Strawberry and Orange Margarita

Inspired by our Trip
Last week our family had a lovely holiday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We stayed at an all-inclusive Spa and Resort. "All inclusive" you say?... err... not exactly a foodies type of holiday, but, we were happily surprised. 
There were some buffet meals (mostly breakfast) which had your traditional eggs, omelets to order, bacon, pastries and breads etc. but they also featured unique alternatives like their beautifully designed egg and pumpkin flower tarts. They had a wonderful fruit selection which included figs, dragon fruit, kumquat, guava, lychee, pomegranate, carambola (starfruit), plus all the typical fruits such as strawberry, blueberry etc. (many of which were listed 'organic' - yay!) The fruit variety was fantastic for this fruit obsessed girl:-)

Often, we ate lunch by the pool (my daughter Aria's favorite spot). Manuel, our pool attendant brought us delicious bites like freshly made guacamole and homemade tortilla chips and my favorite, whole wheat baguette's with grilled veggies and goat cheese (the goat cheese wasn't on the menu but I requested it and they had it!) They also served french fries which the kids indulged in daily:-) Being an all-inclusive resort, I didn't expect the freshness and the overall, decent quality of food. 
The dinners were pretty exceptional. With my brother and his family there, David and I were able to enjoy our first date night since Aria was born (two years ago). It was a big success and we actually went out two nights, alone, to the same restaurant (thank you guys!). We reserved at a french restaurant in the resort called Piaf, named after the fabulous french vocalist Edith Piaf. The decor of the restaurant was stunning, the service was intimate and perfect and the food was mmmmmmmmmmm...... Every bite was exquisite. 

The restaurant Piaf (sorry the dim lighting makes it difficult to see this beautiful space)

Along with eating all this wonderful food, we drank a lot. I'm mostly a water type but in the spirit of chilling out I plowed back my fair share of margarita's. I'm not a drink expert but I can tell the difference between fresh ingredients and dyed, sugary syrups. Unfortunately the latter is what was being served with tequila, pool side. Thankfully fresh ingredients were used in the restaurants and on one of our two date nights I luxuriously sipped FIVE guava martini's (ok, maybe gulped:-)) 
David and I love to make fresh margarita's at home in the late afternoon on a sunny day. Using natural ingredients is important to us so we use fresh strawberries and squeeze our own juice. We prefer ours blended but if you prefer your margarita "on the rocks" then follow this simple recipe but instead of adding 2 cups of ice in the blender, omit and poor the remaining blended ingredients over your rocks (ice:) 
Oh, the name of the resort was Grand Velas Resort and Spa - Riviera Maya. If you're ever heading that way, please take me with you!!!

Strawberry and Orange Margarita

Serves 2
Ingredients:
6 strawberries (or 1 cup of whole strawberries)
2 oranges 
1/2 cup to 1 cup of tequila (depending on how weak or strong you like your Margarita's)
1 lime 
1 oz of triple sec
2 cups of ice


Directions:

Squeeze the juice from 2 oranges and 1 lime (makes approximately 1 cup of juice total). Set juice aside and spoon the finer bits of orange and lime pulp onto a plate. Mix 1 tbsp of sugar with the pulp. Dip the rim of your clean drinking glasses into the sugar/pulp mixture to coat and create an attractive Margarita glass.  In a blender add 2 cups of ice, squeezed juice from oranges and lime, strawberries, tequila and triple sec. Set blender to Ice Crush mode (if available) and blend until ice is crushed. Serve in the sugar/pulp rimmed glasses and garnish with a strawberry, slice of orange, lime or all three. Sapore!

Soft Cheese

Ingredients: Whole Milk, Salt, Lemon, Fresh Herbs  
Directions: Heat 4 cups of Milk and in a saucepan and add 1 Tsp of Salt. Watch the Milk carefully and just before it begins to boil turn the heat off. Stir in Juice from one Lemon. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Add any Fresh Herbs or Roasted Garlic (1 to 2 tbsp in total) and stir. Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and drape a square of cheese cloth over the strainer. Pour the Milk mixture through the cheese cloth. Gather the 4 corners of the cloth and cinch them together to form the Cheese into a ball then secure with some twine (pictures below). Hang the bound Cheese over a bowl or sink (I tie mine to the faucet in my kitchen sink). Let the Cheese drip for about an hour. Give the Cheese a few squeezes to remove any extra liquid.  Untie the twine and place Cheese in a bowl. Add a small pinch of Salt and mix with a fork. Gather up Cheese with clean hands and roll into a ball or log. Serve with crackers, bread or on top of salad. Sapore!