From the bar: Rhubarb Mezcalarita
I first tasted Mezcal when we were living in New York City a few years ago. We were fortunate enough to indulge in an incredible meal at Wylie Dufresne’s, WD-50, but because our table wasn’t ready on time, we were left in the entertainment of the talented mixologist – and my taste buds would forever be opened to the infinite potential of the cocktail. Up until then, I stayed very close to the mixed spirits that were familiar to me – cranberry vodkas, margaritas, gin & tonics, the occasional white Russian at the bowling alley (yes, the Dude would abide). Nothing fancy. But when my lips tasted the drink that was placed in front of me, dubbed “Que Pasa Calabaza”, my mind was blown. Cocoa nib infused mezcal danced around with yuzu, liquified squash and black salt. It was so good that I ordered another….and then another. That was fall, so squash was quite appropriate. This is spring, so I thought rhubarb quite fitting.
Mezcal seems to be having a moment these days, I’m seeing it more and more – on blogs, on menus at restaurants, in this month’s issue of Sunset Magazine. I like that. I like mezcal. It’s often described as tequila’s cousin because it’s made of the same agave plant. But mezcal tastes nothing like tequila, it’s in a league of its own. Roasting the agave gives this Oaxacan spirit rich, smokey gusto. The first descriptor that often comes to mind for me is always “manly”. But don’t worry ladies, rhubarb and lime are here to balance things out. This drink is a nice repose from the usual margarita and I hope you’ll make it. Cheers guys! -xo Read more…
From the kitchen: Chilaquiles {Two Ways}
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with one of my oldest friends (we met in the 5th grade!) as she tutored me in the art of making Chilaquiles (chee•lah•kee•lez). My friend Melinda has been making this traditional Mexican dish for our group of girlfriends for years. It’s the perfect hangover food – cheesy, easy to make, and superbly delicious. Chilaquiles are typically made for breakfast using leftovers from last nights dinner. Stale tortillas are fried to a crisp then combined with meats, cheeses and salsas. As with many Mexican dishes, variation is common depending on the region and personal preferences. We deviated a bit from Melinda’s usual all cheese variety and made a smokey chipotle chicken as well as a chorizo scramble version. Both were ridiculously tasty, but I think I was partial to the chipotle adaptation. Smokey adobo sauce combined with tart whole tomatoes, crispy chips, and melty cheese is a magical marriage of flavors. I could have eaten the whole skillet on my own! But I’m glad I had Melinda there to share the yumminess with. Friends who chilaquile together are friends for life! Now, go make these for your friends! -xo
Evan and I have both been working from home for the past few months. We work freelance and about once a year it seems that our schedules align and we find ourselves working side by side in our jammies, it’s kinda fun. We like to have “business lunches” at least once per week, just to get out and reset a bit. Working from home can get old really fast so little escapes are good. On one of our recent biz lunches, we discovered a cute little Mexican joint called Cafe de Mexico in Sherman Oaks. The menu was unique and my eyes were immediately drawn to the Mexican Pancakes, something I’d never heard of. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but when my meal arrived it all made sense. My pancakes tasted like CHURROS!!!! It was the best. And I knew my mission was clear: recreate these guys at home. A generous addition of cinnamon and sugar gives buttermilk pancakes a light hint of churro flavor, but the brown butter & cinnamon infused maple syrup really gives these pancakes that familiar churro taste we’ve all grown to love. I ate these until my tummy hurt, which is both a good and bad idea… and I highly recommend it. This year we’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo with brunch and these delicious pancakes will definitely be making an appearance. Enjoy! -xo
p.s. More Cinco de Mayo inspired brunch recipes coming up later this week!
There are a few ongoing culinary quests in my life – the perfect pizza crust, the ultimate chocolate chip cookie, pickling beyond the pickle, and banana nut muffins (there are more, but I’ll stop here). For me, these are foods that are so good, even at a lesser state (say frozen or from a box), that it’s almost impossible to define their best version. But each time I arrive at a better iteration, it’s like a check point. The bar raises just a little and there’s no going back (not intellectually anyway). I’ve made banana muffins for this blog before, but none have been as über delicious as these. Four ripe bananas ensure soft, moist bites every time and a handful of chopped walnuts add just the right amount of crunch. But the icing on the cake isn’t icing at all, it’s a sweet walnut crumble topping that adds just enough decadence to make you wonder, “am I eating dessert for breakfast?”. Yes, yes you are. And it’s totally fine. These guys have set a new benchmark in muffin land and I will be making them again and again, until a new standard emerges. What are your culinary quests?
