Pete’s Pierside Tacos

One of my favorite lunch spots in college was a place called Pete’s Pierside Cafe.  It has since closed (tear) but it was one of those fun hole-in-the-wall joints right on the water with the most amazing shrimp tacos…

Needless to say I have been craving them lately and needed to find a way to create them myself.   Luckily for me, I came across (which is now one of my favorite food blogs) Marin Mama Cooks.  She posted a recipe for Chipotle Shrimp Tacos that now holds the key to my Pete’s Pierside cravings!

The extra perk? It’s super quick and most importantly… super tasty!

Make the cilantro yogurt before work, the cabbage when you get home, and then you can prep the shrimp and tortillas whenever you’re ready!

Almost as good as Pete’s 🙂

Mint Julep

I had my first Mint Julep at Club 33 in Disneyland… it was surprisingly refreshing for a bourbon based drink and I realized I had a new fall favorite sip.

Mint Julep                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Serves 1

• handful of mint leaves
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 2 1/2 oz bourbon

1. Muddle mint and simple syrup in a glass (don’t over muddle because the mint will turn bitter – just enough to release the oil)
2. Add bourbon to glass
3. Fill with crushed ice and stir well.
4. Once glass is frosty, garnish with a mint sprig.

*I have Mint Julep cups but I prefer to use them as vases… so I had to go with the standard crystal glass – still just as tasty!

J.Crew Jewels

1./2./3./4./5./6./7.

It is very hard for J.Crew to do wrong in my book… and their jewelry department is no exception.  I’m especially loving what they have come out with and wanted to share my wish list!  What is your favorite J.Crew jewelry piece?

Birthday Cake

I finally checked the second “Summer To Do List” item off my list – bake a layer cake!  I used to bake super involved cakes when I was younger, but found it difficult to find the time as I got older.  I really enjoy the process… it’s therapeutic to me.  So when I found my sister was coming into town to celebrate her birthday, I figured when better than now to break out my apron!?

After many debate about which direction to go in, I decided to create what I deemed a “princess cake.” Basically something your 6 year old self would get a kick out of – vanilla cake, sprinkles, pale pink butter cream frosting… the works!

I doubled this recipe and started with A LOT of eggs, A LOT of butter and A LOT of sugar.  I got to stirring, whipping and baking and after a few hours had 3 relatively flat layers to work with (remember to use a large serrated knife or cake knife to slice off the top of the cake to get an even/flat surface when stacking layers).  Another tip: use a small amount of frosting to ice your cake initially and let “dry” (as shown in the pictures above).  Doing this keeps any crumbs from getting into your final frosting layer.

I only used a couple drops of red food coloring to achieve the pale pink color.  I frosted the top and then finished with colored sprinkles.  Next I frosted the edges with a spatula (my kitchen is not fully equipped yet!) and then piped around the edges (let’s be honest it was to hide any issues with the “seams”/edges).

I added a few colored candles and we were all set for happy birthday!

Happy birthday Ta!!

Casual Friday

Yes, it’s Tuesday… but sometimes you just want to be laid pack but with a professional twist.  My answer? A fitted blazer.

A simple tee, with skinny jeans, simple tennis shoes and a few glam accessories (ie. crocodile clutch and bedazzled headband) and I’m all set!

Comfortable and chic!

What’s your go to casual-chic outfit?

Banana Republic Blazer, Hurley Tee, J.Crew Jeans, Converse Sneakers, Anthropologie Headband, Ray Ban Aviators, Jessica Simpson Clutch