FIESTA PARTY INSPIRATION

Happy Weekend ya'll! I'm a bit behind on posting this week due to playing catch up from travelling last weekend, so promise to be back in action first thing Monday morning!  In the meantime, I mentioned on Tuesday that my sister in law, Julia, and brother had a Cinco de Mayo engagement party at their house last weekend, and as you can see from the pictures below, the entire evening turned out perfectly! They did a phenomenal job at ensuring every last detail was taken care of, and it certainly paid off in the end.  Absolutely love the idea to use mason jars with pink bows for margaritas! I am also really wishing I jumped on board with my mom and Julia in Isla Mujeres back in March when they both bought serapes, because it was perfect to use as a tablecloth for this party.  Hope you can use these great ideas next time you're in need of a little inspiration when throwing a Mexican fiesta, which on a side note, I'd like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo every weekend, such a great reason to eat Mexican food and drink margaritas! Hope ya'll are having a wonderful weekend!

NYC MARGARITA MAP, AND I'M BACK!

Hi there! Did you miss me? I have been a bit MIA this week after a weekend in Austin with great friends and then a few days in Waco spent with my family which of course was pretty wonderful! How was the weekend? Did ya'll do anything festive for Cinco de Mayo? My sister-in-law had an amazing Cinco de Mayo engagement party for one of their friends and I was so impressed with her creative decor ideas for the party that I'm can't wait to share pics from it later this week when I get back to New York.  I meant to post this on Friday, but got a bit sidetracked with travel delays and was not able to get it up before the weekend.  That certainly doesn't mean I can't go ahead and post it for ya'll now! Hope ya'll are having a good start to your week & check back later towards the end of the week for new posts up on the blog! 

Via

Refinery29's NYC Ultimate Margarita Map is AMA-ZING. Not only does it break down the best margs in the city by neighborhood, it covers almost any kind of margarita you could possibly imagine. I am looking forward to trying out the delicious sounding Jargarita at Sweet & Vicious. Even though Cinco de Mayo was last weekend, it is always the perfect time for a margarita, so why not try out one of these restaurants this week, or hit up a few of these hot spots this weekend! If you do, let me know what your thoughts are on the margaritas!

Also, I am loving this jam right now, not to mention all of the latest songs by Gotye.  If you haven't downloaded their latest album, I would recommend it!

Oh, and did anyone go by and check out the Shops at Target that I was so excited about last week? Well, if not, then don't rush to your nearest Target. I am sad to report that I was really not that impressed with this first collaboration at Target.  While a few items were worthy of purchasing, I didn't see anything I had to have and certainly nothing to write home about.  Would love to know what your thoughts on the Shops at Target are if you checked them out this weekend, let me know!

CINCO DE MAYO

Hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend.  As I mentioned on Friday, Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday! You can guarantee this Texas girl LOVES to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and couldn't be more excited about getting to spend this year's day in Austin, CAN'T. WAIT.  I hope ya'll have fun plans for the weekend, and it is not too late to throw together a fiesta for friends with the essentials and recipes mentioned below.  

Paper Flowers//Corona Pops //Mini Tequila//Ruffled Streamers//Topo Chico//Chiclets//Plants in Cans

(Photo)

 via

Margarita Cupcakes
(via Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

1/4 cup lime juice

1 1/2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp tequila
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
In a large bowl, mix together lime juice, lime zest, soy milk, oil , tequila, vanilla and sugar.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to lime mixture and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

MARGARITA POPSICLES.

Cinco de Mayo is only EIGHT DAYS AWAY, yes, you read that right, it is one week from tomorrow.  That means you have only a few days to pull together a fun Mexican fiesta to celebrate the day! Not to worry, I have all the essentials for the perfect celebration, but you'll have to wait until Monday's roundup for that.  While I was looking for the perfect party ideas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I came across so many ways to create the perfect margarita and wanted to share the first of many margarita recipes, the margarita popsicle.  Even if it is not sunny and 90 degrees here in NYC this weekend, it doesn't mean you can't make a dozen of these popsicles sit outside and pretend you're basking in the sun enjoying the springtime weather.  Let me know what you think of them!

Recipe via