Mastering The Art Of The Margarita

Any of my friends can attest to the fact that I DO NOT mess around with my margaritas. They're a true art form and a bad marg can turn you off for the rest of your life. I am here to redeem the margarita. And when I say margarita, I do not mean that phosphorescent frozen neon green radioactive crap.Now, when I order a margarita, I don't want it to taste like melted Sourpatch Kids candies or reflect what that calorie content would be. If you use a sweet & sour margarita mix, you might as well be slurping up congealed & frozen Sourpatch Kids. Gross. As Tina Fey/Liz Lemon would say, this is a "DEALBREAKER." Never ever ever ever ever ever use sweet & sour mix and call it a margarita, it's a disgrace to margaritas all around the world.You ask, how then can I make a real margarita? Well, I am willing to share my fabulously fresh, amazing and lower cal elixir. 

The Perfect Margarita

Coarse Sea Salt- for rim of glass

Chile Powder- I recommend "Trechas"

Ice

1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco- use 100% agave. I like Cuervo 1800

1 1/3 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice- use key limes, they're slightly sweeter than the regular lime

1/2 oz. Cointreau

1/2 Tblsp. agave nectar

1. Squeeze a few extra limes into shallow dish. 

2. In another shallow dish, mix coarse salt and Trechas chile powder together.

3. Dip rim of glass into dish of lime juice and then into dish of salt and chile powder mixture.

4. Fill glass with desired amount of ice; add lime juice, agave nectar, tequila, Cointreau in that order,  I've found it mixes best this way and melts less ice.

5. Stir a few times until evenly mixed and chilled

6. Serve and enjoy the perfect margarita!

If you are SUPER lazy and want an even quicker but still relatively low cal margarita, enjoy the one minute margarita:

One Minute Margarita

1/2 c. Simply Limeade- organic and not super sugary 

1 lime per glass you intend upon making

1 oz. tequila blanco per glass

1. Fill glass with desired amount of ice.

2. Pour tequila and simply limeade over ice.

4. Squeeze lime into glass, stir until evenly mixed and enjoy.

San Antonio, TX. boasts some awesome margaritas if you know which ones to order. My all time favorites are:

#1 SoLuna Restaurant's Margarita Chispa- Best margarita of my life. Super light, crisp and refreshing. It's made with fresh squeezed limes and all of the good stuff. I've tried to find a restaurant that serves a better margarita and I've never ever found its commensurate. Be careful though, these bad boys are muy fuerte (very strong). 

#2 Urban Taco's Margarita Classico- Great and refreshing margarita. Not quite as light and crisp as the chispa, but dang good, especially when paired with their taco trio platter. Also, Urban Taco is home of these incredibly addictive, perfectly seasoned Jicama chips that are half the carbs & calories of regular chips and not as filling. They are awesome but highly addictive.

#3 La Gloria's Margarita Classico- Also a refreshing & delicious margarita. Specializing in Mexican street food and situated in San Antonio's "it" place, the Pearl Brewery, La Gloria has a great vibe, food and most importantly, margaritas. It's the perfect place to take out-of-towners to or to visit if you're a tourist looking for great places in San Antonio.

The Art of being Gwyneth Paltrow- A Poor Girl's Guide: Part 2

Dearest Gwyneth,


How DO you do it all? As soon as the clock struck 6:00 pm and work was finally over, I transformed from "chic" art consultant to tired working girl sporting Nike shorts, an old sorority tee and my fabulous go-to coiff, a sloppy samurai inspired bun. While I did fall short of being Gwyneth-esque whilst cooking away in the kitchen, the girls and I did manage to cook up a gourmet and budget-friendly meal by revamping Gwyneth's Duck Ragu recipe from her new cookbook, My Father's Daughter. I don't wanna brag, but it was DELICIOUS and fed up to six people for a whopping $19.87. Here is the just as yummy but "ramen noodle price tag" and working girl 30 min recipe:

Poor Girl's Gwyneth Wanna-be Chicken Ragu:


1  H-E-B Original Rotisserie Chicken (pre-cooked)
3  Tablespoons Olive Oil (extra virgin schmirgin...most ppl lie about that anyway...)
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1  Med. yellow Onion, Peeled & Diced
2  Med. Carrots, Peeled & Diced
2  Med. Celery Stalks, Diced
5  Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced
2  5 in. Sprigs Rosemary, Remove Leaves & Mince
3  14 oz. Cans Peeled Whole Tomatoes With Juices
1  c. Red Wine (Franzia will do...not. It's never ok. Trust me, I witnessed a friend find that out in college)
1/4 c. Tomato Paste, Plus 2 More Tablespoons
1  1b. Pappardalle 
Grated Parmesan

1. Saute minced onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and garlic in olive oil in large & relatively deep saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until softened, about 15 minutes, then lower to simmer.
2. While vegetables are cooking, shred rotisserie chicken into small chunks, they don't have to be perfect.
3. Boil water and cook pasta. I usually add a dash of olive oil and salt to boiling water- it gives the noodles an extra little zing and the oil keeps the noodles from sticking together in a big lump.
4. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, chicken and wine to saucepan. Throw in a large pinch of sea salt and sprinkle with pepper. Bring to a boil, then allow juices to simmer together until you're ready to serve over Papardalle!
5. Divide pasta amongst bowls, add the ragu sauce and shred parmesan cheese over each serving.

Another great recipe we tried last night was inspired from Gwyneth's cookbook, but my friend Stuart (Check out her blog, Gypsey Caviar) added her own little zing to it!


Gypsey Caviar Kale Chips

Fresh Kale- however much you wish to cook

1. Preheat Oven to 400 F

2. De-stem & De-stalk Kale 

3. Toss Kale in Bowl With Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper & Dash of Chili Powder 

4. Spread single Layer of Kale Onto Baking Sheet & Cook Unitl Crispy, About 15 Minutes

5. Enjoy This Crispy Superfood Snack!

This Photo Looks Super Blurry & Is A Weird "Hulk" Green, But You Get The Picture