citrus + tequila grilled shrimp tacos
tomorrow is the big day. i'm giving my twenties a big fat french kiss goodbye. 

twenties, you were epic. we laughed. we cried. we learned. there were ups and downs. in relationships and in weight. 

my twenties brought me the two great loves of my life. wesley and food. 

but i'm looking over that ledge at my thirties and for the first time in my life i truly feel like the best is yet to come. 

ok. before i start sobbing at the keyboard about how beautiful life is, let's get to the point. 

i had to learn very early in my adult life that my birthday was not really a special day. 

the second i reached drinking age my friends were no longer concerned with what was happening for my birthday but where we were going to celebrate cinco de mayo. 

now, i'm not looking for anything sympathy. i share my special hours with one of the FUN holidays where everyone wants to party. how can i complain? 

so i've learned to truly embrace this boozy celebration as if it were just for me. 

this year i'm celebrating with these delicious and LIGHT tacos. 

bikini season IS coming...

citrus + tequila grilled shrimp tacos
serves: 2
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
1.5 lbs shrimp. 1.5 c olive oil. 1 c tequila. .5 c orange juice. 1 jalapeño, diced. 2 tbs orange zest. 3 garlic cloves, smashed and rough chopped. 4 of your favorite flour tortillas. 1 lime. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper. cilantro, diced tomatoes, arugula, sharp white cheddar or any of your other favorite taco toppers. 
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in a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, tequila, juice, jalapeño, garlic, zest, salt and pepper. 

whisk the mixture until well combined. 

remove the tails of the shrimp by pinching them at their base where they meat the flesh of the shrimp. 

add the shrimp to the marinade and stir well till all the shrimp are coated.
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marinate the shrimp in the fridge for thirty minutes to over night. 

soak some wooden skewers for thirty minutes or use metal skewers. 

turn your grill on to a medium high heat. while the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp. dip the flesh side of each lime into the marinade and discard the marinade. 
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grill the shrimp until just pink. about 3 to4 minutes a side. flipping once. when you add the shrimp to the grill, place the lime on the grill flesh side down. grill as long as the shrimp are on. 
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while the shrimp is grilling. add your tortillas to a cooler part of the grill. grill the tortillas about 30 seconds a side just till warmed. 
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when shrimp is pink and cooked through, remove from the grill and serve tacos hot with eaters choice of fixins. 
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xoxo
a

citrus + tequila grilled shrimp tacos
serves: 2
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 25 minutes

1.5 lbs shrimp. 1.5 c olive oil. 1 c tequila. .5 c orange juice. 1 jalapeño, diced. 2 tbs orange zest. 3 garlic cloves, smashed and rough chopped. 4 of your favorite flour tortillas. 1 lime. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper. cilantro, diced tomatoes, arugula, sharp white cheddar or any of your other favorite taco toppers. 
in a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, tequila, juice, jalapeño, garlic, zest, salt and pepper. whisk the mixture until well combined. 
remove the tails of the shrimp by pinching them at their base where they meat the flesh of the shrimp. 
add the shrimp to the marinade and stir well till all the shrimp are coated. 
marinate the shrimp in the fridge for thirty minutes to over night. 
soak some wooden skewers for thirty minutes or use metal skewers. 
turn your grill on to a medium high heat. while the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp. dip the flesh side of each lime into the marinade and discard the marinade. 
grill the shrimp until just pink. about 3 to4 minutes a side. flipping once. when you add the shrimp to the grill, place the lime on the grill flesh side down. grill as long as the shrimp are on. 
while the shrimp is grilling. add your tortillas to a cooler part of the grill. grill the tortillas about 30 seconds a side just till warmed. 
when shrimp is pink and cooked through, remove from the grill and serve tacos hot with eaters choice of fixins. 
friyay happy hour: blood orange vodka soda

the fleeting moment has arrived. 

my last week as a woman in her twenties. a decade of youth and promise is turning a page to something new. 

the good news is, i'm pretty sure the next decade is all about self refinement, growth, adventure and stability. or at least that is what i'm shooting for. 

so in honor of my last week in what was supposed to be my "wild" years ( and let's be real at times they were just plain WILD) I decided to do just that... something WILD. 

much to my mother's dismay, two weeks shy of thirty i decided to dye my virgin hair. 

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it was a bit lighter in my early childhood, and minus the time i donated to locks of love, my hair has been long and dark. 

but i am a person who tries to live with no regrets. and i've been contemplating a hair change for months now. so I did it. of course i had a major melt down and freaked out my amazing hairstylist tara right before it all went down. but that is what booze is for right? 

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and while it was a bit of a shock.... it is starting to grow on me. 

i did have to come home and have a cocktail to take the edge off though. luckily i found these stunning blood oranges that made a cocktail almost as pretty as my new do. 

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blood orange vodka soda

prep time: 2 min
active time: 1 min
total time: 3 min

2 oz vodka. juice of 1/2 blood orange. club soda. blood orange slices for garnish. 

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fill an old fashioned glass with ice to the top. pour in the vodka. fill the glass almost to the top with club soda. top with orange juice. garnish and serve. 

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xoxo
a

blood orange vodka soda
prep time: 2 min
active time: 1 min
total time: 3 min

2 oz vodka. juice of 1/2 blood orange. club soda. blood orange slices for garnish.
fill an old fashioned glass with ice to the top. pour in the vodka. fill the glass almost to the top with club soda. top with orange juice. garnish and serve.