I love gift guides and gift ideas! I just love giving gifts and putting thought and heart into it. Well, my mom's birthday was right around the corner and shes frankly impossible to shop for because if she wants it she buys it so I had to put my thinking cap on and get creative! She has all sorts of interests and passions so that does make things easier. She loves, gardening, flowers, birds, outdoor things, wine, books candles, cooking, crafting, etc. But-- I really wanted to do something unique for her this year and I know that's she's always been a big fan of tomato juice so naturally shes a big fan of Bloody Mary's! 

Cue the [light bulb] moment! 

I'll get creative and come up with a gift of essentials for creating the perfect bloody mary at home. After research and lots of surfing around the web, I found some really cute items and as a bonus, they were all available on Amazon for 2 day- prime shipping! Wooohoo!

4 fun items for the Bloody Mary lover in your life:

[1.]

Bloody Mary 'Recipe' Socks

These fun socks feature a Bloody Mary cocktail complete with veggies for garnish and a quick meal. An added benefit, the recipe is always right at your toe tips. Nothing breaks the ice like these delicious socks.

[2.]

The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic

A beautiful addition to your stack of kitchen cookbooks, or even a coffee table book. The definitive guide for those devoted to the brunchtime classic, the Bloody Mary, with 50 recipes for making cocktails at home.

[3.]

Infused Spice Salt for Bloody Marys

 Top bloody marys in style, or dip olives in the salt for an amazing garnish. Each container garnishes at least 40 drinks.

[4.]

Grow Your Own - Cocktail Herbs Kit

Includes everything you need to grow your own cocktail garden.

Seeds include Thyme, Lavender, Thai Basil, Mint, Lemon Balm, Blue Borage. Grow them right in your window sill and have them ready to go. Perfect for a bloody mary lover who also has a green thumb, like my mother!

It's April. 

The beginning of a season full of new life, fresh flowers, and flavors. Sign me up! A couple of months ago I posted about one of my favorite simple syrups - lavender syrup. Its a staple in my fridge and makes the yummiest 'pick me up' afternoon iced coffee or latte.

Well, friends-- today I'm going to tell you all about another favorite of mine. Honey Rose syrup. It's made with beautiful and fragrant dried rose petals or rose hips, you can find them at a tea or spice shop or maybe even a store like Wegmans. Now, not only does it taste delicious but it also adds a few neat nutritional extras to your coffee. For instance, I try and always use raw unpasteurized honey because of its natural enzymes that help your digestion, metabolism, and immune system and dried roses can help with skin, hair and have a very relaxing effect on the nervous system. A friend of mine picked up dried rose petals for me at the Spice and Tea exchange located in downtown Lancaster. If you are local then you should definitely check them out!

The coolest part about these syrups, coffee, and latte creations is that it's so fancy sounding and tasting but so SIMPLE to create!

I've been trying different 'refrigerator pickle' recipes for several years now and this has become my favorite-- it's totally customizable, easy ingredients takes a very small amount of time to accomplish and gives a really beautiful jar of pickles. They usually come out very crisp with a nice crunch. You can add more or less of the ingredients to the jars and do it your way! Enjoy.


Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles

*this recipe makes 4 - one-pint jars*

ingredients:

-pickling cucumbers
-water
-white distilled vinegar
-kosher salt or pickling salt
-fresh dill
-minced garlic
-whole black peppercorns
-red pepper flakes

directions:

1. Sterilize your jars and lids (if using canning jars) You can use any heat/cold sensitive storage containers.

2. Wash and slice your pickling cucumbers - you can slice them into spears or chips. I personally think the chips look the prettiest in a bowl on the table but-- it's completely a personal preference.

3. Start your brine on the stove - 2 cups of water, 1 cup of vinegar & 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a boil.

4. While your brine is coming to a boil start filling your pint containers with your other ingredients.

Each one-pint jar will get:
- 4 sprigs of dill
- 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- a tiny (or big) pinch of red pepper flakes

Once those ingredients are in the bottom you will stuff your jars with your sliced cucumbers-- but, be sure to leave enough room for the brine to fill in and around them.

5. Pour the boiling brine over the cukes, enough to cover but also enough headspace so you can give the jar a good shake once it's sealed.

6. Since this is a refrigerator recipe you do not need to use a water bath to seal your jars. Just simply put on the lids and seal with the rings. Give each jar a couple good twists to get everything mixed up.

7. Let the jars cool an hour or two before placing them in the refrigerator. It's best to let them sit for six days to reach full flavor but my husband usually tried to get into them around day five. I also give them a little shake every couple of days to get all of the flavors/brine mixed around.

After six days, pop them open and enjoy!

[they will last up to three weekends in the fridge]