last night, my good friend beatrice came over for dinner. we met when i was still working in fashion but we really bonded over food and shoes. she came over to catch up and to taste some new menu items i'm testing out for catering. 

i've been suffering from a cold and her and wes went on a whole tangent about tequila being anti bacterial and helping when you have a cold. now, i was calling a bit of bull honkey on that claim. 

but i did some research and it is true that the agave tequila is made from has some great health aiding properties. anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects were listed as some of the health benefits. so hell, i'm going to give it a go. i'm upping my cold kicking odds of success with some pomegranate, blackberries and lime juice to make a perfect fall margarita. 

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice. 

start by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. 

pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. 

place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass.

serve cold. enjoy! 

xo, a

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice.
tart by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass and serve cold. 

happy friyay my friends! we made it through another wild week. 

today, i was planning a reflective monologue about all the crazy fires and how lucky my family and friends are that we escaped harm. but it seems almost like gloating to even go there when so many up north are still fearing for their homes and their livelihoods. 

my fears feel so insignificant now. 

so many now are struggling with trying times thanks to an angry mother nature. each new disaster is overshadowing the one that rolled in before it. deciding how to help, who to help and where to send that help has me spinning. 

and then my uncle called.

his call was actually business related since we are helping him with food for an upcoming event.but after we chatted about sheet cakes and appetizers, he told me that i had recently said something that brought some change to his life. it was a very small comment i made in the midst of conversation, but it stuck with him.

suddenly, it became clear to me what i need to do to feel more "helpful."

i just have to keep being helpful. every day. every hour. every minute. not necessarily offering up money or things to people all day every day, that's not always possible. but by giving help when help is needed. whenever that opportunity presents itself to me.

whether it's food for the homeless man who passes by our door a couple times a week, a mom who needs a good stretch and some escape from her day in my yoga class, or simply telling a coworker who is a bit down how great they are, i am just going to try my best to help. 

now we all can't help the same way. we all have different gifts, strengths and means. i recommend you pour yourself a drink, relax and figure out how you can help. 

mango sunrise
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila. .25 cup chopped mango. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 cup ice. shaker. food processor. line wedge for garnish.

start by combining the lime juice and mango in the base of a food processor.

 blend until the mango is completely puréed. you will need 2 oz of the purée. 

in your shaker, combine the tequila, mango and triple sec. shake till completely combined and a bit frothy. about 30 seconds. 

pour the hibiscus syrup in the bottom of your serving glass. 

pour all the shaker contents including the ice into the glass.

garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.

xo, a

mango sunrise 
serves: 1 cocktail 
prep time: 5 minutes 
active time: 1 minute 
total time: 6 minutes 
ingredients: 2 oz tequila. .25 cup chopped mango. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 cup ice. shaker. food processor. line wedge for garnish. start by combining the lime juice and mango in the base of a food processor. blend until the mango is completely puréed. you will need 2 oz of the purée. in your shaker, combine the tequila, mango and triple sec. shake till completely combined and a bit frothy. about 30 seconds. pour the hibiscus syrup in the bottom of your serving glass. pour all the shaker contents including the ice into the glass. garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.