious: Per the FTC rules, if I interview someone and they grab the bill for lunch, I would need to specify this. Ditto if I use an Amazon link that gets me 8 cents instead of an Amazon link that gets me 0 cents. If someone gives me a comfy t-shirt with a logo and I wear it in a photo, same deal.

Disclaimers all over the place.

This would be tedious for me and a continual eye sore for readers. But rules is rules.

To cover my ass and preserve your reading experience, please assume that, for every recommendation, link, and product I use, the following all hold true:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post including the images was copied from the blog of Tim Ferriss and changes were made to the post where necessary. Per his statement on his blog this post was used with permission “Please feel free to use the text and images on this page with proper attribution. There is no reason why each blogger should have to reinvent the wheel.”

Please check out Tim Ferriss and his book The 4-Hour Workweek!