Bloody Marti

As far as I'm concerned, there are two kinds of people in this world: Mimosa people, and Bloody Mary people.  Everyone has their brunch-time favorite, and I have to admit, I would consider myself more of a Mimosa gal.  That is, until I discovered the wonders of homemade Roasted Tomato Juice. 

For a while now, I've been debating whether or not to take the plunge and buy a juicer.  When Williams-Sonoma emailed me and asked for an inspired Bloody Mary recipe, I knew fresh tomato juice would be they key.

Roasted Tomato Juice adds a surprising, homespun twist on the classic Bloody Mary.  Roasting the already ripe, juicy summer tomatoes elevates their flavor to a whole new tomato-level. 

All of this topped with a fried pickle garnish?  I'd say we have a winner here!

I strained my Bloody Marti's into a martini glass, but this would be great over ice as well.  I went with classic ingredients, but you can always add more hot sauce, pickle juice, pickled veggies, shrimp; the possibilities are endless when it comes to Bloody Mary ingredients and garnishes! 

Ingredients:

Roasted Tomato Juice (makes 4 cups)

* 8 ripe plum tomatoes

* 1 tbsp. olive oil

* salt, pepper

Bloody Martis (serves 2):

* 2 c. Roasted Tomato Juice

* 2 oz. vodka

* 2 dashes worcestershire

* 1 tsp. prepared horse radish

* 2-3 dashes tobasco sauce

* juice of 1/2 lime

* pinch of celery salt

* pinch of paprika, plus more for rim

* fried pickles, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400.  Slice tomatoes in half crosswise and lay, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 40 minutes, or until the skins have shriveled up and pulled away from the tomato.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then pull the skins off and discard. 

Place the tomatoes and any pan drippings in a blender (if you have a juicer, use that).  Puree the tomatoes until smooth.  Pour the tomato puree into a fine mesh strainer to rid the mixture of any seeds.  Set aside.

To prepare the martini, combine all Bloody Marti ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. To garnish the glasses, run a lime wedge around the edge of two martini glasses and dip into a shallow dish of paprika.  Strain the martini into the glasses and garnish with a skewer of fried pickles.  Enjoy! 

Fried Pickles

I might consider myself a fried pickle connoisseur of sorts.  I love fried pickles, and it's so hard for me not to order them when they're on the menu. Every restaurant has their own spin on the classic, whether it's fried dill chips, a surprising bread and butter pickle, spears, strips… there are just so many options!

My personal favorite is fried dill chips, with a super crunchy cornmeal crust.  

These pickles are so delicious and couldn't be easier to make.  My favorite brand of pickles doesn't sell chips, so I bough the whole pickles and sliced them up myself.  

Ingredients:

* 2 c. pickle chips

* 1 c. buttermilk

* 3/4 c. flour

* 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

*1/2 tsp. garlic powder

* 1/2 tsp. onion powder

* 1/2 tsp. paprika

* salt, pepper

* 16 oz. vegetable oil, for frying

Drain the pickle chips from their juice and place in a measuring cup.  Top with 1 c. buttermilk and soak while you prepare the dry ingredients.  In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  Mix together with a fork.  

Use a slotted spoon to remove the pickles from the buttermilk mixture, then dredge them in the flour mixture.  Shake off any excess flour and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet while you prepare the rest. 

Once all the pickles are coated, add oil to a 10 inch skillet (you want at least an inch of oil, if you have a bigger/smaller skillet, you may need more or less oil). Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then test one of the pickles (if the oil is hot enough, it should immediately bubble up around the pickle). Fry the pickles in batches (don't crowd the pan too much or the oil will cool down) until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.  If the pickles are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Serve with ranch dressing, or as a garnish for Bloody Marti's. Enjoy! 

Sriracha Lime Chicken Wings

One of my favorite things to include on the menu for any casual party is chicken wings.  Not only does  absolutely everyone love them (especially since I only buy the drumettes, they're a one-hander), but they're so easy to make in the oven.  Even better, they're great at room temperature, so they can be made a little bit early. 

