Frozen Limeade Margarita Recipe

I purchased these fun neon straws  at the grocery store and cut them down to a more stylish length.

Context: I have had visions of frozen margaritas dancing in my head ever since I realized my (okay, technically it’s my brother-in-law’s) ice cream maker can be used to make frozen beverages.

Problem: The internet (as far as I can tell) offers only a single recipe for frozen margs made in an ice cream maker. The Cuisinart recipe booklet included with our machine also provided a recipe for “Raspberry ‘Ritas,” but neither recipe fit my vision. They also had conflicting information, such as when to add the alcohol (mix with lime juice first, or wait until the last few minutes of mixing?)

Solution: Through combining recipes and some experimentation, I’ve created an easy frozen margarita recipe. Cheers!

Frozen Limeade Margaritas

Makes 3-4 servings

• 36 oz. (4.5 cups) limeade
• 3 oz. chilled Triple Sec
• 6 oz. chilled tequila
• optional: lime wedge for garnish

Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in the limeade. Allow the limeade to begin to form a slush consistancy (approximately 15 minutes). Add the Triple Sec and tequila. The mixure may partially liquify again. Leave it mixing in the ice cream maker until it has reached the slush consistancy again (approximately 10 minutes). Pour into glasses and garnish with a lime wedge. Store in the freezer and defrost 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe can be made without an ice cream maker. Mix the limeade, Triple Sec, and tequila and freeze for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Arts and Crafts Weekend

I visited Sam last weekend.  Our plan was simple: hang out, drink wine, and craft. It was successful on all fronts.

My suitcase was stuffed with items I planned to convert into a Halloween costume over the weekend, including an old pair of running shoes.

Sam had her own project to work on. Converting this light into a terrarium.

Oh, Otis.

What’s more fun—putting on the painter’s tape or peeling it off? We can’t decide.

Finished terrarium!

Finished golden snitch costume!

Sam decided to make a giant cake with buttercream frosting while I finished my costume.

Rachel and Harry looking for giant jumping fish on Lake Ontario.

-Rachel

What to Pack on a Camping Trip

If there’s one thing I love more than camping, it’s planning a camping trip. In fact, preparing for any sort of trip is my idea of a good time (check out my recent post, What to Pack on a 7-Hour Bus Ride).

For this coming weekend, Sam and I have instigated a twelve person, three campsite, outdoorsy weekend bash in the lush wilderness of upstate New York. With such a large group, making a packing list has been a three week endeavor. Planning out supplies for camping is super-important because you’re basically building a kitchen, bedroom, and living area from scratch when you set up a campsite. There’s so much to remember!

Here’s our packing list, which hopefully will help when you plan your own outdoorsy weekend events!

COOKING SUPPLIES

• Cooler
• Plastic bags
• Paper towels
• Ziplock bags
• Dish soap (eco-friendly!)
• Foil
• Knife
• Spatula
• Tongs
• Cutting Board
• Frying pan
• Pot
• Silverware, cups, paper plates
• Lighter
• Kindling
• Wood
• Water
• Condiments and spices
• Oil and/or butter
• Ice
• Grocery list

CAMPSITE GEAR

• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow
• Flashlight
• Rain tarp
• Camp chairs
• Camera
• Games and cards
• Art and craft supplies
• Batteries and chargers
• Rain jacket
• Towel
• First aid kit
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray

Have we forgotten anything important?

-Rachel

What to Pack on a 7-hour Bus Ride

Taking the bus is never my first choice of transportation. But since buses are cheap and go pretty much everywhere, I find myself on them quite often. The ride between Manhattan and Boston’s South Station is practically my second home. Last week, I made a late-night journey from New York to Portland, Maine. While packing, I had been thinking about all my past 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9-hour rides and decided to share my tips. Here’s how to make an epic, long-haul bus ride bearable:

Food and Drink: Once in college, I got stuck on a delayed bus with my best friend and our only remaining snack was a bag of banana granola. I will never eat banana granola again.

