If you've never had this craveable girl scout cookie, it's a crispy, delicious cookie layered with creamy peanut butter and covered in chocolate. The process may seem a bit daunting but it's so worth it, plus your friends will be outrageously impressed with your baking skills. HOMEMADE TAGALONG COOKIES Active Time: 1 Hour Start to Eat: 2.5 Hours (Including Chill Time) Makes: 40 cookies (give or take) INTRODUCTION If you've never had this craveable girl scout cookie, it's a crispy, delicious cookie layered with creamy peanut butter and covered in chocolate. The process may seem a bit daunting but it's so worth it, plus your friends will be outrageously impressed with your baking skills. COME TAGALONG WITH ME INGREDIENTS Cookies: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 5 tablespoons cold water Peanut Butter Filling: 1 cup creamy peanut butter ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons softened butter ¼ cup powdered sugar Chocolate Coating: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Using a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt; pulse until combined. Cut the cold butter into ½ inch cubes, add that to the processor; pulse until the mixture resembles sand. Add oil, pulse again. Finally, gradually add 1 tablespoon at a time of the cold water until the dough pulls together completely but isn’t too wet. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface until about ¼ inch thick (pretty thin!). Cut out using a circle cookie cutter ( I used a 2-inch cookie cutter). Poke a few times with a toothpick or fork, this helps cook the cookies evenly without them puffing up too much! Place cookies on the baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Set aside to cool (must be completely cool before assembling). While the cookies bake or while they cool, let’s make the peanut butter filling! Using a whisk or electric mixer, combine all peanut butter filling ingredients together until completely combined. Now it’s time to assemble - be warned, this can get messy! First, you’re going to take a knife or offset spatula and put about ½ tablespoon of peanut butter onto each cracker. **This is optional but after this step, I put the peanut butter topped crackers in the fridge for roughly 30 minutes to make it less messy and a little easier to coat with the chocolate. Next, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine all of the chocolate coating ingredients and melt in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted and smooth. Do NOT heat too hot. Using a large fork (or something similar) dip the peanut butter crackers into the chocolate, coating them completely, and then make sure to knock any excess chocolate off the cookie before placing them on parchment paper (I just put them right back on the baking sheets!) Optional - sprinkle the tops with flake or coarse salt. Let chill in the fridge for an hour until set. You are welcome to devour them all now OR put them in a container and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week! BON APPETIT! BACK TO SWEETS

This gumbo has a dark rich roux flavor filled with juicy chicken and spicy chorizo. It's packed with so much protein and flavor, you will only need a small bowl for dinner! Chicken and Chorizo GUMBO Active Time: 45 Minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes Serves: 6-8 INTRODUCTION My mom made the BEST gumbo growing up, it was always a favorite. So when I moved away, I asked her for the recipe and started making it myself. The more I made it, the more I tweaked it to make it my own. This gumbo has a dark rich roux flavor filled with juicy chicken and spicy chorizo. It's packed with so much protein and flavor, you will only need a small bowl for dinner! Side note, doing this for the first time, the roux is a bit intimidating, you want to get it as dark as possible without burning it - it's tough! MUMBO GUMBO My mom made the BEST gumbo growing up, it was always a favorite. So when I moved away, I asked her for the recipe and started making it myself. The more I made it, the more I tweaked it to make it my own. This gumbo has a dark rich roux flavor filled with juicy chicken and spicy chorizo. It's packed with so much protein and flavor, you will only need a small bowl for dinner! Side note, doing this for the first time, the roux is a bit intimidating, you want to get it as dark as possible without burning it - it's tough! It used to take me 40 minutes just to do the roux because I was too nervous to burn it or curdle it, also I lived in an apartment with a really bad ventilation system and didn't want to set off the fire alarms. But the more I did it, the better I got and now I can make the roux in under 10 minutes. So don't be shy in turning up that heat, and although I hate to waste anything, it is just flour and oil so don't feel bad if you have to ditch it and start over. You got this! INGREDIENTS Gumbo: 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 large red bell pepper, chopped ¾ cup or 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 large jalapenos, finely chopped (add more for extra spice!) 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon cayenne powder 1 ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1-quart chicken stock/broth ½ cup vegetable oil 1 link andouille sausage, sliced 1 link chorizo, sliced 2 cups jasmine rice (or rice of your choice) Chicken: 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon cayenne powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil INSTRUCTIONS In a medium-sized bowl, combine onion, red pepper, celery, jalapenos, and garlic, set aside. In a small bowl, add flour, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper, set aside. Add broth/stock to a saucepan and heat on low - proceed to the following steps. Cut chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes, season with garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper. Heat a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add chicken, cook chicken until meat is cooked through - but do not overcook! Take out chicken and set aside, and drain the liquid from the pan. Add ½ cup of vegetable oil to the skillet, heat on high scraping the pan to loosen any chicken particles. Gradually add in ½ cup of seasoned flour. Cook, whisking constantly until the roux is a dark red-brown. * see note below Once the roux gets to the desired color, turn off the heat and add the vegetable mixture, whisking constantly. Turn the heat back on to low and cook vegetables until soft (about 3 more minutes) stirring constantly and scraping the pan. Add the heated broth/stock 1 cup at a time to the roux mixture, incorporating each scoop entirely before adding the next. Once all stock has been added, return to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Add sausage and chorizo. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook the jasmine rice so it’s ready when the gumbo is! Cook rice according to the package directions. Finally, add in the chicken and season with salt and pepper, adjust seasonings as desired. Cook for 10 more minutes. The amount is up to you but I usually keep to a 4:1 ratio of gumbo to rice. BON APPETIT! *if it looks like it’s separating (getting chunky), turn down the heat until it pulls back together and gradually turn up the heat again. The roux gets easier the more you do it but the first time might take you up to 45 minutes to get the right color so be ready to switch hands for a break! Ideally, the roux should take 15-20 or fewer minutes to make! BON APPETIT! BACK TO SALTY

