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. 

you guys. there has been a major development in my life that is a complete game changer. wes put up my hammock that i registered for when we were getting married. yes, you read that correctly. i registered for a hammock. no, it is not the functional camping kind. it is a hot pink, yellow and blue hammock with fringe and it fits perfectly in our little secret garden on the side of our house. i've always been one of those weirdos who would never leave their bed if they didn't have to, so the hammock is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me. it's heating up in socal, things in the garden are blooming, and i'm currently working on my computer cradled by the love of my hammock. i'm in heaven. 

and now that our side yard is getting more sun, plants are starting to produce. we are changing over our raised bed and we needed to pull the last of the winter carrots. some cucumbers and asian ingredients were the perfect compliment. sorry east coast, it may be snowing out there but it is beautiful in costa mesa and i'm looking for light and bright. and this salad delivered. 

pickled cucumber & carrot salad
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour to over night
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 large english cucumber, thinly sliced (about 3 cups). 1 cup thinly sliced heirloom carrots (you can use whatever carrot you have). 1 green onion, chopped. .25 cup rice vinegar. 1 tbs sesame oil. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp white sugar. .5 tsp salt. 1tbs sesame seeds. 

in a medium bowl, combine your cucumber, carrots and green onion. season with salt and set aside.

in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and sugar. 

whisk till completely combined.

pour over the cucumber carrot mixture and mix well to combine. place the salad in the fridge for an hour for it them to chill and pickle. stir every 10 to 15 minutes so that all the veggies are equally pickled.

when you are ready to eat, divide your salad among four plates, laying the veggies in an even layer.

spoon some of the reserved dressing over the salad. 

sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

serve cool. 

xo, a

pickled cucumber & carrot salad
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour to over night
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 large english cucumber, thinly sliced (about 3 cups). 1 cup thinly sliced heirloom carrots (you can use whatever carrot you have). 1 green onion, chopped. .25 cup rice vinegar. 1 tbs sesame oil. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp white sugar. .5 tsp salt. 1tbs sesame seeds. in a medium bowl, combine your cucumber, carrots and green onion. season with salt and set aside. in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and sugar. whisk till completely combined. pour over the cucumber carrot mixture and mix well to combine. place the salad in the fridge for an hour for it them to chill and pickle. stir every 10 to 15 minutes so that all the veggies are equally pickled. when you are ready to eat, divide your salad among four plates, laying the veggies in an even layer. spoon some of the reserved dressing over the salad. sprinkle with sesame seeds. serve cool.