Eaten Not Stirred

My mother’s great grandparents came from Russia and one of the stories that I found most fascinating was their tradition for a Bloody Mary. According to them the Bloody Mary’s that we are all familiar with stray far from its origins. There was a time when the tomato and the vodka never married together in a glass instead the tomato was eaten with a little salt and then washed down with ample amounts of vodka. Over time when the Russians introduced this tomato eating vodka drinking tradition to the United States many people started to add their own twists and created the many versions of the Bloody Mary that we are all quite enjoyably familiar with today.

Since my cherry tomatoes in my garden are red, ripe and bountiful why not pay homage to them by making some bite size Bloody Mary's.

Please make sure you have some ice cold vodka chilling to wash these down with, we wouldn’t want to break from tradition afterall.

Bite Size Bloody Mary’s

1 box ripe cherry tomatoes or fresh from the garden, even better

1/4 c. very cold vodka

2 tbsp. kosher salt

Save the rest of the Vodka for drinking

Poke 3 to 4 holes in each cherry tomato using a toothpick, place tomatoes in a container that has a cover. Pour vodka over tomatoes, give them a stir then cover and refrigerate over night or longer if necessary. To serve place tomatoes in serving dish, in separate dishes have toothpicks and kosher salt. To eat place tomato on toothpick, dip in kosher salt and eat.

FYI- may also provide dishes of chopped dill and some hot pepper for those who like it spicy.


Bloody Mary

Let's Do The Twist

There is something so comforting about the smell of warm yeasty dough proofing in the kitchen. I remember when kneading dough was our daily way of muscle building. You did not need free weights back then, just a good deal of elbow grease and the pleasure derived from making something from scratch to serve to family and friends. This is a recipe the kids will have fun rolling up their sleeves for; let them twist their pretzels into whatever shapes that they like. They will still taste wonderful no matter what the shape and there will be plenty of smiles to go around for such a special time shared.


Soft Pretzels

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
2 tsp. salt
4-5 c. unsifted white flour
Approx. 1 tbsp. soft butter
4 tsp. baking soda
kosher salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. When foamy add rest of water. Mix 4 cups flour and salt in large bowl. Add dissolved yeast. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 10 minutes or until dough feels elastic. Knead dough into a ball, place in a bowl and spread with butter. Cover with a dish towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Pinch off small ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a coil 20 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter.
Form into a pretzel, wetting ends and pinching them together firmly. Form rest of dough the same way. Put baking soda in 4 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Drop one pretzel at a time into boiling water and let boil 1 minute or until it floats. Remove and drain. Place drained pretzels on greased cookie sheet. Spread with coarse salt. Bake at 475 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.