Good morning friends! I am back. I took a little hiatus from the blog to enjoy some time with JJ and his family for his 30th birthday. It was also a good time to figure some things out as I am in a transition phase right now. What? Again? Yes. That is life I suppose. So let’s raise a glass on this Thirsty Thursday, shall we?
While I find Blood Mary’s to be semi-polarizing, I encourage you to try this mix as it is so fresh and tasty and does not need any alcohol to do it justice. There is no added sugar, no preservatives, no fake crap and no BS. Just real food, for you real humans, so you can enjoy a cocktail and not have to worry about all the other nonsense found in beverages these days.
Three cheers for Thursdays, Bloody Mary’s, & Transitions.
Change is Inevitable
Ok, let’s back up for one hot second. Yes, I am going through a transition phase that I have alluded to in my Newsletter should you be some of the lucky few who are actually subscribed.
I have been working with the company Designed to Fit Nutrition for the last year and a half and have loved every second. The team was amazing, the software bar to none and the client testimonials were so humbling and motivational. I would’ve loved things to stay the course, but as is with anything in life, change is inevitable.
As the company progressed it became clear that it made more sense for each of us to branch off and have our own meal planning capabilities under our own brands and websites. The good news is I am still doing custom meal plans (you can sign up here). The other good news is that while DTFN is closing down, I am still maintaining some awesome relationships formed while there and everyone is crushing their own businesses. Change is scary, unsettling, and of course inevitable so why not make the best of it?
DIY
Ok, more on all of that later, back to the topic of Bloody Mary’s. I have this thing where when I try something out I like to think or say that I could make it better. Honestly, I’m not that confident of a person but when it comes to food and recipes and cooking, it’s a different story. I express love and feelings through the act of cooking, baking and developing food/recipes, so I guess the confidence is paramount.
When I see everyone on social media, Pinterest, etc. making pretty crafts from scratch I always want to try them but I’m pretty terrible at crafting. Some things I’ll knock out of the park but most things end up looking like a 3 year old tried to use a glue gun, there is glitter all over the floor and I got distracted about 2 seconds in so there is schmutz on my dining room table. Food, on the other hand, is a different story, well ok except for the schmutz
I realized that food is my craft and if I want to express any type of feeling, emotion, or gratitude it can be done by making food for others. This Bloody Mary Mix is no different. I had been wanting to try to make this mix but needed the kick in the butt to do so. Who/what kicked me in the butt? It was my friend Nicole’s birthday this week and she is the Bloody Mary queen. So, I figured why not try and give her a homemade treat to with this Bloody Mary Mix. And maybe selfishly I was hoping she’d make me a Bloody Mary this weekend 😉
Bloody Mary Mix
You can buy Bloody Mary Mix off the shelf, but after making this I’m not sure I’ll ever be buying them again. Not to mention, some of the leading brands have High Fructose Corn Syrup in the first few ingredients, COME ON! It’s 2018! Let’s do better food companies.
You can compare this with my ingredient list in the recipe below, I think it’s clear who the winner is 🙂
This recipe is one of the easiest things I have made yet. All you do is stick a bunch of veggies and accoutrements in a pot, blend it up and boom you’re done. The only thing you need is time and I’m convinced you can probably make this in an Instant Pot if you were crunched on time.
The nice thing is you can drink as-is or you can make it into an adult cocktail. I personally love to be super extra with my Blood Mary and add every possible add-in I have available. My favorite add-in is any stuffed olive, if I had to pick.
I think this mix would make for a nice gift for friends, family, coworkers, etc. I gave mine to my friend and combo’ed it with a bottle of vodka from a local distillery, Albany Distilling Co. It is so nice to give and receive a gift that can be used and enjoyed together. Put a tag on it with instructions, tied on with a pretty ribbon and boom present of the year.
Pro Tip: if you are concerned about how much water to add, wait until you are ready to consume and then add water at that time!
In a large pot, add tomatoes, beet, celery, carrot, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, water, salt and pepper.
Bring out to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
Turn off heat, add remaining ingredients and either use an immersion blender to blend or add to a blender or food processor and blend on high until combined.
Add more water to bring to desired consistency. I added about 1 to 1-1/2 cups extra water.
Note: if making an alcoholic Bloody Mary, don’t water too much as you will be adding vodka & ice to the mix which will thin it out.
To make a Bloody Mary:
Choose your favorite (or fastest available) glass/mug/cup
Wet the rim and roll in celery salt to make it tasty
Pour 6 oz Bloody Mary Mix
Add 1.5 oz (or 1 shot) vodka
Stir it up
Throw in ice to your liking
Add all the accoutrements including (but not limited to): olives (preferably stuffed), pickles, lime wedges, jalapeños, bacon, celery, shrimp, etc.
