Hey friends!

Memorial Day has come and gone, so I guess it's unofficially summer. I thought we could all use a cocktail recipe today. Or three. You know, whatev.

Since moving to LA, the land of exceptional Mexican food-- whether it be from a fancy schmancy spot that serves duck confit tacos, or a food truck that's just posted up on my block-- I have become a margarita enthusiast. I always enjoyed a little tequila and citrus, but I never sought out variations as much as I have in the last year. Probably because out here, margaritas aren't composed mostly of sour mix and bartender bitterness. Here, they take that shit pretty seriously.

So I figured I should, too. I also had a hankering for a spicy drink and decided DIYing it for a blog post was probably a better idea than going to a bar at 2PM on a Thursday (still unemployed over here, obviously!)

So, without further ado, here's three different margaritas made with simple ingredients, a little muddling, and a fair amount of love and booziness. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, we had people over our place on a Sunday evening for drinks, grilled meats, and the usual enjoyment of a Southern California day in our backyard. One of Matt's friends from school came with his adorable girlfriend, which was a welcome addition to our usual group of six or so.

At one point, I came in from outside to check on the food or something, and I caught our new friend standing in our living room, intently staring at the wall.

"It's like you live in Pinterest," she said, studying each individual photograph in the 84 image collage. "It's so cool."

"Thanks!" I replied. "It was easy!"

And it really was. I mean, I get it, I suppose. What I think of as a simple little weekend project gives a lot of people anxiety. The fear of a project becoming overwhelming, or worse-- terrible once it's complete-- tends to hold people back. I know it does for me.

But I've always been one to decorate. I've never been the type of renter who throws their hands up and says "nope! Can't change a thing!" when trying to live somewhere. I usually don't paint, but I will bang nails in the walls, and cover the cabinets in temporary wallpaper, or sometimes hang fabric everywhere, and occasionally even stick seven dozen photos to the wall with removable adhesive.

It happens.

But the result is always a place that feels like home, whether we live there just a year or longer. I may be thousands of miles from where I grew up, but this little apartment in the San Fernando Valley feels like it's just where I'm meant to be.

Happy Friday everybody.

I had a weird week. And I'm currently making bacon and potato tacos for dinner, after spending an afternoon frosting cupcakes.

I didn't see my week going this way, but I'm not mad about it in the least.
Every moment in my kitchen is a pretty delicious blessing, not going to lie.

So I'll keep cooking, and eating, and telling you all about it for a while.
Cool? Cool. Thanks.

Maybe you're like me, and buy lots of produce on a Sunday with lofty goals. Maybe, also like me, you buy a dozen eggs because you think I'll eat hard boiled eggs for breakfast because PROTEIN. Or sometimes I'm going to BAKE something!

But then, sure enough, you wake up Saturday morning and you're like I have twelve eggs and yogurt and all this green shit that I thought I would eat sooner.





So that's when you make a frittata, dear people. I love me a frittata (can you tell?)

For the past year, Matt and I have been calling North Hollywood our home. Our own little corner of this sprawling metropolis we moved to, NoHo seemed to be the perfect fit: reasonably priced rent (with outdoor space!), plenty of spots to drink, and (I hoped) good places to eat as well.

Of course, my wishes came true, and shortly after moving right near an illustrious In & Out Burger (which is the only fast food I have eaten, or will eat, in decades. Seriously), we started to realize our neighborhood had a lot to offer. So much more than when Matt called it home eight years ago, and it seemed like a new place was popping up every day.



One place that had just opened its doors for the first time right around then was the District Pub. Our first venture was, I believe, two days after they opened, and we have become quite the regulars since. It's a great example of a simple concept done superbly well-- a large craft beer list, house-made sausages, and burgers. That's about it. There's also a huge, delicious, chewy pretzel if you're into that sorta thing. And really, really good French fries. But otherwise?



Go for the beer.
Stay for the meat.
Repeat.

Oh hey. It's Tuesday! And while I am certainly not limiting my taco consumption to just this one day-- it is pretty clear I have enough taco recipes to eat only my favorite non-emoji represented delicacy every day for a long time-- this blog isn't All Among Tacos, am I right?