These wings are surprisingly not spicy at all, but so full of flavor.  The Sriracha and lime provides a unique, tangy flavor, and i'll bet you can't eat just one. 

If you want spicy, i'd suggest upping the Sriracha measurement, or drizzling a little over the wings after they finish cooking.

Ingredients

* 2 lbs. chicken wings 

* 1 tsp. garlic powder

* 4 tbsp. butter

* 1 tbsp. flour

* 3 tbsp. sriracha

* 2 tbsp. honey

* 1 tbsp. soy sauce

* juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange the wings in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray.  Pat the wings dry and season with garlic powder.  Bake the wings for 25 minutes, turning once. 

Meanwhile, prepare the sriracha glaze.  Melt butter over medium heat and stir in flour.  Cook the flour until golden brown, whisking constantly (about 1 minute).  Add the sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and lime, and bring to a gentle boil.  Continue to cook until the sauce is slightly thickened. Set aside. 

 After 25 minutes, remove the wings from the oven, position the rack in the upper third, and increase the temperature to broil. Brush the sauce onto the wings and broil for 3-4 minutes (keep an eye on them, some broilers are better than others and I think mine may be lacking!), or until golden brown.  Turn the wings, brush with more glaze, and broil the second side until golden brown.  Enjoy!

Weekend Update - BHI

I'm off to a slow start this week after enjoying a lovely long weekend.  Sometime's a four day weekend is just what the doctor ordered.  What's even better? A four day work week, and the same next week with Labor Day!

Last weekend I ventured to one of my absolute favorite places, Bald Head Island, with my best friend Honor, her mom (and my Mom's best friend), my Mom, and my sister Laura.  We had such a relaxed ladies weekend with plenty of time at the pool, beach, lots of wine (and margs..and pina coladas… and more wine), great food and of course great company. 

Laura, mom & me

I love that Bald Head is only an hour away from me, but it feels like another world once that ferry reaches the other side. 

One of my favorite things about BHI is NO CARS! Tooling around in a golf cart is so much more interesting. 

Honor & me

When we were younger, Laura would always do Honor and I's hair and makeup and take our glamour shots, so it seems fitting that we should do the same this year.  Very glamorous indeed! "It's all about the volume ladies!"

Glamour shot time!!

Until next year my beautiful island! 

Surfer Dogs

A few weeks ago, I shared my love of Trolley Stop's Surfer Dogs on the blog, and I've been meaning to make a homemade version for a while now. 

If you don't live in Wilmington, you may not be familiar with our iconic hot dog spot.  The first time I had their famous Surfer Dog was when Mike's cousin Samantha had the Trolley cart at her wedding.  Bacon, mustard, and cheese sauce - how did I ever doubt you?

This combo on top of a freshly grilled all beef hot dog is a big winner, and it couldn't be easier to prepare.

Ingredients (serves 10 - customize the portions as needed!)

* 24 all beef hot dogs, buns

* spicy brown mustard, for serving

* 10 pieces center cut bacon

*2 tbsp. butter

* 2 tbsp. flour

* 8 oz. cheddar cheese, freshly grated 

* 8 oz. heavy cream

* 1/8 tsp. paprika

* 1 tbsp. dijon mustard

*dash of ground nutmeg

* 2-3 dashes hot sauce 

* salt, pepper

First, prepare the bacon.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer.  Transfer to the oven and turn the temperature to 400 (starting with a cold oven helps the bacon get crisp).  Cook the bacon for 18-20 minutes, or until crisp, and drain on a paper towel.  When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it into fine pieces.

For the cheese sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour and whisk constantly for a minute or so, or until the flour is well combined with the butter and the mixture is golden brown.  Add the cream to the pan and season with mustard, paprika, hot sauce, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.   Bring this mixture to a simmer, until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.  Reduce the heat and whisk in the grated cheddar. 

To serve, grill the hot dogs, add a thin line of spicy brown mustard, top with cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Enjoy!