Summer Sips: It Takes Two

In my last food post, I showed you an easy cocktail that's a perfect warm weather treat. Would you believe me if I said that today's recipes are even easier? Well, they are. And, yes, I did say recipes as in the plural form as in more than one.

Today I've got not one, but FOUR drink recipes that will have you playing bartender in no time. The best part? They all only require two ingredients. Of course, you can up your game with a few additional ingredients if you wish.

 

Up first: the Paloma. I'd call this a relative to the margarita. Mix grapefruit soda (Fresca, Jarritos, Crush, etc.) with tequila at a 3:1 ratio and serve on the rocks. Done. 

Feeling Fancy? Salt the rim and serve with a lime slice. 

Next on the menu: the Kalimotxo. Put simply, a Coke sangria. Mix equal parts Coke and red wine over ice and you're good to go. 

Feeling Fancy? Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or orange juice. 

Our next drink is the Greyhound. 1 part vodka, 3 parts grapefruit juice served over ice and stirred well. Not feeling the grapefruit juice? Substitute it for orange juice and you've got yourself another two-ingredient cocktail: the Screwdriver.

Feeling Fancy? Add a sprig of fresh rosemary for an herbal essence. 

Want to change it up completely? Salt the rim of the glass and you've created a Salty Dog.

Last but not least, a drink we all know and love: Rum & Coke. I figured I'd end it on a classic. Fill a glass with ice, add 1.5 oz of rum, and fill the rest with Coke.

Feeling Fancy? Muddle a lime in the glass before you add the ice. Or just squeeze in some fresh lime juice before you serve it up!

Now I realize I kind of have a theme of flavors between the two grapefruit drinks and the two Coke drinks, but that just means less groceries to buy, and more drinks to serve up! Cheers!

XO – Courtney

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Wanderlust

It's the end of May, and I've only used one of my vacation days for the year (and that was back in February), so believe me when I say I am ready for this long weekend (that I've made even longer by stacking on an extra day off). The great thing about Los Angeles (especially with Zack and I still being "new" here) is that there's so much to do and explore right here in our city, but that doesn't mean I only want to explore locally. A couple weeks ago, a few of us drove about an hour away for a day trip to Lake Arrowhead and did some hiking. It was beautiful and adventurous and gave me a serious case of wanderlust. 

So again, when I say I'm ready for this long weekend (and the fact that it also involves a trip up to San Francisco), I really, really am. But I'm taking this case of wanderlust seriously, because I've also got a trip to Yosemite lined up in July when my parents come to visit. And I'm in the process of figuring out a weekend to fly over to NYC to visit my brother. AND my list of local excursions is growing as I continue to discover more trails to hike, restaurants to eat at, and places to visit nearby. Unfortunately (sarcasm), wanderlust is incurable so I guess I'll just keep wandering.

And all this talk of wandering has got me wondering: what adventures are you planning this weekend? or this summer? or this year? 

XO – Courtney

top [madewell] // tank [h&m] // skirt [made by yours truly] // 

shoes [urban outfitters] // necklace [garage]

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[photo credit: zack hardy]

Summer Sips: Margarita Sangria

We've still got about a month of spring left, BUT that won't stop many of us from kicking off the summer season a little early, and with Memorial Day coming up, it seems like the perfect time to share a drink that will put you in the summer spirit: Margarita Sangria. I love wine & I love margaritas so marrying the two together seemed like a match made in heaven (spoiler alert: it was). Now I'll never have to choose between the two again!

Zack and I are heading up the California coast for a Memorial Day weekend-getaway in San Francisco, so I probably won't be making this recipe over the weekend, BUT since I'll be in the middle of wine country, I think I'll manage just fine. Or maybe I'll just have to throw a bottle of tequila into my suitcase too!

XO – Courtney 

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Margarita Sangria

INGREDIENTS

· 1 bottle of white wine (750 mL)

· 1.5 cups tequila

· 1 cup triple sec

· 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

· Juice of 1-2 limes

· 1 orange, sliced

· 2 limes, sliced

· Cilantro 

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine wine, tequila, triple sec, orange juice, lime juice, orange slices, & lime slices in a pitcher.

2. Chill for 2 hours or more before serving. 

3. Optional: Serve over ice in salt rimmed wine glasses and add a few cilantro leaves to each glass.

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Party Hardy: Lights, Camera, Love

If you follow me on social media then #sorrynotsorry for the overload of engagement photos lately. And if you thought you were escaping them on my blog...guess again. :)

About a month ago, our friend & photographer Scott (who is moving back to NC in just a few days, insert sad face here) followed Zack and I around all day to some of our favorite spots including a park in Pasadena, the Griffith Observatory, and finally wrapping it up in Santa Monica, and I am in love with the results (and the man by my side in all the pictures). The weather was perfect (typical LA), but the sunset was absolutely fantastic. I've lived on the west coast for almost a year (what!?), but this was my first time witnessing the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. 600 pictures later and we somehow managed to narrow it down.

Now the fun part of the wedding planning begins (for me at least!): designing save the dates & invitations with all these pictures! And maybe even a wedding website......(she said unenthusiastically). I'm not a huge fan of wedding websites. Don't get me wrong, they can be done tastefully and come in handy for guests, BUT.....they can be the opposite of that as well. I was set on not having one at all, but with our "destination/long distance" wedding...it seems like something we might end up creating. SO if any brides or brides-to-be out there have any pros (or cons) about wedding websites, I'm all ears.  

XO – Courtney

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DIY: Black & Bleach

Let me go ahead and apologize for the lack of instructional pictures, but this DIY is fast, fun, & easy so I'm sharing it anyway. Raise your hand if you've ever tie-dyed anything before? Okay, so everyone. Well, this is the same thing but with a black T-shirt & bleach. My goal was to create a grid pattern like this, and while my final result is less grid-like and more stripe, I still love how it turned out. You can create any tie-dye effect you want (here's a great tutorial on how to achieve different designs), but for the grid effect, read below. 

SUPPLIES

• 100% Cotton Tee 

• Bleach

• Rubber Bands

• 2 Pieces of Wood or Plexiglass

• Gloves

• Bucket

DIRECTIONS

1. Start with the t-shirt. To create the grid pattern, you need to fold the t-shirt like an accordion. This video is a perfect example of how you should fold your shirt. Wrap a couple rubber bands around the shirt to keep it folded. 

2. Grab the wood and bind it around the t-shirt with rubber bands  Use as many rubber bands as you need to make sure the wood is secure. This will prevent the bleach from reaching areas of the t-shirt that you do not want it to.

3. Put on your gloves and start mixing the bleach with water in a bucket. Use 1 cup of water for every 4 cups of bleach. 

4. We are ready to start bleaching! Dip the shirt in the bleach for a few seconds (seriously, only a few seconds). As soon as you remove the shirt, take off the rubber bands (I cut mine away with a pair of scissors), unfold the shirt and rinse in water. You will notice the black starts to fade almost immediately into a rust color. 

5. After rinsing, hang the shirt to dry. The color will continue to fade, and once it is dry, throw the shirt in the washing machine to remove any excess bleach. 

NOTES

• Only use 100% cotton when bleaching otherwise the fabric will erode and holes will form. 

• Make sure you wear gloves and are in a well-ventilated area (preferably outside) when bleaching. 

• Need more help? Check out this tutorial for better pictures! 

XO – Courtney

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