It’s A Heluva Holiday To Give Back

by with No Comment familyfoodholidayholidayshostinglifestylemom lifeparty planningphilanthropy

to dip or double dip, that is the question

This post was sponsored by Heluva Good! Dip as part of an Influencer Activation, like always, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

So chips and dips… I will use any portal necessary to get the biggest bite from my dip, anyone else with me on this???

I’m proud of my snacking skills, my hosting abilities, and how HUMBLE I sound right now haha I’m also really passionate about working with companies that are philanthropic. You’ve seen me talk about this during the release of my Gift Guides this month so you’ll understand why I’m proud to have teamed up with Heluva Good! Dips and Walmart today!

I love that we’re helping to raise awareness about 1) their delicious dips and 2) ’tis the season of giving and Heluva Good! Dip will be donating a portion of sales to Toys for Tots that will run through the remainder of the year. I mean, talk about my two favorite things teaming up … spreading dips and spreading joy.

Dips make for delicious snacks perfect for anytime aka when everyone is waiting for dinner to be made this holiday season, just set out some chips (and some pita, oh and some crackers too) and Heluva Good! Dips for them. This is a for sure crowd pleaser every time!

Easy snacking, a time to gather around the table and catch up with friends and family, chips and dip are nostalgic for me. During this time of year when we can’t be with our families due to the pandemic, it’s so wonderful to have some tradition here at home. My mom always had her favorites in the fridge and can you guess what it was? French Onion! That’s my go-to flavor as well, it’s so creamy and SO yummy.

If you’re passionate about benefitting great causes and supporting brands that are like minded, please join me in purchasing your Heluva Good! Dip at Walmart or Walmart.com (pssst available for pick up or Walmart grocery delivery) and help donate to Toys for Tots this month. How convenient and wonderful it is to do some good, simply by purchasing something your family will enjoy while helping to make someone else’s holiday just as wonderful.

It’s a Heluva Holiday to give back … see what I did there? 😉

Happy holidays from me and mine to you and yours <3

Saturday Sip – Spicy Mango Smoky Tequila

by with No Comment hostingrecipessaturday sipwine not wednesday

Cheers to the freakin’ weekend <3 This Saturday Sip is dedicated to my love of mangos and smoky tequila!

Smoky, spicy, tangy, and sweet, there’s something for everyone! Full recipe up now on my IGTV, lil preview seen here with Joe and I were there was a lot of smiling, a lot of tequila, and drinking. A lot of that too 😉

Are you a fan of the smoky tequila? How about tequila in general? It’s my favorite! Enjoy responsibly and I’ll see you next week, happy Saturday bbs <3

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Recipes – Crowd Pleasers

by with One Comment entertainmentholidayshostingrecipessaturday sipspecial occassionsspiritswine not wednesday

Every city in the world may not be as hot as Los Angeles is right now but man oh man, have we been on a heat wave! Since you’re bound to go through a Summer season of your own I wanted to share with you my favorite summer recipes that are definite crowd pleasers.

So for your next girls day, catch up brunch, bbq, or BYOB- I’ve got you! These will take you no time at all and you probably already have the ingredients to get cookin’. Here’s a Summer ‘salad’ and two of the yummiest and easiest cocktails.

Disclaimer: if you know me than you already know this ‘salad’ is not an actual traditional leafy green ‘salad’. It’s one of my go-to summer salads though and one of my best girlfriends introduced me to it!

Lentil Salad- this is a cold salad 

  1. one package of cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s
  2. one whole bruschetta tub- drained of juices
  3. chopped red onion and cucumbers
  4. chopped kale would be yummy here too with some sprinkles of vinaigrette but we were out
  5. salt & pepper
  • mix all together, top with some fresh basil, enjoy with home made tortilla chips (like we did) or by itself, or even over a real traditional leafy salad 😉


Summer Spritzer – so refreshing! 

