Tag Archives: mexican food

Mar29

Birthday Fun!

Posted on March 29, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Hello! This past Saturday was a glorious day because it was my adorable mom’s birthday!! She is truly the best and my sister, brother in law, sweet nieces, and I couldn’t wait to celebrate her with a birthday lunch. We hit up the most dynamite Mexican restaurant around, El Meson, for the festivities and it was the epitome of eat, drink, and be merry. And, believe you me, the emphasis was on drink lol! Check it out:

Whenever we go out for Mexican food, the tradition is the same. Step 1) Order Margaritas. Step 2) My mom will drink a thimbleful. Step 3) She is gone to the wind! This has been a standard in my family for as long as I can remember and it is nothing short of hilarious every time. In fact, some of my favorite “all together” moments have taken place in a Mexican restaurant lol. I, of course, expected a repeat of the same old for this birthday lunch and was SHOOK when my mom flipped the formula on its head.

Not only did my mom finish her small Margarita but… SHE TOOK A BIRTHDAY SHOT TOO!!!

Naturally, I had to let our wonderful server know it was my mom’s big day so the restaurant could break out the birthday sombrero. Usually at El Meson, the birthday treat is a dish of fried ice cream. So tell me why we were gifted with four shots of tequila instead for the adults at the table! When the tray of shots was placed before us, we were in stitches because what even. My brother in law and I were prepping to take our shots, then my sister and mom decided to go for it too. Waste not, want not amiright? We clinked our glasses, cheered to my mom’s birthday, and down the hatch the shots went. I was nothing short of impressed!

On our way home, I asked my mom if she had ever taken a shot before and she thinks she might have once lol. Could have fooled me! By the time we got home, my mom was ready for a birthday nap and was asleep on the couch as soon as she laid down. All I have to say is, you only turn twenty-one once!! I also have to say: Mom – YOU GO, GIRL!!!!!

What is your favorite restaurant in your neck of the woods? How are you celebrating your birthday this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan18

Ladies Lunch

Posted on January 18, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I decided to actually make New Year’s Resolutions this year and I am pleased to report that I have been crushing. So much so, in fact, that I even added a new goal to achieve. My primary focuses are to continue going to the gym, firmly saying “no”, making more time for friends, and taking better care of my teeth. Every weekend since, I have had some type of outing with friends or family and I really do feel better for it. With a crazy demanding work schedule, it almost seemed impossible to make time for fun over the weekend because I was too dog tired. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still tired lol but now I feel like my weekends are a source of pleasure rather than counting down the minutes to my next shift.

This past weekend, my outing was to take my sister, Kristen, and three sweet nieces out for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson. It is the absolute best and a staple in my neck of the woods. I am always craving El Meson but the hankering was especially fierce as the Mexican restaurant we went to as a family for Christmas did nothing for me. So, I invited my girl squad to a “vanity lunch” so I could squash my cravings and get some quality time in with my four best girls.

Like myself, my girls live for Mexican food so our lunch was the perfect set up to eat, drink, and be merry – and did we ever! My eldest nieces went to town on queso and rice while Kristen and I opted for our usual vegetarian platters. We even toasted with her first drink since having my littlest niece in November and the Margaritas treated us just right! They always do, as did our favorite server who takes care of us every single time we have a lunch or dinner date. Dining at El Meson is forever fantastic, but he makes it that much better.

During the entirety of our Ladies Lunch, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was. This was my second weekend in a row that I got to spend time with the bestie squad! Prior to making my New Year’s Resolution, I honestly couldn’t tell you if I would have been up to those outings. And, I’m not going to lie, it is taking effort on my part to get myself out the door. However, once the plans are in action, it’s nonstop fun and that is exactly what I need. I even went out to lunch with a friend during my break on Tuesday!! Who am I and where is the normal, never does anything Lil Red?!

Ladies Lunch was a great success and I can’t wait to keep adding more plans to my agenda. It is making my life feel much more full and I am loving it!

What is your favorite local restaurant? What is your favorite kind of outing with friends? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug28

Weekend Fun

Posted on August 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone! I don’t know about all of you, but I had a fantastic weekend. Well, it was fantastic until I got randomly sick on Sunday night. I spent a majority of the night awake with a scratchy throat and low grade fever. It was absolutely miserable and I ended up having to call off on Monday to catch some extra Zs and recuperate. Everything leading up to that was awesome and jam packed with a lot of fun. It was a bit of a rough week so I definitely needed it!