Level up your next butter board with soft pretzels, biscuits, and THIS CINNAMON PUMPKIN BUTTER! CINNAMON PUMPKIN BUTTER Active Time: 5 Minutes Start to Eat: 10 Minutes Makes: 1 cup INTRODUCTION I am all in on the new butter board hype and this would be a perfect fall addition. This smooth and fluffy butter is a perfect sweet and salty spread for a slice of bread, a warm biscuit, a stack of pancakes, or even some sweet potato fries or a soft pretzel! For those who don't love the pumpkin spice trend but love fall flavors, this is a perfect balance! Just some cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin puree and you're on your way to a mouthful of fall. Make it and serve it in less than 10 minutes! YOU BUTTER BELIEVE IT INGREDIENTS 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg **if using unsalted butter, add 1 teaspoon salt INSTRUCTIONS Add butter to a stand mixer (or hand mixer) and mix on medium until smooth. Add in pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Continue mixing on medium for about 3-4 minutes until all ingredients are combined and the butter looks smooth and slightly fluffy. Serve at room temperature or store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 2 weeks. BON APPETIT! BACK TO SWEETS

Edible, no bake, eggless, black cocoa cookie dough! Perfect for Halloween parties, holidays, and weeknights on the couch. EDIBLE BLACK COCOA COOKIE DOUGH Active Time: 15 Minutes Start to Eat: 15 Minutes Makes: 22 dough scoops INTRODUCTION Guilty of eating more of the cookie dough than the cookie? These are no-guilt, no bake, edible black cocoa cookie dough. Made with flaxseed instead of egg, they still have that wonderful soft chewy texture and are perfectly safe to eat! The black cocoa gives it that very rich chocolate flavor with that perfectly doughy bite, plus the mini chocolate chips adds in that perfect amount of texture. You can freeze in ready-to-eat balls for up to 6 months! The perfect little snack! YOU DOUGH, GIRL! INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups (175g) all-purpose flour, tempered 1/2 cup (50g) black cocoa (can use regular cocoa powder) 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup (180g) packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon flaxseed powder (flaxmeal works!) 3 tablespoons cold water 1 tablespoon milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup mini chocolate chips INSTRUCTIONS First, let's temper your flour! Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spread your flour in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet and "cook" for 10 minutes, mixing the flour halfway through. Cool before using. Next, combine the flaxseed and cold water, mix well and set aside to thicken. Next, in a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt and set aside. In a bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add the flaxseed mixture, vanilla, and milk and mix on medium speed until fluffy (4-5 minutes). Turn your mixer on low and add in the flour mixture until just combined. Next, fold in your chocolate chips. Finally, devour the bowl! *Can last at room temperature for just a couple of hours. Keep in the fridge for 1 week or you can freeze in ready-to-eat balls for up to 6 months! The perfect little snack! *Cookie Scoop Pictured BON APPETIT! BACK TO SWEETS