  1. your favorite rose´ wine
  2. sparkling water (I used watermelon because yummm)
  3. whatever fresh fruit you like
  • fill your glass 2/3 of the way with the wine and top with bubbly water and fruit


Homemade espresso martini frappe  – slushy and perfect for hot days when all you wanna do is crunch on ice

  1. cold brew, iced coffee concentrate, or espresso shot
  2. whatever milk you like, I used almond coconut for creaminess
  3. 4-5 ice cubes
  4. drizzle of maple syrup
  5. Kahlua – I used a whole shot just because
  • combine coffee, milk, ice, and maple syrup into a blender. Top with Kahlua and stir, garnish with espresso beans. ENJOY!

P.S. did you know today is National Tequila Day?! One of my favorite adult beverages has a whole day! For my fellow wine moms/people out there, this is for you. I’m concocting an entire recipe list for tequila don’t you worry! 

 

 

 

 

 

A GIRL’S GUIDE TO GALENTINE’S DAY!

by with No Comment bakingDIYfoodholidayshostingparty planningValentine's Day

Love it or leave it Valentine’s Day is this Sunday and there’s been a flood of holiday themed treats and DIY posts. Who am I to stop the momentum? We’re celebrating Galentine’s Day today so grab your favorite gal pals, a bubbly drink, and lets start baking!

Today’s menu includes frosted cinna-hearts, pita heart-wiches, and a dessert skewer … not in the shape of a heart. See, we’re themed! Hearts everywhere!

For your frosted hearts you’ll need one package of cinnamon rolls and some sprinkles!


Unravel the cinnamon bun and split it into two halves and then shape the two into a heart!


Bake per the directions on the packaging and then drizzle the frosting over top and sprinkle with ALL the sprinkles!


These pita heart-wiches are super easy and super yummy! Just take 2 pitas and layer them up with turkey, cheese, cucumber, or whatever your favorite fillings are. Then cut them up and enjoy! They’re especially enjoyable when you use a heart shaped cookie cutter!


I sliced a few of these in half which made them look like broken hearts, which still tasted delicious AND fit the theme of my next post ‘the achy-breaky Valentine’.


The macaroons  were from Trader Joe’s and after you thaw them out it’s as if you picked them up fresh from the bakery! Salted caramel is my favorite!

For the dessert skewers just take a paper straw (I got these from the dollar store) and stack your favorite pastries, alternating between them. I chose snickerdoodles and blueberry muffins! Almond milk and another straw for sipping and we were set!

That red glowing drink you see in the background is cherry-cranberry juice spiked with our favorite vodka!


I hope this inspires you to enjoy a holiday with your friends, Valentine’s day ins’t just for lovers! It’s a day to celebrate all the loves! If you really don’t feel like celebrating and you just hate the holiday all together, then I have a post for you on Sunday (yes ON Valentine’s Day, see what I did there) with menu items like Bleeding Heart Brownies and Sour Cherry Puckers, so stay tuned for that!

Here is my most recent video, our first installment of Pinterest DIY-Not! I made Melt My Marshmallow treats and Cherry Whiskey Smashes! They were just as delicious and they sound!

Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day? A Galentine’s day celebration perhaps? Share with me your plans so we can all live vicariously through one another and P.S. if you aren’t Subscribed to me on YouTube please do, I post videos twice a week! See, so much sharing! xx

Everything Nice With Banhez

by with 4 Comments entertainmentgiveawaysholidayshostingrecipesvideo

I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you sip your drink as you walk away… that’s the saying right? Awww this is the final episode in our holiday cocktail series with Banhez Mezcal and I saved the best for last. AKA I love a spicy sip and this is so adequately named Everything Nice… with sugar and SPICE! A lil kick of heat at the tip of your tongue as you enjoy this drink, it’s my favorite.

The Everything Nice!

1.5 oz charred poblano-infused Banhez Ensemble*

1 oz fresh pineapple juice (fresh juice is preferred)

1/4 oz lime juice

1/4 oz agave

Pinch of salt

*Charred Poblano-infused Banhez:

Use 1 poblano per every 1.5 cups of Banhez.