The key with bus snacks is to focus on the three major food groups: sweet, salty, savory. Clementines, sliced apples, M&Ms, and Fig Newtons, or a baked goods like chocolate chip cookies are my favorite sweet snacks. Carrot sticks, pretzels, nuts, cheese, and peanut butter crackers are good standbys for salty. Savory is tough because cold leftover tofu and broccoli in soy sauce eaten from a Tupperware container just isn’t that appealing on the bus. Usually I’ll save my savory treat for a dollar-menu item from the obligatory roadside rest stop. Gum and hard candies are always good for passing the time.

Don’t forget a water bottle, too. I usually avoid bringing onboard any beverage without a screw-on cap, because unless I am motivated to stumble around the bus looking for a trash bag when I finish my drink (which I never am) the remaining liquid in my to-go cup is definitely going to end up on my shirt or  on the inside of my carry-on.

If you’re super-organized you’ll remember to bring a few napkins and a plastic bag that can be used for trash.

Clothing: There is only one rule of bus-ride attire, and it’s mandatory: bring a sweatshirt. Even if it’s 95 and sunny, bring a sweatshirt. Drivers tend to blast the A/C to keep people from getting car sick, so you’ll probably need it, but even if your bus isn’t so chilly, a sweatshirt is the perfect makeshift pillow.

Entertainment: Let’s start with the built-in entertainment: the friends you bring or make on the bus (here’s my opening line for potential bus friends: “so, what are you doing in ___ this weekend?”) and the big ol’ window at your side. Obviously, most of your trip will probably have just boring highway, but I love seeing New York City from the bus when I’m driving in or out of Manhattan. I’ve also seen deer and a double rainbow on recent trips.

Now, for the supplies you need to bring. A notepad and pen will always come in handy for list-making, hangman-playing, and–if your trip gets really delayed–a travel journal with all of the hilarious and/or upsetting shenanigans that occur on an absurdly long bus ride.

If I’m traveling alone, I may invest in a trashy magazine, but if I’m with a friend a good catalog (like J.Crew or Anthropologie) is preferable. Then we can play the game where we choose our favorite items on each page.

Obviously the iPod is a life-saver for lulling yourself into a music-induced haze, but when I’m feeling productive, I also like to take the opportunity to catch up on texts and organize my smartphone (app updates/deleting dumb pictures/clearing out text messages/rearranging home screen.)

It does take a little time to properly prepare for an epic bus ride, but remember that the best way to sleep on a bus is to stay up all night packing the night before!

-Rachel

Sam’s Top 5 Summer Loves

As I have recently found myself unemployed yet again, I have had a lot of free time to enjoy my summer and figure out what it is I want to do next. My room is now much cleaner than it ever was before, and I have time to start all my fun craft projects I have been dreaming of, so it’s not all bad. While many of my crafts would be my top 5 favorite things, most of them aren’t ready to be seen yet, but don’t worry I’ll let you know when they are. Now on to all the wonderful things in no particular order….

5. Pretty flowery tank top

Flowery patterns aren’t usually my thing, but I just couldn’t pass on those fun bright colors. And I could use a couple shirts that aren’t those comfy v-neck shirts from Target that I have in just about every color now.

4. Refinished chair

I have been working a lot lately on refinishing some furniture and other crafts, and so far this is one of my favorites. I found it on the side of the road–or rather my dad did–and it was ugly and brown. I wish I had taken a photo of it before. I think it turned out pretty well!

3. Bright Orange Toms

My parents got these for me  for staying home and watching the dog while they were on vacation. They are so summery; I love them! I don’t even care that they clash with most of my outfits. They are just too cheery not to wear, especially with all this rain we have been having here.

2. Rolling Cart

This was my birthday present. I was so excited. It’s got little wheels, so I move it around all the time. Right now it’s holding some plants, since I am quickly running out of space in my room with all my plants. My plan is to make a serving tray out of some reclaimed wood to fit on the top and make it a cute little drink cart.