Enter the CHURRO flavored poptart - made with a gooey, soft cinnamon filling and covered in cinnamon-sugar - you'll be making these again soon. CHURRO POPTARTS Active Time: 25 Minutes Start to Eat: 3 Hours (Including Chill Time) Makes: 12 INTRODUCTION Who didn't enjoy a poptart for snack time? It's almost like they had a poptart for every kind of person, they had unfrosted strawberry for the nerdy kids (this was my favorite), brown sugar cinnamon for the kids' whose parents let them eat whatever they wanted (jealous!), apple cinnamon for the cool kids, and frosted cherry for the teachers. HA! But seriously, who didn't love a poptart, toasted or untoasted they were sweet, crumbly, and delicious. So why not make my own flavor?! Enter the CHURRO flavored poptart - made with a gooey, soft cinnamon filling and covered in cinnamon sugar - you'll be making these again soon. CHURRO'K BY ME INGREDIENTS Crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk Filling: ½ cup light brown sugar, packed 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons cinnamon 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk Topping: 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon INSTRUCTIONS Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into pieces and work it into the flour mixture, until the mixture starts to hold together, with lumps of butter still visible. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mix until combined. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). To make the filling: Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Place one piece of the dough on a generously floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even rectangle. Trim off the edges; set aside the scraps. Cut the dough into 3x4 rectangles, placing them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first. Beat the egg and milk, and brush it over each of the dough rectangles on the baking sheet. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each egg-washed rectangle. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips, press firmly around each pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Then use a fork to score the edges. Then using a toothpick or the fork again, prick the tops of the tarts several times. Mix the cinnamon sugar together. Generously, sprinkle the tarts with cinnamon sugar. Refrigerate them, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan. BON APPETIT! BACK TO SWEETS

Creamy, spicy, healthy, and easy-to-make pasta! Even my meat-eating husband says this is one of the few pasta dishes he feels full and satisfied with without needing a protein.  SPICY GREEN PASTA Active Time: 15 Minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour Serves: 4 INTRODUCTION Creamy, spicy, healthy, and easy-to-make pasta! Even my meat-eating husband says this is one of the few pasta dishes he feels full and satisfied with without needing a protein. Make with fresh ingredients like tomatillos, jalapenos spinach, basil, and garlic, blended with some parmesan cheese and a touch of cream to balance it out...this is a quick but fulfilling weeknight dinner! Plus, it tastes great hot or cold for leftovers. And if you don't like spice, just take out the jalapeno and you still have a deliciously creamy pasta dish. Pasta la vista, baby INGREDIENTS 4 tomatillos 1 large jalapeno 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 large garlic cloves About 1/2 cup of fresh basil (roughly 10 leaves) One small shallot 1 large handful of spinach (about 1 heaping cup) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons salted butter 1/4 cup heavy cream 12 oz. of pasta (usually make the whole 16 oz. box then eyeball how much pasta/sauce ratio I want that day!) 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water (or more) 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan INSTRUCTIONS First, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatillos and jalapeno on baking tray or dish and roast for 25 minutes. While that's roasting, let's cook the pasta! Boil a large pot of salted water and cook your desired pasta for about 2 minutes under the recommended cooking time. I used a large fusilli pasta but if you don't have that, I would recommend a pasta with a lot of nooks and crannies in order to sop up the delicious sauce, like rotini, or cavatappi. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water when you drain it! Let's start the sauce! Add the following to a blender: roasted tomatillos and jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, basil, shallot, spinach, salt, pepper, and about 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Heat butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sauce from the blender to the skillet and add about 1/2 more pasta water and the heavy cream. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit, then add the pasta and the parmesan, store to completely coat the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste (I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon more of each). If it gets too thick, add more pasta water to your desired thickness. Serve now while it's hot! Or you can let it sit a bit to allow it to thicken. BON APPETIT! BACK TO SALTY

