All posts tagged: summer

End of Summer Playlist

To help you fully soak in these delicious last languid days of Summer, we’ve put together a sun-drenched playlist full of old and new favorites for your listening and partying pleasure! Throw it on, lay back and chill out as you celebrate Labor Day Weekend with your gang! Take a moment to feel the sun on your face, dip your toes in the water & simply enjoy this great gift of being alive. Sending big love for your sunshine days! xoxo Sirens & Scoundrels   Be sure to subscribe to Sirens & Scoundrels for off-the-beaten-path L.A. happenings and epic experiences! Enter your email address on our home page & hit “SUBSCRIBE”!  Follow us on Instagram: @sirensandscoundrels Words & Playlist by Christina Huntington // Photography by Christina Huntington & Sarah Prikryl © 2019 Sirens and Scoundrels

Summer Desert Retreat ~ Harmony Vista

Every year when summer hits the city, we start hearing the call of the desert. It might not seem like the obvious destination when the thermostat reaches 90° but for us here at Sirens & Scoundrels, summer and the deep desert have become our favorite pairing for a soul-filling and soul-fueling retreat with friends. We pack up all the fresh organic summer fruit we can find, plenty of iced beverages, pool floaties and board games and head out into the hot desert days to relax and unplug at our most beloved California summering spot—Joshua Tree. Our favorite source for the perfect desert hacienda is  Joshua Desert Retreats. With nine properties spread across the east desert, we have been slowly meandering our way through each one over the years. JDR properties are much like staying at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo where each room has its own unique theme and eventually you just want to try them all. The same goes for JDR, except here each entire house has its own theme. We …

Sirens & Scoundrels Summer Faves~ Live Music with Kensington Presents

SURPRISE….we’re back!! The Sirens of Sirens & Scoundrels have been off on other adventures recently, but since two of our favorite things in the world are Los Angeles + Summer, we’re popping back up to let you in on all our best-of-Summer-fun faves to make sure you don’t miss a thing! We cannot wait to share our latest hot finds and delicious discoveries to help make your days brighter and your nights even cooler. When it comes to cool nights, look no further than Kensington Presents, an event collective that consistently delivers the best-of-the-best live music in unusual locations. Known for their epic secret concerts at the Viaduct downtown, the fellas of Kensington have broadened their reach in recent years. What started as a tiny porch concert series at their home in Highland Park now includes intimate shows at York Manor, Resident & Hot Shot Muffler, along with larger curated events throughout the city. This summer, Kensington is busy brewing up tons of live music magic for your ultimate listening pleasure. FUTURE SOUNDS at The …

Pizza & Poetry

Words by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl // Video by  Sarah Prikryl & Christina Huntington “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” –Mary Oliver, The Summer Day As these gorgeous Spring days turn into warm Summer nights, it’s time to gather your loved ones around a long outdoor table to celebrate all the magic and wonder of being alive with the one thing everybody loves: pizza. Gluten-free, gluten-full, dairy-free, piled up with cheese–whichever way suits your fancy, build-your-own pizzas are always a wonderful way to create delicious art that you can eat. For our recent Sirens & Scoundrels “Pizza & Poetry” gathering, we brought together all the things we love most: friends, food, music, dancing and poetry. We set a long table with our favorite summer linens, flickering candles, fresh boughs of greens and mini stacks of vintage books. The invite called for guests to bring their favorite poems and a hearty appetite. On the gorgeous terrace of Domain WeHo, Scoundrel drink master Richard Swan of The Grand Bevy was on hand …

Yacht Rock Spritzer ~ Your Last Days of Summer Playlist!

Words & Playlist by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl & Becca Murray // vintage photos subject to copyright LA folks know that as September dawns and kids across America begin to break out their sweaters to head back to school…our So Cal Summer is only JUST getting started. With Mother Nature turning up the heat on us from September deep into October and the Pacific Ocean just finally warm enough to swim in, our real California beach days are only now upon us. To accompany our sun-soaked cruise through the final fireworks of Summer while setting our sails towards the cozy days of Fall, we present you with our “Yacht Rock Spritzer” playlist for some soft aural seduction. For So Cal natives, Yacht Rock is an institution. Memories of the many Dads of LA cranking The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald and Steely Dan while winding over Kanan on the way out to a Malibu beach day or headed down PCH to visit their mustachioed eternal bachelor friend who lived on his boat in the Marina are part of our …

