not going to lie. this week was a pretty big week. 

it has been eighteen months of hard work and laying the groundwork of my food and fitness businesses, and things are starting to pay off. thursday in particular was a big day. 

we had been planning a fun dinner party with one of my besties lish for a bunch of her girlfriends for a few weeks. wes and i were both looking forward to hanging with lish, making some beautiful food and hanging out with some of our mutual friends i haven't seen in a while. then i received word that a photo shoot we did the food styling for was going to be published over at green wedding shoes, including one of our cocktail recipes. WOW. the photos alone were worth giving our time too, but the feature was more than we could have dreamed of. and the drizzle topping on my cake? i taught class yesterday morning to my first ever SELL OUT!!! i was in shock, and the emotional high lasted me all the way to our evening dinner party which was great fun and such a success. lish always throws the most fun parties. 

alright. the gushing is over. i have two more classes to teach this week and then i will be celebrating a week well done with this watermelon chili mary we cooked up for the photo shoot. bring on the mary weekend. 

watermelon chili mary
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
1 cup watermelon juice. 2 tsp yellow tomato puree (you can easily sub 2 tsp tomato juice). 2 oz vodka. 1 tsp lime juice + 1 wedge lime. .5 tsp sugar. 2-3 dashes hot sauce. .25 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp celery seeds. .25 tsp salt. 1 candied kiwi for garnish. 

with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the celery seeds, chili powder and salt together. pour the spice blend onto a flat plate. rub the edge of your serving glass with the lime wedge to get it a bit sticky. then, gently brush the rim of the glass into the spice mixture. place your kiwi and lime garnish on the glass. 

fill that glass with half the ice. place the remaining ice in a shaker. 

pour in the watermelon juice, tomato puree, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce and remaining spice blend. 

shake well till combined and a bit frothy. 

strain into the prepared glass, garnish with lime wedge and serve.

xo, a

watermelon chili mary
serves: 1 cocktail prep time: 10 minutes active time: 2 minutes 1 cup watermelon juice. 2 tsp yellow tomato puree (you can easily sub 2 tsp tomato juice). 2 oz vodka. 1 tsp lime juice + 1 wedge lime. .5 tsp sugar. 2-3 dashes hot sauce. .25 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp celery seeds. .25 tsp salt. 1 candied kiwi for garnish. with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the celery seeds, chili powder and salt together. pour the spice blend onto a flat plate. rub the edge of your serving glass with the lime wedge to get it a bit sticky. then, gently brush the rim of the glass into the spice mixture. fill that glass with half the ice. place the remaining ice in a shaker. pour in the watermelon juice, tomato puree, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce and remaining spice blend. shake well till combined and a bit frothy. strain into the prepared glass, garnish with lime wedge and serve.

things are looking bright, shiny and new as i welcome in another year of life. yesterday was my thirty-first birthday and i spent the day working at things i love, surrounded by people i love. and in my opinion, that is a pretty perfect birthday. i was able to teach spin, yoga and swim lessons and i shared my heart with my students the best way i know how, with lots of cake. 

early may has always been been a special time. it is not only my birthday on the fourth, but some of my closest friends and family have birthdays within days of mine. and yesterday, the early may days got a little more special. on may third just hours from my own birthday, on the other side of the world, my soul sister jeanelle gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, vibrant girl named elena, making me an auntie to another beautiful baby girl. 

so i will be celebrating baby girl and her sweet momma all weekend long. even though we can't be together for these special days, i know we are both celebrating our special moments together. sunday, i'll be toasting all the special birthdays with this agua fresca. wes and i are having close friends and family over and we are serving up this tasty watermelon beverage. it is great on it's own, or with a little nip of vodka or rum. 

watermelon agua fresca
serves: 2 cups agua fresca
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 12 minutes ingredients: 2 cups chopped watermelon (the juicier the better). 1 tbs lime juice + 1 lime wedge for garnish. 5 mint leaves + mint sprig for garnish. 1 tbs sugar. stainer. food processor or blender. 

start by combining your mint leaves and watermelon in the bowl of a food processor or blender. blend until completely pureed. 

train the liquid over a large bowl or cup. press out all the juices of the water melon and discard the solids. 

stir in lime juice and sugar till well combined. 

pour over ice (add alcohol if you like), garnish with mint sprig + a lime wedge and serve. 

xo, a

watermelon agua fresca
serves: 2 cups agua fresca
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 12 minutes ingredients: 2 cups chopped watermelon (the juicier the better). 1 tbs lime juice + 1 lime wedge for garnish. 5 mint leaves + mint sprig for garnish. 1 tbs sugar. stainer. food processor or blender. start by combining your mint leaves and watermelon in the bowl of a food processor or blender. blend until completely pureed. strain the liquid over a large bowl or cup. press out all the juices of the water melon and discard the solids. stir in lime juice and sugar till well combined. pour over ice (add alcohol if you like), garnish with mint sprig + a lime wedge and serve.