{friday cocktail: prickly pear margarita}

I can't even remember the first place I had a prickly pear margarita, but ever since trying one I have been on the hunt for the hard to find prickly pear or cactus flower fruit to whip up a batch for myself.  Living in Chicago certainly didn't help on my search for the elusive ingredient and I even tried finding them in Paris as super specialty store L'Epicerie with no luck.  Last weekend while grabbing breakfast at Grand Central Market in downtown LA, I spotted a box full of them at one of the random produce stands inside (the spanish name for them is "tuna" which threw me off at first, but the vendor assured me it was what I was looking for).  We picked up three of them and promptly came home to google exactly how you are supposed to cut them open and harvest the fruit.  I followed this recipe for how to make the prickly pear syrup and the only modification I would mention is that the process on the stove only takes about 5 minutes as opposed to the 15 the recipe calls for.  Besides adding a vibrant pink/magenta color to your cocktail, the cactus flower also adds a subtle fruity sweetness that pairs perfectly with a spicy salt rim.  Here's my version of the recipe:

Cheers!

{what i loved this week}

on instagram: The SLS in Vegas opened last weekend and they clearly know the way to my heart with their pool area design.  A girly package in Paris.  Mini olive oil cakes perfect for a Fall get together.  Obsessed with the new "shop" edit on They All Hate Us. 

on pinterest:  Now that we are back living in a loft, I'm back on the bigger is better train of thought when it comes to furniture, art, etc and I love the impact this massive black & white print brings to the room.  I love this quote.

on the blogs:  Just discovered Nomad Luxuries blog via her home tour on The Every Girl and I was immediately obsessed with her fabulous interior design taste and jealousy inducing travel posts. 

on the internets:  A few weeks back, I got to spend a day at Claire from The Kitchy Kitchen's home shooting some fun bridal shower inspiration she was putting together for Martha Stewart Weddings.  The bohemian flower crown shower inspiration is now live on the site complete with delicious recipes!  

on my wishlist:  A simple jersey t-shirt dress in an interesting fabric.  I love a good boyfriend blazer- especially this peacoat inspired version.  A gorgeous pink lace dress from DVF. 

{summer cocktails video with Pinnacle}

Hey guys! Sorry for the unannounced radio silence around lately- real life just got in the way these past couple weeks.  I'm back today with a fun video I shot at the beginning of the summer in NYC with Glam and Pinnacle Vodka.  It's full of easy summer inspired cocktail recipes and me acting generally ridiculous on camera!! Enjoy!

Cheers!

{what i loved this week}

on instagram:  The chicest engagement party outfits I have ever seen!  The perfect tee shirt. How cool is this magnetic hourglass?!  Fun retro inspired "mine" and "ours" cocktail glasses. 

on pinterest:  I went on a little bit of Pinterest overload this week!  I love these oversized DIY doorstoppers (especially for the doors in our place that laugh at regular ones).  The spicy salad version of last week's friday cocktail!  I would die to have this massive ice cream sandwich cake for my next birthday.  Baked zucchini chip flavors sound delicious and healthy. 

on the blogs:  A truly adorable engagement party on 100 Layer Cake featuring the gray version  of our outdoor cabana. 

on the internets:  I agree with everything on this list about Paris except for the part about the love locks-  as cheesy as they might be they are also very romantic and don't require long wait times like every other touristy thing in Paris. 

on my wishlist:  Revolve is just killing it right now and making me want everything like this simple black jumpsuit, this insane gold sequined maxi and this cutout dress from Rachel Pally.  I would also love to add this glam ice bucket and cheeky cocktail napkin set to our bar accessories. 

{a palm springs playlist}

{image via Chelsea Foy}

We are heading out to Palm Springs this weekend along with some friends from Chicago so of course I have been making a little poolside playlist to accompany our day-drinking festivities.  I really enjoyed putting together the playlist for the posts I did with Pier 1 at the beginning of summer so I thought it might be fun to share a playlist inspired by a Palm Springs getaway.  It's definitely an eclectic mix of music (which is totally my listening style), but I assure you it is perfect to turn on while lounging on an inflatable swan sipping a spicy marg or mimosa.  Click here to access the playlist in spotify or play it directly from the player below.  Enjoy!