1. My Teal-Colored Hair

I have been wanting to do this for awhile, but was afraid it wasn’t work appropriate, so now is the perfect time for it. It’s not much–just a couple little streaks–but it’s enough to make me happy and that’s all that matters. 🙂

As I finish more of my summer craft projects I’ll let you know. I have some pretty exciting ones In the works. In the mean time, feel free to share your favorite summer things or any crafts you may be working on. I could always use some inspiration!

-Sam

My 6 (New) Favorite Things for Summer

I’ll admit it–I’ve been a bit spendy this spring. Usually I’m a frugal gal–not just by necessity, but by nature, but for the past six weeks or so, that has all gone out the window. I started a new job in March and for the first time in a while, could justify a few totally self-indulgent purchases. That being said, I’m still an excruciatingly careful shopper; I want my purchases to be practical, reliable, versatile, and fit with my style. Now that I’ve  tried out all my new purchases for summer, here are my six faves:

5. Brooklyn Industries black tee with detailing

This was a rare spur of the moment purchase for me–I bought it to get a discount on another item, but it has proved to be a valuable addition to my wardrobe. It fits loosely without being saggy–making it the perfect counterbalance to my beloved Uniqlo jeggings.

4. Knock off Keds

They’re not name-brand sneaks, but that’s kind of why I love them. Two weeks ago, I was eating a bagel in Central Park and a huge blob of onion chive cream cheese fell on the ground. Ten minutes later, I stepped in that blob of cream cheese, but did I care? Nope. In $15 sneaks, my failures of observation are a lot less upsetting.

3. Galaxy S3 wallet case

Summertime is about traveling light. Anytime I can ditch a backpack–or better yet–the whole purse, I’m happy to do so. This wallet means I’m less likely to lose my phone, debit card, metro card, and ID this summer (or at least, if I do lose them, it’ll be all at once, which makes things that much more fun, right?)

2. Target fusha tank

Another cheapie purchase that I plan to get my money’s worth of this season. I love the color and the racerback style; I usually throw it on over one of my neon sports bras (also from Target) and am GTG.

2. Dansko Thea sandalish shoes

It’s a work shoe!… It’s a party shoe!… No–it’s a surprisingly comfortable walking shoe! I’ve wasn’t a Dansko girl until earlier this week, but consider me fully converted. They were pricey, but are one of the most versatile pairs of shoes I’ve ever owned. If you’re going to spend the money, get them in a neutral color and wear them everywhere.

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Aside from the fact that I still need to learn how to use most of its features, I. Love. This. Camera. It’s compact enough to carry around comfortably (like to this Matt & Kim concert) but still takes stunning photos. I’m sure they’ll be even more stunning once I get a grip on what all the buttons do.

-Rachel

Brooklyn the Beautiful

Last week served as an unwelcome reminder of how unsteady the world is under our feet. Sometimes, life is unpredictable in unkind ways. I escaped to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on Saturday, because it always reminds me how surprisingly beautiful the world is.

-Rachel

Spring and Summer To Do List

Every year, as soon as the weather shows promise of getting remotely warm and sunny, I make a to-do list. When I was in elementary school, I made the list on the first day of summer vacation. This year, I started getting excited about all my warm-weather plans in about mid-February, so I made my list early.

-Rachel

Color Study: Mint

This week, I looked in the mirror as I was putting on my mint-flavored lip balm with my eggshell blue fingernails, backdropped by my light green bathroom tiles. I realized that I have subconsciously been collecting every minty-colored item I can get my hands on lately.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking forward to springtime. Mint is a color for the changing of the seasons. It can be cold as ice one minute and sunny as a blue sky the next.

-Rachel

How to Work 60+ Hours in 4.5 Days

On Friday I’ll be voyaging to Burlington, Vermont to spend a wonderful weekend with many friends who would make it onto my “top 25 favorite people” list, if I happened to have such a list. BUT, before I can kick back for the weekend, I must complete a very ambitious To Do list. It won’t be easy–there are going to be late nights and early mornings–but my reward will be a stress-free weekend in one of my favorite places on earth.