On Friday, Johnny and I spent the evening going shooting at Range USA with our neighbor, Tony. It had been a long while since we hit up the range together and we were all looking forward to it. After work, we loaded up in Tony’s car and made our way to Range USA. Tony is seriously the best neighbor in the world and we love spending time with him to shoot the breeze, watch movies, and have dinner parties – and go shooting on occasion! We made use of every minute of our hour time slot at the range shooting .22s and Tony was able to give me lots of pointers. This was only the third time I have been to the range and it really helped. I even got a few bullseyes. 😀

Once we were home from shooting, Johnny and I took it easy for the rest of the night because we had Saturday plans too. On Saturday afternoon, I had a lunch outing with one of my best girlfriends and then Johnny and I were going to go to another one of my best girlfriend’s birthday party. Lunch was divine and before I knew it, over three hours had passed at the Mexican restaurant while we sipped drinks and chatted away. As always, once the girl talk starts it is damn near impossible to stop! It had been way too long since I was able to get together with her and I can’t wait to do it more often.

Unfortunately, Johnny ended up not feeling great on Saturday so I had to fly solo to Lea’s birthday party. I admit, I was a bit anxious to go without my main squeeze. I don’t hang out in groups a lot, much less a group of people that I went to high school with lol. I put on a brave face because I knew that I would have as much fun as I decided to have. So, I decided to have fun. I ended up staying way past when I told Johnny I would be home because I was enjoying myself so much. I truly do come alive at events and it was really nice to catch up with lots of familiar faces. I’m even getting coffee with one of the girls who I talked a lot with soon. I’m excited!!

Despite ending the weekend on a sour note, the build up sure was a blast. Being a tad bit under the weather was a small price to pay for tons of fun!

Do you keep in touch with people you went to high school with? Do you like hanging out in group settings? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun19

Best Weekend Ever!

Posted on June 19, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! With a very busy schedule between me and Johnny and our friends and family, my birthday celebrations have extended beyond June seventh. I am SO okay with this and it is much more my speed to have quality hangouts with my loved ones rather than jam pack everything into one weekend. This past weekend, I was able to have my belated birthday get togethers with my sister and nieces and my best friend, Lea. It was fantastic from start to finish – so much so that the only picture I took was of this lone Margarita when I was out to lunch lol:

On Friday, Lea came over for the evening and, as always, it was nothing short of a delight. Lea and I have been best friends for a whopping sixteen years and have had a hang out every single year for each other’s birthday. It is something that I cherish so much, even on the most low key get togethers like we had this weekend. We just chilled on the couch with White Claw and girl talk – a match made in heaven! I genuinely believe if given the opportunity, her and I could chat away for forever and still find something new to talk about. I cannot wait to show you all the gorgeous prezzies she gifted me with so tune in for that tomorrow because it is the sweetest! ❤

After a chill evening in, it was onto all of the activities on Saturday. For my b-day celebration with my sister and darling nieces, Kristen treated me to lunch at my favorite restaurant. We went to El Meson, which is the hands down best Mexican restaurant in my general vicinity. It is divine every time and it’s so much fun to go there with my sis and the girls because they share the same passion for the cuisine as I do lol. Between bites of our delicious food, we were in stitches from the littlest girlie and her attempt to eat chips and queso and both girls trying on mine and Kristen’s stunner shades. I love being able to spend one on one time with all of my best girls so this was the perfect gift for the proudest TT and little sister.

Once lunch was over, I went to my parents’ house for a spell to see my dad before Father’s Day. Then, I picked up my brother, Andrew, and him, Johnny, and I went to Quarter Up. It’s a super fun arcade bar down the street from my apartment. I used to frequent Quarter Up when it first opened, but Johnny and I haven’t been in a while and I’m genuinely not sure why after Saturday evening! It was a hoot and their game selection has improved greatly since opening. We all enjoyed playing ski ball, basketball, and the shooting games. Johnny was particularly enamored by the Elton John pinball game – a new addition that is definitely worth going back for!

I have been feeling SO spoiled by all of the birthday love and this past weekend literally had me on cloud nine. There is nothing better to me than time together with my nearest and dearest and I couldn’t ask for anything more!

What is your favorite arcade game? How about your favorite restaurant in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

Midweek Date Night

Posted on May 7, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I have very demanding schedules for work and we both tend to be up around three in the morning most days of the week. Because of this, it is extremely rare for us to do anything during the work week because we are too tired. Not to mention that we both go to bed around six o’clock lol. On Monday, I accepted a new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager. On Tuesday, Johnny asked if I wanted to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson, on Wednesday to celebrate. I was absolutely shook when he brought it up and happily accepted his offer!

All day on Wednesday, I was looking forward to our date night and was using all of my strength to will time into going faster. We left for El Meson as soon as I got home from work and I was buzzing the whole way there. I literally can’t remember the last time we did a dinner date during the week! At the restaurant, we were having so much fun sipping on tasty margs and feeling dizzy with delight over my new opportunity. Our first date was on a Thursday and I told Johnny that this felt like our first date.

