Just 16 days 'til Cinco de Mayo

We  are getting ready for Cinco de Mayo and are thinking back almost 3 years ago when we presented our first Sal del Margarita gourmet sea salt design to our customers. We are really proud of the design and the intricate hand-embroidered bags, made by the women of Sabinito, a small village in the Sierra Madre Occidental. They help support their families with the money they receive and take such pride in their work.  

Sal del Mar and our embroiders have developed a fantastic partnership. 

The salt inside is perfect for crusting the rim of a margarita glass and the salt and packaging make it a unique gift to take to a Cinco de Mayo party as a hostess gift this timeof year.

Super Bowl Sunday

I have to admit it. I am not a football fan but I do love the food and drink part.

At our house the cocktail will be a Paloma... a "margarita" made with grapefruit juice.

It's easy to make:

Rub half the rim of a highball glass with a grapefruit wedge. Dip the glass in SAL DE COCKTAIL.

Combine 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice with 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add a jigger of tequila, ice and top with club soda.

Our new grey linen Sal de Cocktail bags make a great gift for the bar!

A New Year... and a New Design

We decided to get "dressed up" a bit with our new Sal de Cocktail hand-embroidered bag.  And what better time than at New Year's?

It's the same salt from the Sea of Cortez that is dried by the wind and sun and hand-harvested. The taste is ideal for food or for cocktails whether it is a Margarita, Salty Dog, or a Bloody Mary because the taste of the Sal de Cocktail-rimmed glass enhances the flavors in any cocktail.

We wanted a sophisticated look so we choose a grey linen fabric and a white on white embroidered design, using sea horses holding a shell as our new label (we patterned it after sophisticated liquor labels).

They make a great gift anytime of year.  Bon Boutique in Tucson made up gift package of Sal de Cocktail and a shallow crystal bowl for dipping the salt, tied with a simple twine bow.  

We always salt the rim of our cocktail glasses in advance of the party so they have a chance for the salt to crust a bit....and so the salt doesn't drip down into the cocktail.  Another tip:   just salt half the rim so that the guests can have salt or not. I guarantee that even "non-salt people" will like Sal de Cocktail.

We wish you and yours a happy, healthy 2015!  We value you as customers and as friends and thank you for your support.  It is because of you that our embroiders are able to help sustain their families.

PS:  We still have all of our other Sal del Mar and Sal de Cocktail designs available.  Our new linen bag is another design to choose from!

This Little Mermaid Has a .....

It's Thanksgiving week, but visions of the holidays haven been on my mind lately. This means that among many other ideas, I want to show off our Sal del Mar holiday bag design because (of course) it makes a great gift for the holiday season... for a hostess gift, a stocking stuffer or for any of the "little" gift needs that come up.

I have had the holiday Santa Mermaid bags tucked safely away . . . well, since last November/December.  When I opened the cupboard where they were "fast asleep," I immediately smiled.  There they were: all their little mermaid "holiday" faces looking up at me.

They made me smile and feel that "I love this time of year" feeling.  

As I looked through them, I saw something that I have never taken time to see before....they all have different personalities!

This little holiday mermaid has an innocent look with her blue eyes and pink lips.

This little holiday mermaid is "Hot" with her dark eyes and red lips.

This little holiday mermaid is Sweet.

This little holiday mermaid is happy...look at her smile!

There is also Bashful, Flirty, and Jolly. Each mermaid has her own special charm because  all of the Santa Mermaids are created by our embroiderers who reflect their own personal style, giving each mermaid her own special magic.

The women who embroider have a working partnership with Sal del Mar and they are able to earn money from their work to benefit their families.

You can order the Santa Mermaids on our website shop. And if you order by December 21st you should have them in time for Christmas (and you never have to pay for shipping!)

And don't forget... it's a gift that's already wrapped.

A Tasting Party for Sal del Mar

I am so excited to show off these photographs taken at a party and tasting for our Sal del Mar hand-embroidered bags that Bon Boutique held at their store in Tucson, Arizona. The photos taken by Amy Haskell (www.haskellphotography.com) are worth a thousand words.

Beautiful Crystal of Bon Boutique.

Bon Boutique, Tucson

Crystal, one of the proprieters (her mother Bonnie is the other) greeted guests with trays of Sal del Mar salted nuts for guests to taste our hand-harvested gourmet salt. 

The setting was exquite with garlands and twinkling lights and displays of Sal del Mar gift ideas.

Sal del Mar's NEW grey linen Sal del Cocktail Bags

Gift Idea:  Sal de Cocktail with a salt dish 

Gift Idea:  Sal del Mar with a beautiful cookbook

I loved the gift ideas Bonnie and Crystal designed. For Sal del Cocktail...our new embroidered bag design for the home cocktail bar...they packaged each bag with a shallow crystal bowl for salting cocktail gasses.  

Our Sal del Mar gourmet sea salt bags were tied as a gift package with twine and hand-made paper flowers and a glorious cookbook, "Mexico, The Cookbook" by Margarita Carrillo Arronte.

