It’s the unofficial start to summer, and if you’re anything like me, this has been quite a busy year so far! I’m really looking forward to chilling out this long weekend, and I thought you might be too, so I wanted to share a few of my favorite recipes and products, perfect for a backyard BBQ with friends or just hanging out at home! Plus, just in time for planning summer DIY projects, we've added new items to our *Sale* page! :)
First up, my favorite salsa and guacamole recipe of all time. Both recipes come from chef Marcela Valladolid; you might remember her from Food Network’s Mexican Made Easy. If you haven’t heard of her, you’re in for a treat; she has the best recipes! Check out her Instagram for videos, live demos, and more www.instagram.com/chefmarcela
Most of the time, I end up buying fresh salsa from Trader Joe’s, but when I’m in the mood to make it from scratch, this is my go-to Pico de Gallo recipe. To keep the salsa from being watery, I remove all the seeds, dice the tomatoes, then salt and gently toss them, and let them sit in a strainer over a bowl for about 15-20 minutes. The salt draws the water from the tomatoes, so the salsa isn’t watery! This tastes terrific freshly made, but if your gang can wait, make it a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to meld and taste even more amazing!
I don’t usually like a lot of ingredients in my guacamole, but this recipe with onion and cilantro + fresh tortilla chips is pretty terrific! When avocados are in season, I also like to keep it simple and mash them up, leaving them a little bit chunky, and sprinkle with pink Himalayan sea salt and a squeeze of lime if we have it.
If you want to skip the freshly baked tortilla chips from the previous recipe, I love the organic blue corn chips from Trader Joe’s, but for a special treat, these Pipcorn Sea Salt Corn Dippers are sooo yummy! Once the bag is open, they don’t last long in our house! They’re made from Heirloom white corn, non-GMO, and 100% whole grain. If you haven't had these before, you must try them at least once!
Tequila anyone? I usually enjoy it straight, it’s healthier, LOL, than adding sugary mixers, but I recently heard Sara Blakely say that she mixes a shot of tequila with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice, so I had to try it! It was delicious! Sometimes I add sparkling water to it for a bit of fizz and to cut the sweetness. I also heard some say they muddle or slice a little jalapeno in it for a spicy kick!
What a fun summer hostess gift this would be! Who wouldn’t want to receive this Casamigos Cocktail Gift Set? For the ultimate craft cocktails, this gift set includes Casamigos' Blackberry Basil Smash Cocktail Mixer, Signature Margarita Cocktail Mixer, Salty Sweet Orange Cocktail Rimmer, and Pink Himalayan Salt Rimmer. Yum!
Once a year, Apolis rolls out their Limited-Edition Wine Tote; it’s available now through May 29th. This special tote has two inner compartments that perfectly fit two bottles of wine. Wine aside, these totes are the perfect summer tote for hitting the beach, concerts, farmers markets, etc! They’re customizable and available in several colors.
And last but not least, long weekends are perfect for planning the next DIY project! Check out new markdowns on DIY/Primed moulding kits on our *Sale Page*. These moulding kits have a slightly different finish from our new DIY/Primed mouldings, but the profile is the same, so take advantage of the savings and feel free to mix and match!
I hope everyone has a lovely, relaxing long weekend!
Esther
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