Warm a pan or cast iron skillet to medium-low heat and place the poblano pepper in, turning every few minutes until the skin of the pepper is charred and cracked in places. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Finely chop the poblano- remove the seeds and ribs if you don’t want it too spicy, leave them in if you like the heat like I do. Make sure to wash your hands after handling the peppers, or opt for gloves… and don’t touch your eyes. I learned the hard way.  

Place the diced pepper + 1.5 cup of Banhez in a mason jar, seal, and shake the ingredients to incorporate. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the level of spice is to your liking. Strain out the solids through a sieve. This will hold indefinitely and can be stored in your pantry in a sealed jar.

Banhez pro tip: if poblanos aren’t an option in their market, any pepper works! Jalapeños are great, as are green bell peppers. 

Lastly, to build the drink: Combine all ingredients together in a shaker tin, shake with ice for around 20 seconds, or until the outside of the tins are very cold. Double strain liquid out of tin into a rocks glass with ice in it. Garnish and enjoy. Here’s a video of me making the drink live with you!

A lil spice and a lot nice, this cocktail is a crowd pleaser for sure! Make it for your holiday gathering this weekend and if you’d prefer more heat, allow the peppers to brew longer before straining it into a mason jar!

Try all three of these cocktails and let me know how you love them and which one is your favorite! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway, I can’t wait for one of you to receive this awesomeness. You’ll get a 1L of Banhez Mezcal and this entire cocktail creating kit as seen here!

Giveaway Entry Rules:

– must be 21+ years old to enter
– winner will be selected at random
– enter as many times as you like, the more you enter, the more chances you have to win!
– an ‘entry’ is a comment on all 3 Banhez Mezcal cocktail articles here on the blog, here’s part 1 and part 2! Be sure to enter on ALL 3 blog articles!
– stumped on what comment to leave? Tell me a fun fact about yourself or what your plans are for the holidays! I love learning more about you guys!
– and drink responsibly as always please and thank you <3
, love Mama Lizama

Be sure to follow Banhez for exciting things happening in 2019 here’s their links: BANHEZ IG , BANHEZ FB, and you can purchase a bottle of Banhez Mezcal for yourself and as a gift HERE! <3 

I want to give Banhez a big huge thank you for sponsoring this giveaway and to you for your support always <3 I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday and I’ll see you in the new year! Happy holidays from my family to yours, 2019 here we come!

 

 

 

Santa’s Helper Pt2 With Banhez Mezcal Epi 2 GIVEAWAY

by with 9 Comments communitygift ideasgiveawaysholidayshostingparty planningspiritstutorialvideo

Happy Friday!!! Today I’m back with another installment of our holiday cocktail series featuring my favorite smokey beverage, Banhez Mezcal! This is Santa’s Helper Pt 2, the follow up to Episode 1 and in this recipe we sweeten with agave instead of our homemade cranberry syrup and I love the addition of cranberry bitters! So if you’re pressed for time and need to whip together something fancy and fast, this is for you!

Don’t forget I’m hosting an exciting GIVEAWAY with Banhez which includes the entire cocktail creating kit you see in this video! PLUS a 1L bottle of Banhez Mezcal so now you can make these cocktails at home! All you have to do to enter is comment on this post and the other two episodes by Monday and I’ll pick the winner next week! To purchase a bottle of Banhez for yourself and a friend (ahem this makes the perfect gift) I’ll link you HERE!

Santa’s Helper #2

2 oz Banhez Ensemble

1/4 oz agave

2 dashes Fee Brother’s Old Fashioned Bitters

2-4 dashes Fee Brother’s Cranberry Bitters (modify for how much of that cranberry flavor you want)

Stir in Japanese stirring glass (or pint glass) with a long spoon until you can easily move the spoon through the ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ice, garnish with orange zest and a rosemary sprig.