Beautiful Teri Arnold Shannon

Teresita's New Martini

Tiny paper fluted cups held savory and sweet salted almonds. 

As the guests browsed through Bon, they were served delectable samplings of Sal del Mar and Sal de Cocktail.  

Trays of tidbits were passed with such treats as olive oil sautéed dates topped with Sal del Mar, salted chocolate truffles, melba toast topped with goat cheese and salted caramelized guayaba by Chef Teri Arnold Shannon who prepared them from her Teresita's Panadería y Bistro kitchen in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico.

Sal del Mar filled a salt dish to try with French radishes, herbed butter and baguettes.

Tasting of a new-style Martini was served with salt-rimmed cocktail glasses (for the recipe go to our website).

If you couldn't attend the tasting and party, Bon Boutique is located at 3022 E. Broadway, Tucson. It is worth a visit and you can even order from them on-line! Sal del Mar and the gift ideas shown above, make the perfect hostess gifts, holiday gifts and are packaged beautifully!

A Diane Keaton Discovery

I have long admired Diane Keaton, not just as an actress but as a designer. I have followed her in Architectural Digest where she has been featured many times. In fact, I have recently discovered that the set design of a new NBC comedy, The New Normal, was inspired by her Spanish Colonial-style house in Bel Aire.  I also read an article in the New York Times that she is designing tableware for Bed Bath and Beyond.

So, it is not surprising that with her impeccable taste the first word she said when she walked into Bon Boutique in Tucson was “Wow.” She liked what she saw so much that she wrote an article for Remodelista: Sourcebook for Considered Living.  (See her article: http://remodelista.com/posts/a-treasure-trove-in-tucson)

I discovered Bon Boutique many years ago when I was editor of Tucson Lifestyle Home and Garden magazine and feel the same way Diane Keaton does about the store and owners, Bonnie and Crystal.  They have hand-picked, wondrous items that you can’t find anywhere else.

I am very pleased to know that Sal del Mar is one of the items that Bon Boutique carries in their store and on-line, as well.

PS:  I like to imagine that Diane Keaton walked into Bon Boutique and said Wow!” when she saw Sal del Mar artistically displayed in one of Bon’s hand-crafted woven baskets.

Check out Sal del Mar on Bon Boutique's website.

One of My Favorite Things

Probably one of my favorite jobs that I do for Sal del Mar is coming up with design ideas.  My brain never seems to stop thinking of different bags designs, different marketing ideas and different Sal del Mar products. But the best part is to see my ideas taking on “a life.”  My friend Paula Hamilton, is responsible for putting “the life” into my design ideas as seen in these Sal del Mar plates that she hand-painted. (They are fired and are dishwasher proof).

Paula arrives tomorrow in Alamos, where I am presently living, to work on many new ideas to present to you. Look for new postings to come on our blog and our Facebook page.

Paula Hamilton can be contacted through www.saldelmar.com and I will post her website as soon as it’s available.

Paula Hamilton Plates

!VIVA RICK BAYLESS (he recommends sal del mar)!

I have at least four Rick Bayless cookbooks. He is masterful at translating traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. As you may know I live in Mexico but I never get Mexican food here better than when I make a dish from one of his cookbooks. Imagine my thrill when I received word that Chef Bayless is recommending Sal del Mar to all his followers on OpenSky.

In celebration of “the thrill,” we are going to make his recipe for Avocado-Dressed Shrimp a la Mexicana for dinner tonight.  Here’s his recipe… perfect for a hot summer evening.

Fiesta at Rick's Cookbook Cover

Avocado-Dressed Shrimp á la Mexicana Camarones a la Mexicana con Aguacate, Makes about 3 cups

This version of Camarones a la Mexicana con Aguacate uses sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh.  You'll find the original recipe in the Fiesta at Rick's cookbook.  The oil packed sun-dried tomatoes won't work well in this recipe.  Look for the recipe ready version which is usually sold in the produce section of select grocery stores.  They come in a re-sealable package.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz. medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, rinsed under cold running water and drained

• 1/4 cup finely chopped recipe ready sundried tomatoes + extra for garnish

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh lime juice

• Hot green chiles to taste -- usually 3 serranos  or 1-2 jalapenos, stemmed and roughly chopped

• 1 medium, ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin

• 1/3 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro, thick bottom stems cut off + extra for garnish

• Sal del Mar to taste

• Mini baked tostadas (we like the Sanissimo brand)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, onion, and 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes. Measure the lime juice into a food processor or blender. Cover and turn on.  Drop the chiles and when chopped, turn off and scoop in the avocado and cilantro. Process until smooth. Thin to a "creamy dressing" consistency with water, usually 2-3 tablespoons. Taste and season with Sal del Mar, usually about 1 teaspoon.  You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Mix the dressing into the shrimp mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the shrimp and refrigerate.  When you're ready to serve, scoop onto the mini tostadas and decorate with cilantro and diced sundried tomatoes.

Buen provecho!