new year's dinner eats

now, it wouldn't be our annual dinner party if there wasn't an emphasis on the delicious food...amirite? since this one was focused on authentic mexican cuisine, there were lots of chilies, layering of flavors, and new ways of cooking involved. this party left me even more inspired to explore more recipes in my new cookbook. and i loved how game our framily was to try each dish out, no matter how unique. 

to start the night, we, of course, did a welcome cocktail. after falling in love with jamaica margaritas in san miguel, i had to recreate them. so, i learned how to make jamaica agua fresca (holy cow, is that stuff amazing) and, after mixing it with mezcal, put tajin on the rim. it was...so good. 

first course, courtesy of m+j: chips, fresh guacamole and salsas

oh man...not only was the guacamole tasty, but those salsas they put together were outrageously good. plus, the labeling jana made for the salsas made me giggle ("wow").

fully diving into this book, i also learned how to make tortillas. and while my tortillas aren't perfect circles, i could not believe how easy it was to do and how much better they tasted. (proud little chef moment :) )

second course: spicy fruit salad 

so, technically, this one is supposed to have mangoes and watermelon with it. but, when those fruits aren't in season, you have to go all in on pineapple. the fruit is then mixed up with a dried chili mix (which we blended up) and a medley of citrus juices. now, i love pineapple, but this spicy-sweet flavor combo might be my second favorite way to eat it (after freshly cut, of course). 

third course: octopus ceviche and guacamole tostadas 

for several of our framily, this was their first time to have octopus and they were into it. surprisingly, this one looked the most complicated but was one of the easiest to make. the flavor combos were so, so good. i would easily make this recipe again. 

fourth course: diy carnitas tacos with a cabbage salad 

our first time making carnitas and it was the strangest recipe of them all. but, it with the cabbage salad and mixing up of salsas, including a basic tabasco sauce we made, was seriously yummy. if anything, this recipe taught me to just stick with the way these recipes are written - even if my instincts say otherwise. 

fifth course: smoked chicken (courtesy of T's smoking skills) with mole and braised pinto beans

mole, what can i say about you? you are a labor of love and a favorite of our framily. after hearing there would be leftover mole, jana, michael, and corbin began brainstorming of all the foods they'd put it on. 

[champagne toasting]

sixth course: spiced hot chocolate with churros

such a great way to end the dinner because who doesn't like hot chocolate? granted, this one was spicy, but just as great. and i can never resist a chance to dip churros in chocolate :)

new year's, a dinner party

for this past new years, i felt like we should switch things up. in the past, we've had friends over for drinks, watched movies in our jammies, and gone out for a big bash at a bar. but this year...this year i wanted it to be something special. 2018 was a year of immense growth, challenges, and wins. so, i thought, why not host another one of our food-themed dinner parties to mark the occasion? 

after our amazing trip to san miguel, i felt so inspired by authentic mexican cuisine. so, after scouring loads of cookbooks, i found one based on a well-known restaurant in mexico and got busy dreaming of what we'd make.  

[my hunky date]

[mezcal-ritas to start the evening]

the evening was beautiful and sweet. it was filled with jazz records, so many belly laughs, great wine, and the most amazing company mixing and mingling together. i truly, truly loved every minute of it and feel like it was maybe my favorite way to say goodbye to the lessons of the past year and hello to the experiences of the new year. 

[these two couldn't wait to get into the smoked meat]

since this dinner party was set on a holiday, we didn't make a dress theme as we have with our parties in the past. simply put, our instructions were to wear something festive for new year's eve. and to make sure we timed the dinner with the countdown, we set it later than usual to have a champagne toast/dance break before the last course. 

[classic sibs photo]

[mid-storytelling and jokes]

[my furry new year's smooch (after T, of course)]

a huge thanks to our friends who came from near and far to hang in, eat great food, drink dynamite cocktails, and celebrate the old and the new. 

best new year's yet!

taco tour

last saturday, T and i set out with empty bellies on a hot summer day to try as many tacos on our list as we could stomach. it's a hard task tasting delicious tacos, but it was one we were ready to undertake ;) 

our first stop, mainly by accidentally finding it first, was el primo loco. even though we didn't plan to start with this truck, we were so happy we did. one, the scents of smoked chicken immediately made my mouth water. two, once we had our bird, tortillas, salsas, and goodies, i could hardly wait to snap a photo before digging in. 

of all the tacos we tried, i made the biggest mess with this one, and for good reason, it was unbelievably good! smoky, spicy chicken filling our fresh tortillas and then dipping them into both salsas...oh my gosh. both T and i were very happy this was our first stop and couldn't stop talking about it on the way to the next truck. 

stop number two, taqueria el jiro. we had the good fortune of placing our order five minutes before the lunch rush came. quite literally, five cars immediately pulled up after we paid. if we had any concerns about this truck, they dissipated after seeing how many people came for lunch. 

