The Ultimate Bloody Mary

Beach Weekend!

This past weekend, Ryan and I headed down to Bald Head Island for a fun getaway with close friends. For three days we feasted on seafood and drank Corona's. It was a relaxing wonderful long weekend. Since this is just one of the many trips we have planned for July and early August, I have not been in the kitchen much lately. Therefore, I want to share the best Bloody Mary we have ever tasted!

Our friend, Will likes to eat and drink well, so when he brought homemade Bloody Mary mix to share, I had to get the recipe! The entire weekend, everyone raved about the mix, calling it the best "Bloody" they have ever had! I agreed, although I would have to tone down the spice level a bit for my weak pallet! He combined two different recipes and made his own tweaks for The Ultimate Bloody Mary! Cheers!!

The Ultimate Bloody Mary
Adapted from Former Chef and Alton Brown
Makes: 4-6 cocktails

3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp pickle brine
2 Tbsp hot sauce (he used Chesapeake Fire w/ a dash of You Can't Handle This)
1 big clove of garlic
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 fresh jalapeno
Juice from 2 lemons
Juice from 2 limes
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt 
1 tsp Old Bay
64 oz low-sodium V8

Combine all ingredients except V8 and then puree for 3-5 minutes. Pour out  (or drink) enough of the V8 to funnel mixture into the bottle. Shake well, chill, add desired amount of vodka and enjoy.

Raw Chocolate Brownies

Brownies That Will Change Your Life :)

I am so excited to share this post with you. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing all my posts with you, but this one in particular makes me very happy! I have discovered the most amazing recipe for brownies, raw brownies to be specific. I know, I know, the raw diet is such a fad and totally gross - who wants to eat cold food all the time! Well, I am here to tell you that it isn't all bad. Close your eyes and imagine a delicious brownie, now think about that brownie not being baked or having any sugar, gluten or eggs. What??? No way, Jessica!

Grow, Garden, Grow for Pesto

Herbs, Herbs Everywhere

This is the third summer Ryan and I have been in our house, and every summer we add one more thing to our "garden." I put garden in quotes because it refers to pots on our back patio. We live in a town home, and are not allowed to dig into the ground, so we have to keep everything in pots. This pretty much limits us to growing herbs and some vegetables.

I love having my own little herb garden though! I cook with herbs all the time and even use them in cocktails. I add them to everything and think fresh herbs are so much better than dried! This is one of my favorite recipes to highlight all the fresh herbs from the garden, Zucchini Pie.

This year, we got a bit ahead of ourselves and decided to add SEVERAL new things - chives, spinach, oregano and a new kind of mint. I usually get herbs that are already potted and transfer them, and I always buy organic ones so I can start using them right away. Archer Lodge Herb Farm is my favorite spot at the Raleigh Farmer's Market to pick some up. I am waiting patiently for them to get parsley and tarragon so I can add to my collection!

Since the weather has been warm and we've had random rain showers, the herbs are growing like crazy!! I usually bring in a bunch to work and hand out so I don't have to throw them away. But another great solution is to make pesto! 

Most people think of pesto with basil, which is usually true. But why not take the same concept and apply it to other herbs that are growing rampant in our garden. Oregano was one that I need to use up and fast! I have included a recipe for oregano pesto below, but this has a bite to it - be forewarned! 

For a good basic basil pesto, head over to Heidi's site on 101 cookbooks for an authentic Italian recipe (here is a hint, it is all in the technique).

Fresh Watermelon Salad

Easy Summer Recipe

July is a very crazy month for the Hubbie and I. We are traveling every weekend from the mountains to the coast and even up to Chicago. We do this to ourselves every year, despite swearing we won't. Somehow the summers just fill up for us though. Trust me, we aren't complaining, but the temptation to order take-out or go out is very strong when we are this busy. 

Must....stay....strong and fight the urge to order take-out!! 

So I use my strength and focus on quick recipes. One of our favorite quick and healthy recipes is a Fresh Watermelon Salad - great in the summer. Originally inspired from an Italian restaurant my Mom and I went to several years ago, and then tweaked, this is a great way to use all the fresh watermelon taking over Markets.

I like to drizzle the salad with olive oil right before serving, but that is not necessary if you are cutting back calories. Also, the salad pictured above is vegetarian, however by adding a few slices of prosciutto the salad takes on a delicious salty bite. It covers all the taste-bud-basics, sweet, salty and savory! Not to mention, husband-approved :)

Jalapeno Poppers on the Fourth

A Poppin' Good Time!

It was a great celebration - friends, food and fireworks for the July 4th holiday this year. We decided to take it easy since it was a work night. We invited some friends to come over to grill and have a few drinks. Everyone brought something and was hard at work prepping for our grill feast before the fireworks!

With a trip to the Farmer's Market earlier in the week, my friend Virginia and I had gathered all of the sides and fixin's (as we say in the South) for our 4th of July feast!

Spinach Salad with Warm Shallot Dressing

Bacon or No Bacon, That is the Question!

For the most part, Ryan is really easy going when it comes to my meal planning. Since I dedicate time and energy to thinking and planning ahead, he is very respectful with whatever ends up on the dinner table. However, there are occasional days when he has a craving for something in particular, and when that happens, my meals don't stand a chance! 

The other night he had a hankering for bacon. I know, surprise, surprise! Since we happened to have bacon in the refrigerator and an abundance of spinach in the garden, I figured a spinach salad would settle his bacon cravings, my green vegetable needs and allow me to play around with a new salad dressing. That it did!

I am not a huge meat eater, as we all know, so I decided to make this again a few days later without the bacon for my vegetarian followers. I have to say the dressing is what makes this salad so amazing - with or without bacon!

To put my healthy spin on this salad, I removed most of the bacon fat before sauteing the shallots and left out the hard-boiled egg and croutons. I then added fresh vegetables (mushrooms, radishes and chives) and reduced the oil in the salad dressing. If you are not a huge mustard fan, you can cut back on the amount of mustard. Adjust the flavors to your liking! Enjoy!

4th of July Recipe Ideas

Grill, Drink and be Patriotic!

The nation's birthday, a day to get together with friends and family in your most patriotic outfit and grill while you drink fun cocktails and watch your neighbor set off fireworks from his driveway. I couldn't think of a better day! This year, the holiday falls in the middle of the week, so planning ahead is a must. There is a recipe on KettlerCuisine for every culinary need this holiday.