Banhez Pro Tip: this recipe is easy to batch but given how spirit-forward it is, it can lose flavor the longer it sits in ice, so keep that in mind 😉 

Tada! It’s sweet and tangy, light yet flavorful, and the smokiness of the Banhez Mezcal won’t go unnoticed! This is one of my favorites because of how quickly you can stir together the ingredients given most of them are already in your pantry!

Give this a try and let me know what you think, I know you’re gonna want to batch this! P.S. did you hear that I’m hosting a giveaway featuring this beautiful set below?! Enter in the comments, good luck <3

Giveaway Entry Rules:
– must be 21+ years old to enter
– winner will be selected at random
– enter as many times as you like, the more you enter, the more chances you have to win!
– an ‘entry’ is a comment on all 3 of my Banhez Mezcal cocktail recipes that’s here on my blog. Here’s Epi 1 and Epi 3 for you, be sure to comment on all 3 articles and good luck!
– stumped on what comment to leave? Tell me a fun fact about yourself or what your plans are for the holidays!
– and drink responsibly always please and thank you <3
, love Mama Lizama

Interested in learning more about Banhez? I’ve linked you here: BANHEZ IG: @banhezmezcalartesanal, BANHEZ FB: https://www.facebook.com/banhezmezcalartesanal

 

 

 

 

Wine Not Wednesday – Dairy Free White Russian!

by with No Comment hostinglifestyleparty planningrecipesSaturday Shake upssaturday sipspiritswine not wednesday

It’s #WineNotWednesday babes and today we’re making a dairy-free White Russian cocktail with a twist! A lil zing of coffee cold brew baby!

I particularly like this recipe because I’m dairy free now, it tends to upset my stomach and this version still has the richness of the original minus the kick, literally. I replaced the dark liqueur with cold brew and this Stumptown is one of my favorites! ps chocolate liqueur everything please and thank you!

For today’s shake-up you’ll need:

For this deliciousness you’ll just need to pour 1/4 cup cold brew, a few shots of vodka, some ice, and a shot of liqueur into your shaker and shake it up!

Pour that into your glass and stir in gently 1/4 cup almond milk and garnish with nutmeg! Enjoy babe!

Does this recipe sound just like an espresso martini? LOL it just may be! I didn’t google it before making, I just threw it together for you so try it out and let me know what you think! 

 

 

 

Best Vegan Mint Milkshake With Nada Moo!

by with No Comment bakingfoodhealthhostinglifestylewellness

Earlier this year we took a 30 day Vegan challenge and I say “we” because I basically forced my family to do it with me. Corrine’s been a pescatarian since she was 12 so this is something that was easier for her to manage and she actually loved it.

You’d be surprised by how much animal bi-product is in everything, which made it difficult at times but we did it! We experimented with a whole new way to prepare food in it’s deliciousness, and I think moving forward I’ll stay dairy free . . . just hurts my tummy.

So Corriney made me this delicious vegan milk shake for me the other night because I was craving McDonald’s mcflurry and she advised me against it lol

You’ll need:

  • Nada Moo dairy free ice cream (we went with  my favorite – mint chocolate chip)
  • Coconut flakes
  • Almond milk

Blend them all together, measurements depending on how thick or thin you like your milkshakes, garnish with some fresh mint and you’re set!

Have you tried going dairy free, gluten free, or vegan? How did it go? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy food night with my husband!

by with No Comment foodhostinginspirationparty ideasrecipesspiritswine not wednesday

Oh la la, I said husband! So Joe and I had a crazy food night making spicy quesadillas and Hi-C margaritas! I say crazy because of the copious amounts of jalapenos that went into making them 😉 Give these a try for a fun date night or dinner with friends . . . oh oh have a game night!

The Hi-C margarita was sweet but not too sweet, slushy but not too slushy, and just the perfect amount of ice crunch!

Please Subscribe to my channel if you haven’t, I love creating these food/ beverage nights with you!

What themed night would you like to see next? Girls night? Sleepover? Movie night?Â