                                                     

{friday cocktail: smooth burn}

More often than not I will order the cocktail on the menu that has some sort of spice especially if it includes jalapeño.  I like spicy foods, but I'm not a fanatic about it so it's odd that I always prefer a spicy cocktail.  In less than two weeks, I'll be back out in Palm Springs again with some friends from Chicago and we generally find ourselves mixing up some form of spicy margarita or spiked aqua fresca.  For this Friday's cocktail, I decided to try out marrying the two vacation drinks by making a spicy watermelon margarita and I'll be honest it is nothing short of amazing.  The absolute perfect poolside drink: it's refreshing from the watermelon, spicy from the jalapeños as well as the cayenne salt rim and it includes tequila.  Short of adding a cocktail umbrella I'm not sure what else this drink really needs!

Cheers!

{what i loved this week}

on instagram:  Make your own ice cream bars?!? What an amazing idea for a birthday party right?!  That kind of girly glamour home decor that I love.  You guys- I am obsessed with watching Watch What Happens Live (especially Andy Cohen's adorable dog!).  Lime Tequila Granita sounds like the perfect after dinner treat for a Palm Springs trip. 

on pinterest:  Some gorgeous home decor inspiration that has been making me wanna go with a more neutral color scheme in our place. 

on the blogs:  Love the idea of mini cocktail pairings with appetizers at this gorgeous Moroccan inspired dinner. 

in real life:  Chris and I are headed to San Francisco this weekend to visit with friends and spend some time up in wine country with my family!

on the internets:  The Reformation's bridal collection is drop dead gorgeous. 

on my wishlist:  Two perfect (and budget friendly!) items for fall that you will want to get in both colors:  Tildon's long sleeve dress and Sole Society's Kemi bootie. 

{gourmet flavored ketchup line up with Hebrew National}

While I love an interesting gourmet hot dog recipe like the Banh Mi inspired one I shared with you a few weeks ago, I also appreciate the simple classic grilled Hebrew National hot dog with just a drizzle of ketchup.   Inspired by the DIY hot dog bar in my last post with Hebrew National, I decided to try experimenting with a line up of flavored ketchups.   Using this adorable squeeze bottle set from Oh Joy's line for Target I decided to come up with four flavor combos using Hunt's ketchup.  The prep time on this is incredibly quick - it only took me about 15 minutes to whip up all of these.  I think my favorite one is the spicy chipotle combo, but I also was pleasantly surprised at the interesting tangy taste the balsamic combo added.

How fun would it be to show up at your next summer bbq toting this arsenal of gourmet condiments?!? Scroll down for the proportions for each flavor.

For each of the below combinations, simply mix together both ingredients in a bowl and add to a squeeze bottle or condiment serving dish.  I actually added both ingredients directly to the squeeze bottles and shook them up to combine to save the amount of dirty dishes I was creating.

With grilling season upon us, everyone is craving an all-American hot dog. What makes a kosher hot dog different? It's all about what makes the cut (and what doesn't). Hebrew National is choosy about what goes into their franks – only 100% pure kosher beef so you know what you’re getting and they taste great. No artificial flavors, colors, fillers or byproducts.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Hebrew National via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Hebrew National.

{summer flowers}

The first few weeks that we were back in downtown Los Angeles, I was itching to take a trip to the flower mart, but it didn't seem worth it to buy fresh flowers when our place was in the utter chaos of moving boxes everywhere.  The weekend before last, we finally had people over as the boxes are gone and our place is almost done so a took a quick morning trip to The Original Flower Mart.

I picked up a bunch of gorgeous pale pink dahlias that were on sale and then proceeded to add a few more organic feeling florals like scabiosa pods and clover.  I also picked up a bunch of inexpensive bright pink spray roses to fill in the arrangement and add a pop of color.   Using floral foam in my favorite trophy vases from Target, I was able to make two super full arrangements from about $30 worth of florals plus a tiny arrangement using the leftover roses (not pictured) for the bathroom.  Really is there anything better than fresh flowers in your home?!?

Green Wedding Shoes even did a great write up on navigating the LA flower mart if its your first time!!

{friday cocktail: pimm's cup}

I'm having a moment right now where I regret some choices that I have made in life...mainly the choice to not have a Pimm's Cup cocktail for the first time until now.  This cocktail is so delicious as well as being so ridiculously easy to make that I feel like I have been missing out in life by not sipping on these all summer every summer.   The classic Pimm's Cup recipe (which varies greatly depending on who you ask) calls for lemonade and soda water or seltzer, but I saw many variations using ginger beer in the place of the seltzer so I opted to go that route.  Do yourself a favor and make one of these this weekend.

Cheers!