the most recommended taco from this truck were the cabeza (head) and lengua (tongue). we also ordered the tripas (intestines) after the girl taking our order recommended it. the cabeza taco was so full of flavor, tender, and just incredibly tasty. the lengua taco was my second favorite from this truck as it was tender, juicy, and just an all around great taco. i loved it. the tripas was...okay. honestly, it was a little too crunchy so it was distracting from the rest of the taco. not bad, but not my favorite. 

also, if you are game to eat whole peppers, the chile toreados at this truck are supposed to be dynamite. while i do love heat in my food, i don't know that i am brave enough to dive into a whole pepper. i did that once before and it did not go well so, i had to pass this go around. 

our third (and last stop because we were getting full) stop, taqueria mr. dollar. another coincidence of timing with ordering our tacos before the lunch rush. plus, this truck was across the street from a mexican bakery i'd been to before...i really had to fight the urge to stop in for some sweet bread. 

the most recommended tacos from this truck were the chorizo and tripas. we also ordered the lengua because i kept thinking about it from the last truck and needed another fix. our favorite with this one was that spicy, smoky chorizo taco. oh man, was it good. and the tripas from this truck were just what i'd been looking for - a little crispy action but still tender and juicy to compliment the rest of the taco goodies. perfect! the lengua taco sadly left me missing the last truck again, but can't win them all.

now, with our bellies full of delicious taco goodies and we were ready to decide our favorites:

1. primo loco smoked chicken taco

2. taqueria el jiro cabeza taco

3. taqueria el jiro lengua taco

4. taqueria mr. dollar chorizo taco

5. taqueria mr. dollar tripas taco

6. taqueria mr. dollar lengua taco

7. taqueria el jiro tripas taco

such a great lunch and i can't wait to go back!

90th birthday weekend

last weekend, T's family gathered together to celebrate his granddad's 90th birthday. it was a big one to celebrate and the fact that it brought so many of us together made it even more special. now, when you think of someone turning 90, many would imagine someone less able-bodied and somewhat functioning mentally. but, T's granddad kills it as he is still making wise-cracks about his age and taking care of himself (driving too). he is #oldergoals in the best way. 

the actual party took place saturday, however, some family members came in town friday. so, T and i hosted a little cocktail hour to welcome everyone and catch-up. all the little cousins had a blast playing together while the adults got to visit and swap stories. 

[fresh lemonade, sangria, and mint water]

[mid-storytelling]

then, saturday came and it was time to celebrate the birthday boy! 

[brothers catching up]

[all the kiddos]

[viewing old photos of granddad]

[cheese!]

[coconut cream pie and white cake with vanilla buttercream and pineapple preserve filling]

[the webb men]

the party was a complete success and filled with so much love, great food (a huge thanks to sergios for all of their help), laughter, coconut cream pie (the birthday boy's favorite), and quality time celebrating our favorite family member. it was beautiful. 

[spiced pork rinds]

that night, T and i got together with some of our family from out of town for cocktails and dinner. 

[artwork courtesy of my 9 year old cousin alex]

after dinner, we showed everyone the views of campus at night and then went to have rolled ice cream (so good). 

[coffee + kit kat]

binging with babish

after receiving binging with babish's book from T, i figured he should have first pick of what recipes and movies we should try out. after looking through the book, he decided on two recipes - one from a movie he hadn't seen, and one that contained one of his favorite movie scenes. the first movie and recipe we tried out was breakfast at tiffany's chicken and mole with saffron rice.  

[wishing you guys could have smelled the heavenly mole]

[saffron water]

it had been awhile since i'd last seen the movie so, it was interesting to see it again through T's eyes. i can't say he's a fan of it, but he was a fan of audrey hepburn (i mean, who wouldn't be, she was a total babe). thankfully, he and i were big fans of the recipe. it was really tasty, and i'm glad it didn't blow up all over our kitchen like it did in holly golightly's. 

our second recipe to tackle was pulp fiction's big kahuna burger. as far as movies go, this had to be one of the most iconic moments for burgers. plus, we were curious if this recipe would live up to the hype. 

[just like the photo! but, we of course had to have fries with it]

[T recreating his favorite moment]

and just like jules said, "this is a tasty burger!". honestly, it may be one of my top five burgers i've ever had, and that's saying something. 

405 day

last thursday, T and i enjoyed 405 brewing's fiesta for april 5th aka 405 day. 405 brewing celebrated all things 405 with local brews, music, food, and community. it was their first 405 fest, but, the crowds came out in full support. T and i, of course, love supporting local, but it makes me even happier to see the support of the community. 

to add to the festivities, 405 brewing debuted a new beer called stu aka their west coast ipa.  

[all the crowds in the tap room]

[coconut lavender lemonade - so, so good]

[taylor prince]

[the fried taco's bbq jackfruit taco - unbelievable]

in between the killer musical talents, T and jonathan (one of the owners of 405 brewing) had raffle drawings for local prizes from their 405 sponsors. i may be biased, but a certain baldy was a pretty great emcee. 

[couple of cuties]

['you are magical']

[camille harp and john calvin abney]

it was such a great night supporting local, and i already can't wait until next year's 405 day!