Things I need to do between Monday morning and 3:30 on Friday afternoon:

1. Work 40 hour week 
2. Go to internship (7 hours plus travel time)
3. Complete freelance assignments (between 8 and 16 hours)
4. Finish blog post (1 hour)
5. Go on two runs (1+ hour each)
6. Job search and applications (1-5 hours)

Luckily (or–I guess–unluckily), this is not my first time pulling a red-eye work week in order to live large for a few days. It’s pretty standard fare for the breaking-into-publishing life here in Brooklyn, and at this point, I’m not intimidated by a few 15-hour days in order to do what I love. I know, it’s not necessarily healthy–I definitely don’t recommend doing this every week–but sometimes you just have to grab life by the collar and give it a good shake in order to remember you are alive and capable of incredible things. SO, here are my tips for completing the impossible in less than enough time.

• Before the time comes for you to actually sit down and get to work, make sure you have prepared. Bake a lasagna, water your plants, download some podcasts (read our listening recommendations here), chop carrot sticks, and make sure you have enough pairs of clean underwear, because once you get going, there’s no time for pit stops. Also, make sure you have ice cream on hand; I’ll explain why later.
• The next–and I believe most important–step is to get yourself into the proper mindset to complete the task at hand. Think of this project as a mission, not a chore. Envision yourself as a warrior, or space commander, or evil warlord, or whatever important-seeming persion you admire, and now pretend that this is the most important mission of your life. This is the week that people will make movies about. This is what your great-great grandchildren will remember you by. This is the project that will make history.
• Now, make a very detailed plan. Don’t forget eating time, showering time, calling your mom time, and getting a bit of fresh air time. These are all important, and when you forget to plan for them, they can eat into your scheduled work time very quickly. Then–this is also very important–set your alarm clock according to your plan.
• Okay, so now it’s day one of your work-a-thon and you’re starting out strong. How do you keep that momentum going? First, keep a glass of water next to you at all times. It’s amazing how much water you can drink absent-mindedly if it’s placed conveniently close by. Being hydrated will keep you feeling fresh longer.
• Second, make sure to take stretch breaks every 1-2 hours. If you’re at a computer like me, that means stretching your eyes (use your farsighted vision for a minute by looking out the window or across the room) and your body (shoulder rolls and toe-touching are my two faves).
• Third, practice cautious caffeine consumption. Especially if you’re a caffeine wimp like me, the last thing you want is to be lying wide-eyed in bed at midnight cursing that half a cup of English breakfast tea you had at seven (and dreading the long day of work ahead of you,) instead of resting up from the long day of work behind you. Even if you can handle your caffeine better than me, lay off the 5 Hour Energies (presumably five hours before you want to go to bed…)
• Now let’s pretend you’re deep into the project. It’s day three, you’re exhausted, and the finish line is nowhere in sight. This is where we pull out all the stops. First, if your mind wants to work, but your eyes want to sleep, I have a useful, albeit strange-looking trick that has helped me push through my darkest hours. Soak a washcloth with water, ring it out, fold it lengthwise, and lay it over your eyes for 1-2 minutes. It’ll refresh your eyes and keep you from falling asleep on your keyboard.
• If you’re still sleepy, up the stretch breaks to every 45 minutes.
• Finally, when you hit your lowest of low points, it’s time to rummage around in the freezer and dig out that ice cream I mentioned in the first bullet point. Drizzle that baby with syrup, throw on nuts and frozen blueberries, and top it off with whipped cream. This is the dessert that is going to take you in sight of the finish line, so calories are not an issue right now. Enjoy that ice cream like you have never enjoyed ice cream before and then dive headfirst back into your work and push it to the end. Also, crank the epic music at this point. 

I’m well into my work week right now and should be going strong for a few more days. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes and feel free to post any of your best power-working tips–I’ll need all the help I can get!