Currently loving...

Michelada's!

(It's a drink...with alcohol)

Michelada's are a lot like a Bloody Mary, but with beer in place of Vodka and I like to sip one on the back patio on a Summer evening. With the tomato juice it's almost like having your dinner and drinks at the same time!

How does one make such a drink? Let me share...

What you will need:

-Beer, preferably of the Mexican variety. I use Corona Light because I'm watching my girlish figure

-Tomato juice (some recipe's use Clamato, but I'm not down with clam juice anywhere near my alcohol)

-worcestershire sauce

-Soy sauce

-Fresh lime juice

-Coarse salt (sea salt)

First, rim your glass with salt (if you're into that). Take a lime wedge, cut a slit and run it around the rim of your glass. Pour some coarse salt in a dish and rub the rim of your glass in the salt. Fill that glass with some ice. Pour in your beer.

To make the mix: In a mixing glass pour 6 oz. of tomato juice, squeeze one fresh lime, about 5 shakes of worcestershire sauce, about 3 shakes of soy sauce, and some coarse salt to taste (I like mine salty). If you like hot stuff then add some hot sauce to taste. Pour the mix over your beer and mix all of it together. Now you're ready to sit back and enjoy!

Not the best time to blog about...

I'm here today to talk about something very near and dear to my heart.

Tomatoes.

Photo: Every Day Moments Etsy shop

Okay, I kid. A little. My heart breaks at the thought of all of those delicious tomatoes destroyed due to the recent salmonella outbreak. Right now is peak tomato season - and if you're like me, you've been waiting for it! Few things make me happier than a home-grown tomato. Bring me one and watch my eyes light up! To my satisfaction, Yahoo posted a short article with safety tips for eating tomatoes despite the outbreak (although, technically, it's not encouraged).

Not associated with the outbreak: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and tomatoes grown at home. Ketchup and cooked sauces are not affected by the outbreak.

Preliminary data suggest that raw red plum, Roma, or round red tomatoes are the cause, according to the FDA. To eat these tomatoes, wash thoroughly and cut away the part that is attached to the plant and the button on the other side (the non-red parts). That part can carry a food-borne illness because it's a hard area and organisms can attach themselves to it. Don't bother with a special vegetable wash; studies show that it's not much better than water.

Cooking tomatoes at 145 degrees will kill salmonella.


Print: Tomatoes and Pyrex by Amanda Kindregan

I'll still indulge in a lovely juicy tomato, but I'll be extra careful to wash it thoroughly and cut away the stemmed areas. It's best to neatly slice away those areas and wash your knife and cutting board after since the bacteria can infect the other parts of the tomato.


Print: Twin Tomato brothers illustration by I'm From Another Planet

It's not prudent of me, but I badly want to eat a tomato right now! Possibly one of my favorite dishes in the whole world is a sliced home-grown tomato with fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella, a good olive oil, cracked pepper and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. Now that's a Caprese Salad!



If you're looking for a great "home-grown", organic tomato then please visit the wonderful Boggy Creek Farm (on the East-side, near Montopolis). Market hours (only twice weekly): Wednesday and Saturday, 9am-1pm (the other days they farm). Visit the website for a current, in-season list of organic vegetables and map. At the farm you will also find Sweetish Hill bread (Saturdays) and fresh, organic meats and dairy products. I picked up a fresh whole chicken, never frozen, and oven-roasted it. I could taste the difference and it was one of the best chicken meals I've ever had!


Photo via Boggy Creek Farm website