Epic Bloody Mary Mixers

For my uncle Mike... who went ape over this, and asked for the recipe:

*** Note: This is PER DRINK. ***

The Equipment:
+ Drinking glasses.
+ Extra long toothpicks or small skewers; preferably as long as the glass. Usually found in the spices isle or paper plates isle at the grocery store.
+ 2 Shallow bowls for salt/pepper - for the Rim Job and rolled mozzarella balls

The Drink:
1 small handful of cubed ice in drink, if preferred.
1 to 2 shots Vodka - the good stuff, like Smirnoff or Grey Goose.
1 to 5 splashes of Tobasco sauce, to taste preference
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of celery salt
1/2 clove of garlic, minced/pressed
1 good squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 squeeze of lime juice
1 splash of soy
3 to 5 turns of freshly ground black pepper, to taste preference
Enough v8 to fill the rest of the (normal 12-16oz) glass

Garnishes (Yes, I use ALL of these):
Celery stalk
radishes
cocktail onions
cherry tomato
Garlic-filled green olives
pickled jalapeno
cooked cocktail shrimp
Fresh green bean
Baby banquet pickles, halved lengthwise
marinated asparagus (avocado oil, garlic, salt, fresh dill, basil, & lemon juice; overnight)
Mozzarella balls
Quartered lime

I like to prepare all the garnish stuff first for multiple drinks, so I can just quickly plop them in as I complete each one.

1) First skewer: In one of the shallow bowls, combine a little bit of regular iodized salt and pepper together. Roll the mozzarella balls in the mixture, and stick a skewer through it. Add a cherry tomato. Top it with a shrimp.

2) Second skewer: Add the cocktail onion, radish, and garlic olive on top.

3) Wash &/or prepare your other garnishes so they're ready to go. I usually quarter cut the celery so they're long and skinny, and I cut off the tips of the green beans. Place all on a platter for easy access.

4) On each glass, rub a halved lime over the rim. Turn the glass upside down and dip the rim in the sea salt, rotating slightly to get them to stick. Place glass back upright.


Now, onto the drink!...
1) If you like ice, add a few cubes to the glass. Otherwise, mix the ice with all the ingredients in a separate glass or shaker first, then pour into a prepared glass.

2) Add your shot(s). Then add most of the other ingredients: Tobasco, Worcestershire, celery salt, lemon juice, lime juice, minced garlic, black pepper. Stir.

3) Add enough v8 to fill the glass. Stir/shake well. If you don't want the ice, this would be when you transfer all but the ice into your prepared glass. If you DO want ice, only fill the glass about 3/4 full. Otherwise, it will overflow when you go to put the garnishes in.

4) Starting with the loose stuff first (a jalapeno, celery, pickle, asparagus) begin adding your garnishes! Crisscross the two skewers on the top. Finish with a quartered lime on the rim.

Enjoy!!!

Brie en Croute

I'm a little late in getting this post out. I did promise, though, so here it is...

If you are looking for something warm, gooey, and delicious to make for a cocktail party, you've come to the right blog. I made both of these for a friend's party recently, and they were a hit! These melted mounds of glory are full of sophisticated flavors and textures that are sure to compliment most wines and/or beer.

But first, a little about the brie used:
The one used in the Spiced Fruit version is sweet and very creamy, which both calmed the fires of the jelly, and complimented the fruit beautifully. The one used in the Onion Fig version is buttery, slightly nutty, and smooth. I thought it would compliment the caramelized onions well, and it did.

Generally speaking, I'm not a brie fan. I tend to find most brie rather moldy tasting, bitter, and chalky. But these two are high quality, very creamy, and quite mouth watering. Both types from this brand have won many cheese awards, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.


Spiced Fruit Brie en Croute
1 round Rouge et Noir, "Triple Crème" Brie
1 package of puff pastry (the 17" wide ones - there should be two sheets in it; only use one)
4 tbsp. of hot jalapeno pepper preserves
1/2 small Golden Delicious apple, diced
1/3 Bartlett pear, diced
1 small package of chopped pecans, toasted
1 dash of cinnamon
1 beaten egg


Onion Fig Brie en Croute
1 round Rouge et Noir "Original" Brie
1 package of puff pastry (the 17" wide ones - there should be two sheets in it; only use one)
2 tbsp. of mission fig preserves
2 tbsp. of homemade sweet pineapple chutney (I had some leftover from a previous dish - you can also use finely diced pineapple chunks with a little bit of ginger & sugar)
1 small sweet Maui onion, thinly sliced & caramelized
1 small package of chopped walnuts, toasted
1 beaten egg


It might seem like there are a lot of steps, but this is really very easy to make - I just broke it down into a lot of baby steps. You can make just one, do what I did and make both at the same time, or make two of the same if you're not 'feeling' one over the other...


1. Unless you made the puff pastry yourself (which, normally, I would have done. However, I was on a time crunch) your packaged stuff is going to be frozen. Take it out, and out it on a floured sheet of baking paper. Set aside. As it thaws, you can unfold it more, and massage the creases away. The pastry will become extremely sticky, so don't forget to flour! Otherwise, you won't be able to lift it up to cover your cheesy innards later.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Throw your nuts onto a cookie sheet and toast them as it begins to heat. If you're doing both versions, just put the pecans on one side, and the walnuts on the other. You can do step three while you wait.

3. Prepare your ingredients. Regardless of which recipe you do, you're going to need to dice/slice your fruits/vegetables. For the apples and pears: Place in a small bowl. Sprinkle in your dash of cinnamon, and lightly mix. For the caramelized onions: Cook your thinly sliced pieces with 2 tsp. butter, covered, over medium/low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and tender. Stir occasionally.

4. Take your nuts out of the oven. Your pastry (or pastries) should be pretty well thawed out by this point. Unfold completely, and cut a large circle. I cheated and used a large salad bowl that was the same diameter as the sheet of dough to cut around. Save the excess if you wish - you can use them to decorate your creation(s).

5. Spread your preserves over the pastry rounds like you would with a pizza, leaving only the edges bare. If you're doing the one with chutney/pineapple bits, spread in the same manner right on top of the fig.

6. Add your diced or sliced/caramelized plant toppings. Again, just like a pizza. Leave the edges alone! Then add your toasted nuts.

7. Place your brie (yes, the whole thing) in the center of each pastry round, on top of the weird looking pizza mess. Now's the fun part: Begin to bring the edges of the pastry up and over the cheese rounds. You might be thinking 'This is NEVER going to work! It's not big enough." Relax, the beauty about pastry is that it stretches! Gently pull, pleat, and pinch your way around in small increments to seal, and you'll eventually get it.

8. Gently flip and place the completely sealed rounds smooth side up. This is why I put it on floured baking paper. You can either bake it on this (on a cookie sheet), or if you prefer to use a nice oven-safe serving piece, that works too. I ultimately served mine on a large wooden platter, so I needed something transferrable.

9. If you wish, decorate the tops with your left-over pastry bits from earlier. I cut out pieces for the words "Jalapeno" and "Onion Fig" for mine. Brush your beaten egg over the top and sides of the round. This will help it brown. Cut small slits or poke a few holes for steam to escape.

10. Bake for about a half hour or until the pastry is a deep golden brown color. These will both smell divine. Once done, let stand for about 10-20 minutes before serving (which was the perfect amount of time needed to drive to said party). Serve with the remaining fruit, sliced, and/or your favorite crackers. Don't forget your cheese knife! Enjoy :-)