Keeping things salty! Salty recipes from dry rub wings, to spicy gumbo, potato salad, pork belly pizza, and more! KEEPING THINGS SALTY Creamy, spicy, healthy green pasta with fresh green ingredients! Spicy green pasta Active Time: 15 Minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour Serves: 4 Up Up Perfectly spiced weeknight-ready wings SPICY DRY RUB WINGS Active Time: 15 Minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour Makes: 40 Wings Versatile, moist pork meatballs bursting with asian flavors Up Asian pork meatballs Active Time: 20 Minutes Start to Eat: 35 Minutes Makes: 35 Meatballs If you like chili, you will LOVE this gumbo. It has tons of flavor and is packed with veggies and proteins. Active Time: 45 minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes Serves: 6-8 Up Chicken and chorizo gumbo Like Dip 'N Dots but pasta! Packed with flavor and veggies, this is a perfect summer, weeknight meal. Active Time: 10 minutes Start to Eat: 45 Minutes Serves: 6 Up COUSCOUS SALAD A perfectly spicy, flavorful, and easy-to-make buffalo chicken pizza. Up BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA Active Time: 25 Minutes Start to Eat: 35 Minutes Serves: 4 at 2 slices a person Pretty pink beet-pickled eggs for a sweet, salty bite Active Time: 25 minutes Start to Eat: 24 Hours Makes: 8 Eggs and 3 Beets Up PINK PICKLED EGGS Easy, hearty turkey chili with bold flavors and full bellies Up EASY TURKEY CHILI Active Time: 30 Minutes Start to Eat: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes Serves: 6-8 Tangy, delicious pork belly pizza topped with sesame seeds and scallions Active Time: 30minutes Start to Eat: 40 Minutes Serves: 4 at 2 slices a person Up SWEET AND SPICY PORK BELLY PIZZA Creamy, cheesy, crunchy caesar salad with an upgrade...pasta! Up CHICKEN cAESAR PASTA SALAD Active Time: 10 Minutes Start to Eat: 30 Minutes Serves: 4-6 The perfect topper for tacos and burritos or dip for fresh veggies Active Time: 5 minutes Start to Eat: 5 Minutes Makes: 1 Cup of Spread Up AVOCADO SPREAD Vinegar-based purple potato salad is a bright lemon, mustard vinaigrette Up German-style potato salad Active Time: 15 Minutes Start to Eat: 30 Minutes Serves: 4-5 Love a good Marg? This takes it up a notch! Refreshing, spicy, and smoky. Active Time: 5 minutes Start to Eat: 5 Minutes Makes: 1 Drink Up EL CAMINO Stay Loyal! Subscribe to GET recipes Email First Name SUBSCRIBE THANK YOU!

The perfect cornbread cookie. It's perfectly sweet, uniquely salty, bursting with warm butter and sweet corn flavors, plus rolling it in cornmeal gives it that nutty texture. Cornbread cookies Active Time: 10 minutes Start to Eat: 30 Minutes Makes: 24 Cookies INTRODUCTION Cornbread has always been a wine household favorite. Adding some actual corn and a nice slab of butter - it was heavenly. Fast forward to today and I decided I wanted that same flavor but not in the typical cake-like presentation. I did it. I made the perfect cornbread cookie. It's perfectly sweet, uniquely salty, bursting with warm butter and sweet corn flavors, plus rolling it in cornmeal gives it that nutty texture. They are sooo good. They are perfect for a summer barbeque, or as a treat after a pulled pork sandwich, or maybe you just want a sweet treat after some hot honey pizza... however you choose to enjoy these, you will not be disappointed! What the shuck?! INGREDIENTS 324 grams ( 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) of all-purpose flour 55 grams (1/3 cup) of cornmeal (medium grind - Bob's Red Mill is the best!) 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 315 grams (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 1 large egg yolk, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/3 cup freeze-dried corn (optional, but I highly recommend! I got mine on amazon HERE! ) For rolling: 55 grams (1/4 cup) sugar 42 grams (1/4 cup) cornmeal INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt. In your stand mixer with paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Next, add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined. Turn your mixer to low, and add the flour mixture until just combined. Lastly, add the freeze-dried corn if you have it! Mix only until combined. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the sugar 55 grams of sugar and 42 grams of cornmeal in a small bowl. Scoop roughly 2 tablespoons per cookie, roll them into balls and then roll them in the sugar/cornmeal mixture. Place 8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are nice and puffy! They should not be browning. Remove from the oven, let cool for 8-10 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. *A quick tip is to use a large round cookie cutter right when they get out of the oven to re-shape them into circles, this also helps keep them nice and puffy, instead of flattening out at all. BON APPETIT! BACK TO SWEETS