Happy Friday and happy weekend! Make these muffins! -xo
Let’s Always Be Adventurers
A couple of weeks ago, Evan and I journeyed out to the ends of the world (or so it seemed) to discover a magical place that we won’t soon forget. Salvation Mountain. Look it up. It.is.a.trip!! It’s not a secret that there is religious overtones, the messaging is blatant. We’re not at all religious, but nevertheless, we were fascinated by all of the bible verses and “repent! repent!” talk throughout. It definitely made us think. Mostly, we were just mesmerized by the amazing and psychodelic man-made mountain that stood before us. You can read more about it here, but it’s made completely of local adobe clay and donated paint. It’s a sight to see, my friends. It took a little longer than the advertised 1 1/2 hours from Palm Springs (more like 2), but it was worth every mile. And best of all, I saw this extraordinary place with a pretty extraordinary guy.We packed a picnic and ate our lunch above the giant “Love”… that was my favorite part. I love that Evan and I are always down for an adventure. I hope we never lose that.
Salvation Mountain is a perfect little day trip from LA, but if you happen to already be in any of the desert towns…GO! You won’t regret it.
-xo
From the bar: It’s a Simple Syrup Party!!
Warm weather is here! And so is the weekend! Extra exclamation points for that!!!!!!!!!!!! This weekend I have major plans to do absolutely nothing while laying out by my pool with many a cold, fruity cocktail in hand. Life is hard, I know. I love mixing drinks and experimenting with cocktails. I’m completely fascinated with mixology and I’ve secretly always wanted to bartend…even if only for friends. So last weekend, when we headed out to the desert with some of our favorite people, I brought along a bunch of fresh-made simple syrups to play with. I’ve been wanting to do this particular post for a very long time. Simple syrups are the easiest and tastiest way to add a little wow factor to an otherwise okay drink. And you can pretty much use any fresh produce, sweet or savory, with excellent results. I’m particularly drawn to herbal simple syrups because I find them so odd, yet completely delicious. My favorite drink of all time is a gin & tonic (extra lime), and while I’m perfectly happy sipping on one (or three) as is, something truly magical happens when you add rosemary syrup. It enhances the already existing herbal notes of the gin and that makes your cocktail extra happy. Cilantro gives a spicy margarita extra kick and kumquats play really well with ginger and Leblon. What I like most about simple syrups is that they last long (about 2 months in the fridge), so you get to keep these natural flavors long after the fresh versions of themselves would have spoiled.
Making a flavored simple syrup is an easy 1:1:1 ratio – 1 cup sugar + 1 cup water + 1 cup fresh ingredient.
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO: Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until all sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Now you have a basic simple syrup. But let’s add some flavor! For herbs: wash and leave whole, drop into the simmering sugar mixture. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let cool to room temp to further infuse. Strain into a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. For fruit and vegetables: Wash and remove leaves and stems, and roughly chop. Let cook in the simmering sugar mixture for 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool to room temp to further infuse. Strain through a sieve into a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. NOTE: If infusing jalapenos or other hot peppers, remove the seeds to lessen the heat…or if you’re badass, leave them in!
That is all! Now you have simple syrup! Off you go to make something yummy!
If you want some ideas, below are a few of my favorite simple syrups in illustrative action. Pin them to save for later! Enjoy!
p.s. I’ve both given and received simple syrup as a gift. It’s a good one!
{Illustrations and hand lettering by Paola Parsons (that’s ME!)}
Homemade Beauty/03
When I first discovered oil facials, I was skeptical. Putting oil directly on my skin? Wouldn’t that clog my pores or make me break out? Seemed illogical. But then I started doing research and found that good oils, like extra virgin olive oil and raw coconut oil, actually deep clean, exfoliate and moisturize your skin all at once! They even remove make-up!! I love the way my skin feels and looks after a coconut oil cleanse. It becomes bright, glowy and very supple. Plus I smell like cookies for a few hours!! Talk about a win/win!