After we finished our meal, Johnny asked for a to go cup for the rest of his margarita. I realized I needed one too and followed our server to the bar to ask him for one more. As I returned to our table, I got stopped by a few people sitting at the bar. One of the ladies asked if Johnny and I were on our first date because we both looked so happy. She couldn’t believe it when I told her that we have been together for almost five years and I actually just told Johnny that our evening felt like our first date. We both got a little weepy about it and it was so incredibly sweet. Then, Johnny and I joked that we were just really good at faking our happiness lol – classic!

I truly did have all of the first date feels during our celebratory dinner date and I love that this was apparent to other El Meson patrons. I felt so spoiled to be taken out to my favorite restaurant and am so thankful to have such a stand up guy! ❤

What was the best first date you have been on? What is your favorite restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb24

Terrific Trench Coat OOTD Bloopers

Posted on February 24, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello darlings and welcome to the blooper reel from my Terrific Trench Coat OOTD! I had been looking forward to wearing my new Solitaire trench coat since I got it and finally got to break it out this past Saturday. Johnny and I enjoyed a very lazy three day weekend together and the only thing we did was get lunch with my sister and nieces. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson, and it was divine as always. There is nothing like having a go to restaurant that hits just right every time! Maybe it was a bad idea wearing a brand new coat for a lunch date with my two fave little ladies, but everything turned out A-okay! These pics, not so much? Check it out:

Here’s looking at you, kid

WTF is this face?! Yikes!

This one is only slightly better than the last smh!

Potentially the freaking WORST!

Looking like I just ate something incredibly sour

Serving straight SASS APPEAL look out!

Being around my nieces is such a blooper in and of itself. Raya is a year and a half old and Val will be turning five in March. They are at that age when literally everything they do and say is hilarious. The girls are nonstop energy and joy and I don’t think it’s humanly possible for them to sit still. In fact, with the cheerful music playing in the restaurant, Val just had to get up and dance and TT joined in for a twirl or two, or ten lol. Raya even did her best with a little side stepping action in that adorable way that only tiny walkers can. 😀

One of my fondest memories of Val is kind of a silly one. Two years ago when we took Kristen out for her birthday to Bomba (A new age Mexican eatery), our waitress approached the table. Before she had the chance to greet us, Val proudly proclaimed “Hi, I want cheese dip”. I was in stitches and also proud that she knew exactly what she wanted! Cheese dip is still a delicacy to Val Gal and we have to get some for her (And me to share!) whenever we go out to eat. This past time included. It’s nice to know that some things are never going to change no matter how old they get. ❤

A lunch date with all three of our best girls is just what Johnny and I needed. So glad I have my circle of people that I can depend on to always get Mexican food with me!

What is your favorite restaurant? Is your favorite food when you were little something that you still like now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

Roasted Corn Queso Fundido

Posted on November 1, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Johnny and I had a fabulous Halloween weekend and I hope that all of you did too! On Friday, we hosted our bestie, Cliff, for dinner and scary movies and we helped pass out candy in my parents’ neighborhood on Saturday. We had a blast and I wish the weekend could have lasted forever! For Friday night’s dinner, I made all of the fixings for tacos including cilantro lime rice and my homemade guacamole. I also wanted to try something new by making a Roasted Corn Queso Fundido dip from closetcooking. The recipe sounded awesome but it was not that great in execution. Check it out:

This Fundido dip required minimal ingredients and simple steps. Literally all I had to do was chop some peppers and onion and let it start to char in the pan. Once the veggies were ready, it was time to add mayo, lime juice, and the cheese and mix it all up. In theory, I thought that this recipe would be really yummy and it was good. However, it wasn’t great and I definitely wouldn’t make it again.

My biggest qualm with this dip was its consistency. It wasn’t ooey gooey like I was hoping for and was essentially just veggies wadded up in melted cheese. With little to no liquid in this recipe, it makes sense and I should have thought to add some cream to it while the cheese was melting. Hindsight is, as always, twenty/twenty and I don’t really like to make tweaks on the spot with a brand new recipe. Even if this dip did have a thinner consistency, it still wouldn’t have blown me away. The flavor of it was okay, but it didn’t pack a punch and would need some doctoring up for sure.

New recipes can’t all be winners and this one from closetcooking was not the best and I don’t recommend it. I would like to try and make a Queso Blanco dip next and will hopefully have more success with that!

What is your favorite snack food? What do you like to cook when you have guests over? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan17

Double Date Night

Posted on January 17, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny and I have a select few people that we regularly hang out with and my best friend and her husband are two of them. Lea and Brandon are our favorites and ever since Johnny and I got married, him and Brandon have become straight up besties. It’s so cute! Once a month, we get together for a double date night at either of our apartments or out on the town. This past week, we were supposed to hit up our go to haunt of Bucca De Beppo but didn’t feel like making the forty-five minute drive to the restaurant. So, we substituted for Mexican food at El Meson and it was just what the doctor ordered!