Summer Breeze

Words & Original Cocktail Recipe by Richard Swan // Photography by Sarah Prikryl  Make no mistake, people: Summer is upon us and it’s time we started acting like it. There seems to be little to argue on the merits of the ‘Spritz’ as the ultimate Summertime drink. It hits all the marks – cold, refreshing, versatile. All importantly: it is a ‘low ABV’* beverage, meaning you can enjoy them at length without needing a midday snooze as the pool party carries on without you…I call it a ‘cruise control’ drink. The ‘Summer Breeze’ aims to hit these marks while combining two wondrous ingredients: the affable and ubiquitous LaCroix Coconut (the suntan lotion one) and the stunning Cocchi Americano Apertif. Cocchi is yet another Italian import made from grapes and sunshine and everything nice – and it is right at home in this combination. To say this cocktail is simple to make would be an understatement. SUMMER BREEZE INGREDIENTS~ 1 can LaCroix Coconut 1.5 oz Cocchi Americano 1 Lemon Peel 1 Lemon Wheel ASSEMBLY~ Combine ingredients over cracked ice and …

Happy Ours Ranch ~ Utah

Words by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl // Contributing Photography by Gina Cholick Halfway between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park lies a little secret gem tucked away amongst the rolling green fields of Glendale, UT. Winding your way off the main highway onto a sprawling expanse of ranch land, a small dirt trail slowly circles the grounds to finally reveal the sweetest home-away-from-home a cabin lover could ever dream of. Beautifully hand-built by the family who own and run the property, Happy Ours Ranch makes all your tiny cabin fantasies come true the moment you lay eyes upon it. Quaint and cozy, this wood and tin delight has enough charm to tempt you away from ever leaving the property…even with the astonishing draw of Zion and Bryce just a short car ride away. On the hunt for the perfect pied-à-terre to kick up our feet and rest our heads during our Summer Sirens Utah Roadtrip, we knew we hit the jackpot when we stumbled across Happy Ours Ranch on VRBO.com. It was everything we could have …

Bryce Canyon ~ Utah

Words by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl // Contributing Photography by Gina Cholick Deep in the heart of Utah lies a surrealist dreamland sprung to life. If Salvador Dalí painted the Grand Canyon full of drippy peach candlestick mountains all melting in the desert sun while Indiana Jones hosted an archaeological dig for extraterrestrial life at the center of it all…that pretty much sums up what Bryce Canyon National Park feels like. At once awe-inspiring, mind-blowing and really pretty trippy. We took a one-day excursion out to Bryce in the middle of our Zion adventure week to take in some new scenery and hit some new trails. An easy 2-hour drive east of Zion, Bryce is definitely the wild child amongst its sleeker Utah and Arizona canyon cousins. If the Grand Canyon is Mozart, Bryce Canyon is Bowie. Nothing to see here but mind-bending intergalactic rock ‘n roll mountainsides incarnate in nature. Upon arrival, we decided to take in the lay of the land as our first endeavor. The road into Bryce is laid out in a loop where …

Summer Road Trip Playlist!

Words by Christina Huntington // Photography by Sarah Prikryl  The dawn of May means one thing: road trip season is officially upon us! Time to make your plans and hop in the car with your nearest and dearest this summer to go explore the big wide wild open! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing highlights from our epic Sirens road trip to Utah’s stunning national parks. We took in the jaw-dropping majesty of Zion and Bryce Canyon and even stayed at the world’s sweetest tiny log-and-tin cabin, Happy Ours Ranch. We’re sharing our on-the-road playlist to set the mood and soothe your soul on all your summer adventures! Car packed, wheels down…go get those tires dirty with our “Dusty Trails” playlist! MAY 2017 ~ DUSTY TRAILS // ZION And stay tuned for this month’s adventures to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon & the Grand Canyon! Happy Trails!! xoxo, Sirens & Scoundrels FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY FOR EASY LISTENING FROM ANY DEVICE!~ https://play.spotify.com/user/sirensandscoundrels Be sure to subscribe to Sirens & Scoundrels for unique local, travel & food adventures delivered straight to you! Enter …

Gluten-Free Pasta Salad (with Vegan Option)

If you’re looking for the fastest, easiest, most delicious on-the-go dish to bring to your next summer picnic or potluck, you’re in luck! This is your new go-to recipe! I started making this Gluten-Free Pasta Salad a few years ago and it became an instant hit amongst our friends. Now whenever summer rolls around and a gathering is afoot, this salad is always requested. Light, tasty, healthy and extremely satisfying all at once, this salad can be tossed together in a few minutes and holds at room temperature. Bring it to your next Summer Outdoor Movie Night (for your LA List, click HERE) for a dish guaranteed to put a smile on your friends’ faces and have them coming back for seconds—and thirds! Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 8-12 mins Total: 20 mins Serves: 8-12 people, depending on portions INGREDIENTS~ 1 bag of gluten-free pasta (I use Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Pasta) 1 bag of organic arugula 1 can of organic garbanzo beans 1 box of organic cherry tomatoes 1 log of chevre or 1 box of …