How Do You Like Your Bloody Mary?

Everyone loves a Summer cocktail and who doesn't love customizing it with their favorite mixes and additions?  Set up all your toppings, mixers, vodkas, glasses, stirrers, and big cube ice for an easy Bloody Mary Bar.   My favorite mixer is vintagevinemix with just the right amount of spices.  Vintage Vine is natural and gluten free and made with the highest quality ingredients. 

Mix with your favorite vodka. Our favorites are titosvodka or absolutvodka. Either one teams up beautifully for a delicious tasting cocktail. 

Everyone has their own style for customizing their Bloody Mary. Here are a few suggestions to top off your drink with taste and style.

Pickle spears, salami, blue cheese stuffed olives, celery, grape tomatoes, cucumber spears, dill pickles, Tabasco, celery salt, lime wedges, a small dollop of horseradish if you like extra kick and a shake of Worcestershire.

Cheers to your weekend🍹

Easy French Toast Bake for New Years Morning

 Serve with chilled orange juice or cranberry juice and chilled champagne for make your own mimosa and pitchers of your favorite bloody Mary mix with choice of toppings to make your own Bloody Mary.  Here is a recipe I'll be preparing for our family to enjoy on New Year's Day. The best part is you make the casserole the day before and refrigerate until ready to bake. You just pop into the oven and let the aroma fill the house until it's  done baking and ready to serve.  Serve with a basket of your favorite muffins and a large bowl of fresh tossed cut fruit. You have a beautiful buffet and it leaves you time to stay in your pj's and ease into 2020.

Baked Apple Cranberry French Toast Casserole

Makes 12 servings
Ingredients: 
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 loaf Italian or french bread cut into 1 inch slices
6 large eggs 
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* Gluten free bread may be substituted for the Italian or french bread if your diet requires gluten free.

To make combine the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a 13 x 9 baking dish you have sprayed with your favorite cooking spray. Add apples and cranberries and toss to coat well with the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Spread mixture evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.  Arrange the sliced bread on top.  Mix eggs , milk, vanilla and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon until well blended.  Pour over bread to soak bread completely.  Cover and refrigerate 4 - 24 hours.  Bake covered with aluminum foil in preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Uncover and continue to bake another 5 minutes.  Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.  Serve with warm maple syrup and a dish of whipped butter .  

                                                      

Celebrate Summer with a "Summer Mary" or "Beer Mary"

I love a great make your own Bloody Mary bar when we are out, or when hosting friends on the weekends.  Some like a lot of spice while others prefer their Bloody Mary on the milder side.  Some like theirs topped with meats, cheeses and relishes while others go traditional with lime, celery and stuffed olives of choice. Other great garnishes include cucumber slices, pickle spears, spears of chilled cocktail shrimp, cubed cheddar, pepperocinis, Worcestershire sauce, small dollop of horseradish, shake of celery salt, and of course, vodka. 

 Betterhomesandgardens has a recipe for making a pitcher of 8 servings of Spice Beer Mary I've listed below. This recipe is a "Mary" with beer as the main ingredient...no vodka.  

Interesting twist......have you tried it before?

~Spicy Beer Mary~

Kosher salt, 1 lime cut into wedges, 3 cups hot vegetable juice, chilled, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce, 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds, 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, 2 (12 oz.) cans or bottle lager or pilsner chilled beer, ice cubes, celery sticks and lime wedges.  Old Bay seasoning is optional too.

In a shallow dish, combine Old Bay seasoning and salt.

Rub rims of 8 (12 oz.) pilsner glasses with lime wedges from 1 lime, and dip rims in salt mixture. 

In a large pitcher combine vegetable juice, lime juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, celery seeds, and white pepper. Pour in the beer and stir gently to combine.

Serve in glasses over ice and garnish with celery sticks and or additional lie wedges.

CHEERS!🍸

Bloody Mary Bar for Playoff Weekend

Setting up a Bloody Mary bar is so easy to do!  It's always a hit on game day because your family and friends can make to their own liking. Spicy or mild!

I love Vintage Vine Bloody Mary Mix base from Lincoln Park Beverage Company. It has red pepper, honey, horseradish, onion, garlic and black pepper already in the mix and it's gluten free. 

Slicing, Dicing and Preparing Garnishes

I also like to offer V8 as a tomato base.  It has just 50 calories for 8 ounces and it has vegetable juices and spices already in it. Ketelone. is a favorite of mine as well as Titosvodka.

Let your guests pour their own tomato base and add their vodka, ice, and garnishes to their own liking. I love Blue Cheese, Feta, or Pimento stuffed olives as garnishes in my Bloody Mary's.  Check out my list below for other great garnish ideas.

Always offer soft drinks, wine, waters and PLENTY OF ICE! 

6 cups of the tomato base will make approximately 8-10 drinks.

Here are a few of my favorite Bloody Mary garnishes for your bar.  

Cubes cheddar or mozzarella, cut up summer sausage, pickle spears, quartered lemons or limes, stuffed olives, baby corn, marinated artichoke hearts, pepperocini peppers and sliced celery.

For spice offer Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Sriracha, A-1 steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

Protein offerings include cooked bacon strips, cooked shrimp and pepperoni sticks.

Have "beer chaser" pints on hand too.  Always a favorite!  

~May your team win & enjoy your weekend~