El Meson is an absolute staple in Cuyahoga Falls and it is SO good every single time. It is the perfect place to go for a quick dinner and drinks and was the obvious next choice when we weren’t in the mood for our trek to the Bucca. The restaurant has the most fun, lively atmosphere and it’s safe to say that we go there a lot when the staff members recognize us! Their to go Margaritas were also a life saver when we were craving Mexican during the pandemic but didn’t want to go into the restaurant. 😀

After a few past hang outs at our places, it was so nice to have a night out with our main baddies. It also couldn’t have come at a better time because I just got an amazing job offer shortly before meeting up. We turned this dinner into an impromptu celebration for my good news and to hype Brandon and Lea up as they begin house hunting. Our meals were delicious and, as always, their drinks were out of this world. Our server must have been able to tell how much we were enjoying them because he offered us two large additional Margs for us to share that was a mistake from the bar. He knows us so well. ❤

Lea and Brandon are our only married friends and Lea and I are over the moon at how well our guys get along with each other. Our double dates have become a monthly must and it gives us something to look forward to as soon as date night draws to a close. I am already daydreaming about Bucca De Beppo for next time!

Do you like double dates? What is a staple restaurant in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar20

Dinner Time!

Posted on March 20, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! When I go grocery shopping, I try to get enough fresh ingredients so that I can cook dinner several times per week. Once the fresh food is gone, Johnny and I will turn to our frozen options until it is time for another curbside pickup. One of our favorite meals that I cook has got to be jalapeno popper quesadillas (Peep the recipe here!).

My mom used to make these back in the day and I always have to buy the fixings to whip them up for dinner:

*Note: I substitute the regular tortilla chips in the quesadillas for Nacho Cheese Doritos, instead.

The popper quesadillas are a bit of a tedious meal to make between cutting and broiling the jalapenos, assembling the tortillas, and frying them. Especially because I make several extra ones because Johnny loves to take them for lunch at work. However, it is so worth it once the finished product is complete. They are cheesy with the perfect amount of crunch thanks to the chips. Broiling the jalapenos and the cream cheese also takes away a lot of the spiciness, which allows for a fairly mild level of heat.

As a side dish for the quesadillas, I made some nacho bites out of scooped shell tortilla chips. These consisted of a dollop of queso, salsa, and shredded cheese and then I broiled them for about two minutes. The nacho bites were a little something that I came up with and were just as tasty as I imagined them to be. They are the perfect appetizer for a Mexican meal or could be great for snacking on during your favorite show. I will definitely be making them again!

Although I have been branching out with new dishes, you can’t go wrong with tried and true favorites. The jalapeno popper quesadillas are a wonderful dish to spice up your dinner time!

What is your favorite thing to cook? What are some of your favorite meals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

The Best Day!

Posted on May 7, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! Although Johnny and I had a rough bout with side effects from the Moderna vaccine this past weekend, it was still a great one because my brother, sister in law, and their son traveled from Georgia for a visit. My family is fully vaccinated and it was such an amazing gift for all of us to be together for the first time since our family trip to Kentucky last summer. When my nausea subsided enough on Saturday, Johnny and I enjoyed a quick trip to the park with our nephew and it was so fun watching him run around and play. However, Sunday was the best day I have had in forever.

On Sunday, my entire family: Mom, dad, sister, brother, brother, brother in law, sister in law, niece, nephew, and fiance went to the Akron Zoo together. To visit the zoo according to their COVID standards, you purchase tickets for a time slot and a limited amount of people are allowed in the park. We got to view the Akron Zoo on a beautiful day and it wasn’t as crowded, which was really nice.

Of course, I love going to the zoo any time any day but it was the absolute best to be there with my whole family and see my little niece and nephew have fun. They both loved riding the carousal, seeing the Grizzly bears swim around in their exhibit, and each getting a stuffed bear from their TT at the gift shop. My only regret is how quickly our two hour time slot went by because I could have stayed there for hours with everyone if we could!

After our outing at the zoo, we had dinner on the patio of one of my family’s favorite Mexican restaurants, El Campesino. This was such a treat for me because Johnny and I haven’t been to a restaurant since the pandemic began. It was so special to share a big meal with every single one of us at the table and it was also so special to me to have my first Margarita in over a year lol! The food was delicious and just like our trip to the zoo, I was sad when it was over because I wish we could do family days like that all of the time.

Being surrounded by all of my loved ones on Sunday is a memory that I am going to cherish for forever. It was just awesome to see my brother, his wife, and my adorable nephew for the first time in so long and also a small miracle that we found a day that worked with everyone’s hectic schedule. I cannot wait for our next family event which can now happen more frequently since we are vaccinated and, until then, I’ll be replaying our joyous day on repeat in my head! ❤

What is your family’s favorite restaurant? What is your favorite family memory? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers