Labor Day Tequila!

We only have one more Summer weekend of BBQ's, cocktails and our toes in the sand! I don't know about you, but I've definitely had my fill of rosé, ice cream, and french fries this Summer! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed ALL of it, but now I'm ready to take it down a notch! I am ready to hit the gym, lay off the carbs and try out a new and "skinnier" drink! Thankfully, I have very resourceful friends and one in particular introduced me to Casamigos Tequila! Maybe all of you had heard of it, but I hadn't. Apparently, George Clooney and Randy Gerber just sold this tequila company for a cool billion dollars! Drink cocktails with this tequila might not make you rich, but less sugar makes for less hangovers! The recipe is beyond easy (and quick), and even if you have bad memories of tequila (or no memories at all), you should still try it! I promise, you will like it!

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Ingredients: Casamigos Blanco Tequila, lime seltzer, watermelon cubed, lime slices, ice

Directions: I like to use mason jars for Summer cocktails. It's more fun! I usually load up the glass with about 8 ice cubes. Pour in tequila (I measure 3 fingers up the glass - is that alot??), add seltzer, squeeze two lime slices into the glass, add watermelon cubes, and stir! Bottoms up!!!

All blog photography by Monika de Myer Photography

Hair & Makeup by Bloom Morristown

I refuse to be a short order cook!

EVERYTHING changes when you have children. Number of hours of sleep decreases, number of cups of coffee you drink skyrockets, you talk about poop WAY to much and every night you go to bed praying that you won't totally f*&ck them up... I do love being a mom. Kids are ridiculously funny and my life is beyond rewarding. However, cooking a meal that they all want to eat...well, it's a pain in the ass! And I refuse to be a short order cook. I make one meal and only one meal! So, over the past 15 years of motherhood and with a lot of trial and error, I have discovered and created a few meals that that the ENTIRE family will eat without complaining (OK, mom of the year award!). Today, I am sharing my turkey/zucchini lasagna recipe with you...and yes, your kids will eat the zucchini!

Ingredients: 1 lb. organic chopped turkey meat, 1 jar Rao's marinara sauce, (that's my go-to),  2 zucchinis (thinly sliced), 2 bags shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, dried oregano, dried basil leaves, Ronzoni "oven ready" lasagna noodles, olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Cook turkey meat on low heat until fully cooked. In another pan, saute zucchini until done. Combine meat, zucchini, and jar of sauce into one pan. 

In a separate bowl, combine 1 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves

In a rectangle baking dish, spread 1/3 of meat/zucchini/sauce mixture on bottom of dish. Then lay 3 lasagna noodles on top - making sure they do not touch or overlap. Spread 1/2 of mozzarella mixture on top of noodles. Spread 1/3 of meat/zucchini/sauce mixture on top. Generously sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread rest of mozzarella mixture on top of noodles. Spread remaining meat/zucchini/sauce mixture on top. Generously sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Enjoy! PS--this dish is just as good the second and third day...if there is any left!

All blog photography by Monika de Myer Photography

Hair and Makeup by Bloom in Morristown

My favorite summer cocktail

One of my favorite summer drinks was created by my dear friend, Shannon. She calls it the "Fanny"... Nicely rhymes with Shanny. ;-) It's delicious, super easy to make, and low in calories (bonus!!). I'm still embracing the floral trend and actually enjoying my brief vacation from solids and neutrals! (LOL).

Once again, I found an amazing dress at Zara (in store) AND at a fantastic price point! I loved that it had long sleeves and was off the shoulders as well as would work with either flip flops or heeled sandals! For accessories, I grabbed some fun bracelets from Perch Denver/Perch Vail and white block heeled sandals and my look was complete!

Recipe for the Fanny:

2 parts freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, 2 parts vodka, 1/2 part St. Germain, squeeze of lime.

Put everything in a shaker and shake away! Serve up in a martini glass with a lime wedge or over ice with a lime wedge. Cheers!

BBQ's & Rosé!

It's officially Summer on June 21st and you know what that means!?!? BBQ's and fun Summer cocktails! Rosé is a very popular choice for a Summer drink, but I thought why not spice it up??! I love this recipe because it is not only SUPER easy, but it uses fresh fruit too, which is yummy and makes the cocktail pretty. And I also found a great BBQ look - so you will be set from head to toe with a cocktail in hand...you just have to figure out what to cook!

White jeans are a Summer staple. Every girl needs a pair. I actually stole these from my daughter. I only had to cut the length a little bit (she towers over me!)...and they are from Abercrombie & Fitch - so a great price point! I layered a white tank underneath my denim shirt, to give me the option of taking of the denim shirt, if it's a hot day! These amazing platform sandals are from Perch Denver/Perch Vail and are SO comfortable! They are like wearing a heel, but you can run around in them while hosting your BBQ! The gorgeous accessories are also from Perch Denver/Perch Vail: Rosé All Day clutch, beach bag, and stacked beaded bracelets.  All must-haves for Summer! Enjoy your BBQ!

Recipe: Rosé Cocktail

Ingredients: Rosé, Blackberries, Strawberries, Kiwi, ice,

Directions (so easy!): Rinse fruit, chop strawberries into quarters, slice kiwi. Evenly disperse fruit into glasses (I used mason jars), top with ice. Pour Rosé over ice and swirl with a straw!