in my yoga classes this week, the themes have all been about inventory. and right now, i'm completely hung up on my inventory, so i'm going to just carry that theme right on over to today's blog post. 

don't worry, i don't mean the physical inventory of your pantry. this post isn't a recommendation to clean out your actual cabinets. not that that is a bad idea if you have some free time. but i digress. 

no, i'm talking about your own PERSONAL inventory. we are quickly approaching the last quarter of twenty-seventeen and how better to prep for a new year than with inventory? personal inventory doesn't just mean your personal life. it is time to take a physical inventory of your body, inventory of your relationships, your mind, your schedule and of course, your liquor cabinet. 

and i'm practicing what i preach. this week i took a serious personal inventory. for the last six months i've been spinning my wheels, trying to grow a trio of new businesses, develop a whole host of both business and personal relationships and giving of myself physically and mentally in pretty much every aspect of my life. 

now that i've taken inventory, it is time to put the stuff that is not moving on sale and reorder the good stuff. i've decided that after this margarita, i'm starting to implement some serious adjustments of my inventory. more yoga. less driving. working smarter, not harder. more family and friend time and less time spinning my wheels at jobs that aren't lucrative monetarily or mentally. 

now it is your turn. pour yourself this lilikoi (passionfruit) margarita and start to work on your inventory. having trouble finding actual inventory of lilikoi? try your produce store as they are currently in season. i've even seen them at my local vons. neither of those places worked? ask the produce guy at your local market to order you some or hit the local farmer's market. 

lilikoi margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila blanco. 2 oz lilikoi (3-5 fruits depending on the size). 1 oz grand marnier. 1 tsp honey. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. glass for serving. 

start by filling your shaker with the ice. pour in the lilikoi.

add in the tequila and grand marnier. 

pour in the honey. 

using the honey spoon, give everything a good stir and getting the last of the honey off the spoon. shake well for 30 seconds to a minute till frothy. 

pour the whole contents of the shaker into your serving glass. 

serve and enjoy! 

xo, a

lilikoi margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila blanco. 2 oz lilikoi (3-5 fruits depending on the size). 1 oz grand marnier. 1 tsp honey. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. glass for serving.
start by filling your shaker with the ice. pour in the lilikoi. add in the tequila and grand marnier. pour in the honey. using the honey spoon, give everything a good stir and getting the last of the honey off the spoon. shake well for 30 seconds to a minute till frothy. pour the whole contents of the shaker into your serving glass. serve and enjoy! 

well, i'm wrapping up another week of craziness over here at la casita costa mesa. this week, i hosted the hardware house kitchen's first ever menu tasting for an upcoming wedding we are catering. 

naturally, wes was scheduled for a double he couldn't get out of. so it was just me, myself and i prepping a four course meal for two. oh, and our tasting space is our home. so on top of all the meal prep i had to whip my home into serious shape. after prepping all day (and teaching at six in the morning) i was just starting to feel like i had everything under control. until the client called and was arriving twenty minutes early. basically they had already parked and were about to walk in. 

but instead of getting crazy and freaking out like i probably would have done a year ago, i took a deep breath, slapped a big smile on my face and got to work. the tasting went flawlessly, the bride and her mother walked away feeling confident about the day, and it finally sunk in that i am living my dream. which is fabulous, but it doesn't change the fact that i'm still exhausted and i definitely need a drink to unwind from the crazy. 

cucumbers have an amazing way of cooling and relaxing. they make any cocktail feel a little extra soothing. and since i missed this weeks tips & tricks, here is how i get delicious cucumber juice with out too much muss, fuss or mess. micro planes are not just for zesting citrus. next week's tips & tricks is dedicated to it's great uses. but one of the best uses is for grating cucumbers to extract their juices. 

start with a hot house or english cucumber. slice off the tip of the cucumber and use the flat edge to grate the cucumber on your micro plane. for every ounce of cucumber juice you need, you will want to grate about 1 inch of cucumber. make sure to hold your micro plane at an angle, over a bowl so you capture any of the juices created while grating. 

strain your cucumber through a mesh strainer, making sure to press out any remaining juices left in the flesh of the cucumber. then use your cucumber juice as you like.

honey + cucumber margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila. 2 oz cucumber juice. 1 oz grand marnier. 1 tbs honey. 1 oz lime juice. 1 slice cucumber for garnish. kosher salt for garnish. 1 cup ice for shaker. shaker. 1 cup ice or 1 large ice cube for serving. glass of choice. 

start by making your honey cucumber garnish. dip one edge of your cucumber garnish into the honey just till it is lightly coated.

sprinkle the honey with kosher salt till lightly coated. 

make a small slice in your cucumber, gently place it onto your serving glass filled with ice. 

in your shaker with ice, combine the tequila, grand marnier, 1 tsp honey, lime juice, and cucumber juice. 

shake till well combined. 

strain over ice. 

serve & enjoy. 

xo, a

honey + cucumber margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila. 2 oz cucumber juice. 1 oz grand marnier. 1 tbs honey. 1 oz lime juice. 1 slice cucumber for garnish. kosher salt for garnish. 1 cup ice for shaker. shaker. 1 cup ice or 1 large ice cube for serving. glass of choice.
tart by making your honey cucumber garnish. dip one edge of your cucumber garnish into the honey just till it is lightly coated. sprinkle the honey with kosher salt till lightly coated. make a small slice in your cucumber, gently place it onto your serving glass filled with ice. in your shaker with ice, combine the tequila, grand marnier, 1 tsp honey, lime juice, and cucumber juice. shake till well combined. strain and serve.