I mean who doesn’t like buffalo chicken pizza?! This is loaded with the favorites, buffalo sauce, onion, jalapeno, celery, chicken, and cheese! Buffalo Chicken Pizza Active Time: 25 Minutes Start to Eat: 35 Minutes Serves: 4 at 2 slices a person (because who just eats one slice?!) INTRODUCTION I mean who doesn’t like buffalo chicken pizza?! This is loaded with the favorites, buffalo sauce, onion, jalapeno, celery, salty and spicy chicken, and cheese! Store-bought pizza dough - I prefer the Trader Joe's pizza dough but I’ve also used the Whole Foods ones and that one is good too. Whole Foods is a bit breadier and Trader Joe's gives a bit more of a thin-crust texture which I love! Buffalo is my guilty pleasure meal so I try to come up with quick and unique ways to mix it up! SLICE, SLICE, BABY INGREDIENTS Chicken: 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne ½ teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce Crust: 3 tablespoons butter ½ teaspoon oregano ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Pizza: ¾ cup of pasta or pizza sauce 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 ½ cups grated cheese ½ cup celery, sliced 3/4 cup buffalo sauce INSTRUCTIONS Make sure the pizza dough is out of the fridge - if it’s too cold it will break when you try to stretch it. I would recommend leaving it out at room temperature for around 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 475°F. Heat olive oil in a skillet, add the chicken to the hot pan. Add all of the seasonings except for the buffalo sauce, cook until chicken is almost entirely cooked through, add buffalo sauce, mix. Keep the pan on extra-low, keeping the chicken warm while you prepare the rest. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle (should end up being roughly 16 inches in diameter), transfer to a pizza tray or what you plan on cooking the pizza on, then curl the edges in to create a crust. Heat the 3 tbsp. butter in the microwave until melted. Add oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix. Using a pastry brush spread this mixture all over the crust edges. Spread the pasta sauce and about 1/4 of the buffalo sauce over the dough, making sure to push to the edges. Sprinkle ½ cup of the cheese over the sauce. Add the jalapeno, onion, and garlic, making sure to evenly place them all over the pizza. Add the chicken, making sure not to include any of the excess liquid from the pan. Add the rest of the cheese. *This is where you can add the celery if you want it cooked, I like the crispy fresh celery taste so I add it on the cooked pizza or in the middle of cooking the pizza. Drizzle the buffalo sauce on the pizza. Put the pizza in the oven and cook for roughly 12-14 minutes until the edges are browned and the pizza is bubbling. Remove from the oven, and place pizza on a cutting board. Allow to cool for a few minutes then cut into 8 slices. Note: Feel free to add blue cheese or ranch but not until you are ready to eat so that it doesn't get the pizza too heavy or soggy. (I recommend blue cheese crumble instead of sauce!) **Step-by-step pictures below if you need the guidance! BON APPETIT! BACK TO SALTY STEP 1 Cook your chicken STEP 2 Prepare your veggies! STEP 6 Bake your pizza, add the celery, slice and enjoy! STEP 1 Cook your chicken 1/6

Love a good margarita? Me too! This takes it up a notch. With jalapenos (or serrano if you really love spice) for a kick and cucumber and basil to cool it down and brighten it up, this is a perfectly refreshing but zesty cocktail.  THE EL CAMINO Active Time: 5 Minutes Start to Drink: 5 Minutes Serves: 1 INTRODUCTION Love a good margarita? Me too! This takes it up a notch. With jalapenos (or serrano if you really love spice) for a kick and cucumber and basil to cool it down and brighten it up, this is a perfectly refreshing but zesty cocktail. Why did I call it the El Camino? First, I LOVE Breaking Bad, and honestly, I think this is the perfect cocktail to enjoy while watching the best drama show ever made. It's refreshingly original, fun, and captivating but puts in a punch. Second, it's made using Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's amazing mezcal, Dos Hombres. It doesn't get any better. YEAH, SCIENCE bitch! INGREDIENTS Muddle: 1 cucumber slice, diced 2 jalapeno (or serrano for extra heat) slices, diced 3 large basil leaves Drink: 1.5 ounces blanco tequila 1.5 ounces Dos Hombres mezcal 2 ounces lime juice 1 ounce Cointreau 1/2 ounce simple syrup Rim: Coarse salt Lime zest Tajin Garnish: 1 Slice jalapeno 1 slice of lime (for rim) INSTRUCTIONS In your shaker, muddle the cucumber, jalapeno, and basil. Fill your shaker with ice. Add in all drink ingredients and shake for about 10 seconds or until the shaker gets cold and frosty. Mix together the rim ingredients, however much of each is up to you, or you can use sugar instead of salt or tajin if you want to balance out the spice. Using a lime slice or rind, rub the rim of the glass to make the rim mixture stick. Rim your cocktail glass and add ice. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass. Garnish with all, some or none of the garnishes - up to you! Then enjoy...b*tch. BON APPETIT! BACK TO SALTY