so good, right now! Horchata, Sugaring LA, Allah-Las....

1// Horchata. We love horchata aka creamy delicious cinnamon rice milk. You can find it at your favorite taco truck or make some for yourself with this recipe from A Sweet Pea Chef.

Ingredients: 

1 Cup Long Grain White Rice, Rinsed

4 Cups Water

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish

1 Cup Milk 

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar, plus 2-3 tbsp. to taste

1 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Ice

Directions:

Wash and drain rice. Combine rice with cinnamon sticks in water adn soak overnight in the refrigerator. 

After the rice ahas soaked for at least 8-10 hours, preferably overnight, discard the cinnamon sticks and pour rice and water into a blender. Add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and blend on low for 3-5 minutes until wel blended. Pour blended rice mixture through fine mesh sieve two times and then through cheesecloh one more time to remove all gritty bits of rice. 

Pour strained mixture into a pitcher, add milk, brown sugar and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add more sugar if needed, to taste.

To serve, pour over ice and garnish with cinnamon, if desired.

2// Sugaring LA. Sugaring is an ancient form of hair removal originated by the ancient Egyptians. It is the most organic form of hair removal there is. The mixture consists of sugar water and citric acid (lemon juice). The lemon keeps the sugar water from turning into candy when heated.

You get one ball of sugar, that your "sugarer" will use to remove your hair. One ball, depending on the amount/length of your hair could be used to sugar your whole body.

Application: The area you are having sugared is heavily baby powdered, so that the sugar only sticks to the hair and not your skin. This creates less irritation than waxing because your first layer of skin isn't ripped off along with the hair. The sugar is slightly warmed and the ball is swirled concealing the hair and then "flicked" off in the opposite direction of the hair growth. Small sections are flicked off at a time.

Once you're done, the sugarer takes a wet cloth and wipes you down and the sugar dissolves with water. Then a coconut oil is applied to sooth the skin. It is recommended that you come every three weeks, right when the hair is first starting to grow in. In between sugaring you are instructed to exfoliate twice a week to free the growing hair and to use a good moisturizer, such as coconut oil to prevent in-grown hairs.

 

3// Allah-Las. Like us, this band was born and cultivated in California - described as the "perfect mixture of the sands, the seas, the streets and cities of the golden state". If you are in LA you can catch them at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on March 1st - buy your tickets here.Photo Credit: A Sweet Pea Chef, Kody Kantor, Allah-Las