Bloody Mary Brunch

The Best Bloody Mary

I’ve always loved a good cocktail and this Bloody Mary Brunch is no exception because it’s got it all. Not only are they known for being a fantastic hangover cure, restaurants around the world are now making them a meal by adding epic ingredients to the garnishment. It use to only incorporate a few vegetables like a stick of celery and some green olives but, now days, you can get just about anything and I’m going to show you exactly what I’m talking about.

1 box of frozen microwaveable Cheeseburger Sliders.

Bloody Mary Garnish’s

The last thing anyone wants, when they’re hungover, is difficulty so, in this Bloody Mary demonstration, I keep it simple by using a products that only take a few minutes to put together and cook. In these instances, the freezer section at your local grocery store can be your best friend; especially if you planned ahead and already have a box of microwaveable goodies in your ice box. In this post I use White Castles cheeseburger sliders(which I’m, in no way, affiliated), but you can use all kinds of things. Jalapeno Poppers, Bagel Bites, Jimmy Dean Breakfast sandwich’s, cheese sticks or pizza pockets are just some examples.

Now when it comes to the Bloody Mary mix, I do like them bold and spicy. One of the best mix recipes that I have ever come across, and again I’m not affiliated with, is made by Zing Zang. I’m pretty sure it can now be found in every grocery Walmart around the world. I’ve used it to make my Red Beer and it’s amazing to cook a roast in.

I use pickle juice and Tajin to salt and spice the rim of my glass. Tajin is used in my Mangonada Recipe and I’ve got a pic of what it looks like in that post. It has a wonderful blend of dehydrated and ground chili peppers, sea salt and lime juice so, it’s perfect for any Bloody Mary recipe.

Bloody Mary Brunch Ingredients:

1 glass Ice
3 oz Vodka
8 oz Bloody Mary Mix
3 tbsp Pickle Juice
3 tbsp Tajin, spicy salt
1 pc Bacon, cooked
1 stick Celery
2 Slider Cheese burgers
1 Pickle, small
2 Queen Pimento Green Olives

I use shish kebab sticks for skewers and straws for Drinking these Bloody Mary Brunch cocktail’s.

Happy National Drink Wine Day

How much does your Wine cost?

I believe that a good drink brings a meal full circle, however, wine can get pricey. So you may ask yourself does this really go hand in hand with The Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen? I’m here to tell you that it does. We pride ourselves in bringing you gourmet dishes on a budget and we can help you do that with your wine too.

Drinking my favorite Chillable Red Wine While Mr. PMGK Cooks.

Wine while you wait!

You will very often find me sitting at the counter with a glass of red wine while Mr. PMGK cooks us yet another amazing meal. Sometimes I act as his sidekick and get out the ingredients he needs, clearing away dishes and items that have already been added to the meal, anything and everything that I can do without having to do the actual cooking myself. Sometimes I’ll offer him a drink while he works but most the time he’s too busy to even take a sip until he’s done cooking. I’m the drinker in the family. It’s safe to say I drink way more than he does. I can do this comfortably and within our budget by purchasing boxed wine.

Boxed Wine

Now some of you connoisseurs may cringe at the thought of boxed wine. I know I did before I first decided to give it a try. However, when you’re on a budget you have to be open to new ideas while still realizing that you don’t have to sacrifice the things you love and enjoy. Trust me, once you try it you’ll wonder why you’ve been wasting so much money on bottled wine. Don’t get me wrong I’ll still pick up a nice bottle when the occasion calls for it but for dinners at home and winding down after work there’s no need to splurge.

Wine RECOMMENDATIONS

When I finally brought myself to give up the idea that wine is only good if it comes from a bottle, I ventured over to the boxed wine section at the liquor store. I wasn’t looking for a pairing just something to sip on after a long day. I very quickly fell in love with Frazia’s “Chillable Red”. 5L for less than $20! SOLD! It doesn’t get much better than that and very often it’s on sale for under $15.

Now if you’re not a red wine fan like I am, I have the perfect recommendations for you. If you’re looking for a white wine “Moscato” is a very sweet and it’s delicious! You also won’t be disappointed if you go for a “Sunset blush”. I think it might be one of my new favorites. Last but not least I cannot leave you without recommending PMGK’s Peach Sangria. It is amazing for any occasion and especially for National Drink Wine Day! Enough talk, it’s making me thirsty, lets pour ourselves a drink! May you all drink wine and eat well today, cheers!

Oysters Rockefeller – Cleaning, Shucking and the Recipe

The Best Oysters are Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller are a great way to kick off any celebration. New Orleans Mardi Gras is certainly no exception. And as you may or may not know, the original recipe was developed in the French Quarter at local restaurant called Antoine’s back in the 1800’s. This recipe has since gone platinum. And you as you can see in the picture below, they are fairly inexpensive to buy and with this recipe, they certainly live up to their name, “Rockefeller”. I think I paid about 58 cents a piece is all and the results were spectacularly “Rich”.

What kind of Oysters do you have?

These are West Coast Oysters. You can tell they aren’t from the East Coast because of the Greenish color, instead of brown, and they’re a bit more long gated as well. They should always be scrubbed and rinsed before shucking. This will help eliminate any grime getting into the shell. Personally, I like to rinse them out after anyway. But some folks will freak out if you drain the “liquor” from the oyster before serving because there’s so much flavor there. But for Oysters Rockefeller, there is so much flavor added to it through out the recipe, in my opinion, it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that no one breaks a tooth trying to eat them.

Shucking Oysters

I’ll show you, in the video below, how to properly shuck these things and lay them out on the half shell. There’s really nothing to it once you learn the tricks. But it’s important to lay them down on something that will keep them stable so they don’t teeter back and forth. Some people, restaurants included, press the round shell backs down into Rock salt, and that’s great for serving but I just use cup cake pans to keep them from moving and it works great for broiling.

Oysters Rockefeller

To make this recipe, you need a few key ingredients but the main thing is to make it green like money. As the story goes, when this recipe was created, someone in the restaurant exclaimed that these Oysters were as rich as Rockefeller. Others think it has to do with the color of money itself. Either way, the name stuck and now the world can enjoy them for any occasion.

If you’re interested in other Cajun recipes and food celebrated in New Orleans and at Mardi Gras, check out my Boudin, Crawfish Etouffee and my Jambalaya!

Oysters Rockefeller Ingredients:

1 doz Med/Lrg Oysters
2 cloves Garlic, ground
1 Green Onion, ground
1 sprig of Fresh Parsly
4 oz Baby Green Spinach
2 tbsp White wine, can sub ice water or white grape juice
1 stick of melted butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp Crab Boil or Crawfish Seasoning (Old Bay is fine)
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp Basalmic Vinager
1/3 cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs, optional

Be sure to watch the full Oysters Rockefeller Video Tutorial so you can see, step by step, exactly how to make them from scratch.