Happy Sunday, kids!
Today is probably my second-favorite day of the week. For me, it usually starts out pretty slow and progresses in a blur of coffee, then mimosas, then snacks, then dinner. When I am super busy during the week, I often try to cook multiple things (many of which I have already test-driven once) over the weekend to ensure:

• A- They're actually good (blog-worthy, if you will)
• B- I know WTF I am talking about (I have finally started keeping a dedicated recipe notebook so I  know exactly what I did when it comes time to share with you guys. Only took, like, two years. Better late than never?)
• C- I can get some quality photos and am no longer trying to snap pics of my dinner at 10PM in a dirty kitchen 

These precautions have helped me tremendously with content, and I assure you some of the best food-related posts here are yet to come.

But all of this doesn't change the fact that during the week, all too often, it is late, I am hungry, and I am tired. And lately? I am hot. So, so hot. Which makes cooking positively miserable, if I do say so myself.

So, I thought my options were limited to grilling or going on a hunger strike in the kiddie pool--but then I remembered the slow cooker. There is positively no need to relegate this appliance to colder-weather months. While I love slow-cooked stew and other fall fare-- in the summer it's that much more pleasant to have a delicious meal with limited effort and time in the kitchen.

And the best thing to do with slow-cooked meat is tacos. Fact.
Throw the beef in the slow cooker in the morning, fire up the grill for a few (literally) hot minutes in the evening, and set up a quick taco bar with accompaniments like crisp arugula and cool greek yogurt, and you have a Taco Tuesday that's guaranteed to impress.

Hello, sweet summer.

I promise that there will be a lot more cocktail recipes and beer recommendations in your future round these parts.
I mean, it seems like it's my duty to share the boozey goodness I uncover on a weekly basis.
And usually, it's just delicious beer or wine that I enjoy rather than cocktails (top summer brews include Abita Strawberry, 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon, Harpoon Mid-Summer Fling and Magic Hat Elder Betty...told you I am a beer advocate).

But every once in a while, I want to get fancy in the drink department and whip something up that includes a few ingredients and a bit of time.

I went to a vodka tasting a while back for Square One Organic Vodka. While I loved every variety I sampled, I was partial (as I always am, stemming from my Bath & Body Works Cucumber-Melon body-spray-shower days circa 2001) to the Cucumber flavor.
At the tasting, they paired this with some fancy schmancy watermelon soda.

So. What's a girl to do without a said soda or a juicer?
Buy a big honking watermelon half, strain it, and dedicate it to cocktails, that's what.
This refreshing vodka pairs so well with the sweetness of the watermelon, it's seriously a match made in summer cocktail heaven.
It takes a bit of time, but this drink is work every ounce of it. I swear.
Happy Holiday week, happy summer, happy Tuesday, happy drunk time. Whatever your reason, cheers.

...I reflected upon the time when I was a young, well-rested, only child.



Oh, those were the days.
I need a nap.

There are few things I love more than being in my back yard.
The fact that we have this ridiculous, green oasis in one of the most urban areas in Boston is quite the treat. But even before we moved to our current digs, I would sit on whatever deck/patio/staircase/sidewalk/etc was available in the summer time.
But now we have a yard. With a grill. And a hammock. And a fire pit.
And a Jambox.
So, when I made a Spotify playlist for the summer last year, I aptly titled it Backyard Summer.
It was a mix of some of my favorite old-and-new (at the time) tunes. It's still getting heavy rotation this year, but I thought it was time to craft something new for 2013. Some old favorites made it, and (of course) a hefty dose of Macklemore (The Heist has basically been the soundtrack to my life for the past six months) - in an effort to put together a somewhat unexpected series of tracks guaranteed to keep you in that hammock a little longer.

Whether it's a kiddie pool, a real pool, or a sprinkler on a sidewalk--stay cool kids. And enjoy.

This playlist is also available on Spotify.