Summer Recipes – Crowd Pleasers

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! 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa’s Helper Pt2 With Banhez Mezcal Epi 2 GIVEAWAY

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: @banhezmezcalartesanalBANHEZ FB: https://www.facebook.com/banhezmezcalartesanal

 

 

 

 

Wine Not Wednesday – Dairy Free White Russian!

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! 

 

 

 

Crazy food night with my husband!

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? 

Caribbean Mango Cooler – Saturday Sip

I felt so inspired booking our Bali honeymoon that I created a lil vacation in a blender for you! This cocktail IS A VACATION for your senses! Yes all of them because it smells like an island, it’s so pretty to look at, and it tastes tropical and mangoey! I love mango and coconut anything so here’s this #SaturdaySip just for you!


Blend it up baby! What you’ll need:

In a blender add an entire can of your chosen Malibu flavored canned beverage, 2 oz of Malibu Coconut Rum, and 1/4 of the frozen blended juice. Toss in sliced mango, lime juice, ice, and blend. E N J O Y!

I made two ninja blenders worth of this magical drink and Joe and I had a tropical dance party in our living room. Beachy music and all!

Please sip responsibly and let me know what summer flavors you’d like to see in this week’s #WineNotWednesday! 

 

 

 

Vodka Coco-Mint Lemonade – #WineNotWednesday

I’ll find any excuse to put coconut anything into everything. Today for your #WineNotWednesday shake up, we’re making a coconut infused vodka mint lemonade! It’s just as refreshing and delicious as it sounds.


Shake it up baby! You’ll need:

  • Coconut water (Harmless Harvest is my all time favorite!)
  • Lemonade (Simply Lemonade is soo good, no pulp with a smooth tart)
  • Vodka
  • Kiwi
  • Lime juice
  • Jalepenos
  • Mint
  • Fresh strawberries

Place mint, strawberries, ice, and vodka into a shaker and shake it up. Kind of muddle the mint and strawberries together before adding in 2 oz lemonade, 1 oz vodka (or 2 if you like), and 1 oz coconut water. Pour the goodness into a glass and garnish with jalepeno slices, mint leaves, kiwi, and ENJOY! Sip responsibly. Love, mom

Do you love coconut? You either love it or hate it and if you love it than you put it in everythingggg!

 

 

 

 

 

Coconut Rum Spiced Apple Cider Cocktail – GOT Edition!

Things are heating up on this season of Game Of Thrones so I thought I’d follow suit with this week’s #SaturdaySip! A warm lil stir up with coconut rum, apple cider, and cinnamon!

Stir it up baby! You’ll need:

Pour equal parts of rum and cider into a cup (yes I like it strong like the label says!), top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and garnish with fresh apple slices! Enjoy!

Are you loving these themed GOT drinks?! I actually have the most fun time trying to figure out what I’m going to stir up or shake up for you each week! xoxo

 

 

 

Winter Is Here – Game Of Thrones Saturday Sip!

Winter is here! Yassss it is week two of GOT season 7 and I’m so excited to share with you a new drink each week in its honor! This will be an especially themed #SaturdaySip for your Sunday’s viewing pleasure, and today’s shake up is “Winer Is Here”!

Shake it up baby! You’ll need:

  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 oz mezcal
  • 1 oz reposado
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • 1 egg white

Shake everything up into your shaker without ice and then shake it up again WITH ice. Pour into a salted rim cup (very ice like) and enjoy!

What ingredient would you like see used on this week’s #winenotwednesday? Here’s the last drink in case you missed today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother Of Dragons – Game Of Thrones Drink!

In honor of Game Of Thrones season 7, I have a special series of #winenotwednesday for you! Each week I’ll share with you a yummy, happily evil lil drink but it’ll be more happy than evil 😉

Today’s stir up is the Mother Of Dragons potion featuring some fresh cracked black pepper because, black hearts and a swift kick to the throat. Easy on the salt bae sprinkle or you’ll prolly gag on this delicious ‘dragon blood’. Okay before I get any more obnoxious, here tis.

Stir it up baby! You’ll need:

  • rose champagne
  • dragon fruit
  • black pepper
  • kiwano fruit (aka dragon spikes)

Drop cubed pieces of dragon fruit into your flute, sprinkle with some black pepper for fun, and garnish with your ‘dragon spikes’. Yup, I’m doing this every week sooo. Enjoy 😉

What potent lil potion do you wanna try next week? PS who’s your least favorite GOT character . . . I could name a few!