Homemade Bloody Mary Mix

Bloody Mary's have always been a favorite drink of mine. Who would not love the option of a cocktail with breakfast?!? While honeymooning in Jamaica they had a make-your-own bloody mary station. While I will not divulge how many bloody mary's I consumed in the course of 10 days, I will tell you how to make your own mix at home. I can not tell you how many mixes I tried over the years looking for the perfect one. I never did find it. It just struck me that I should obviously make my own. I am not quite sure what took me so long to realize that, but the result is fantastic. I should note that I like a very spicy and smooth bloody mary. Some are made with big chunks of horseradish, celery seed, black pepper, etc. and I have never enjoyed that. I ran mine through the blender to eliminate anything of the sort. We will be enjoying these on Thanksgiving morning while we stuff Turkey and prep food for the day. I hope you enjoy these as much as we will! Try garnishing this with the Maple-Chipotle Candied Bacon, you wont be sorry!

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Maple-Chipotle Candied Bacon

I love bacon, thats no secret, so when I was out to brunch and saw "candied bacon" on the bloody mary menu I knew I had to have it. Bacon? Candied? What could be better! Out comes my beautiful bloody mary with a piece of crisp bacon stuck in it. Oh. My. Goodness! The heavens opened, angels sang! I am pretty sure those candied bacon pieces were made with a mixture of brown and white sugar. I knew I wanted to make these for my own homemade bloody mary's, but I also knew white and brown sugar were out since we do not use either routinely. Maple syrup seemed like a better option for us for use on special occasions. I also decided to add a little kick with the chipotle spice. The result is a sweet and savory masterpiece. Use in your own bloody mary, or as a topping for salads or soups!

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No Added Sugar Cranberry Sauce

What is Thanksgiving without the delicious cranberry sauce? I have to admit that I love the cranberry sauce from a can - what can I say, I just do! This year I am trying to avoid said jellied cranberry sauce. It is easy enough to make your own so I thought I would give it a shot this year. I used fruit juice and stevia to sweeten and was very pleased with the results. If you are looking for a cranberry sauce with no refined sugars, this is one to try.

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