I love making and drinking a good, home made Bloody Mary in the summer. This summer, I’ll be adding cracked pepper vodka.

I cracked some pepper and put it in a bottle of Vodka.

I tipped the bottle upside down a few times. Then I let it sit… maybe for too long… I think it was a few weeks. Every few days I tipped it upside down to move the pepper. Finally, I strained out the pepper and poured the vodka back into its bottle.

The final product was really peppery. I’ll see how it tastes in drinks and let you know.

Spring garlic smells absolutely amazing. Especially when you cut into it.

I had some spring garlic from Jay Hill Farm, and fresh shiitake and cinnamon cap mushrooms from Hazel Dell, so I wanted to put them together in a dish.

I decided to make a stir-fry with some carrots and firm tofu that had been frozen, thawed, and pressed.

First, I sliced 4 bulbs of the spring garlic, 1 carrot, 1/2 pound of mushrooms, and cubed the tofu.

Next, I heated 1 TB of olive oil and 1 TB of butter in a wok. When that was hot, I added 1 TB of freshly grated ginger and let that get hot before adding the mushrooms and tofu. I moved this around in the wok a bit to distribute to buttery goodness as evenly as possible before adding the spring garlic and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.

I let this cook on medium high for 10 minutes or so before adding a little more olive oil and the carrots.

Next, I squeezed 1/2 lemon, mixed it up, and added a big handful of coarsely chopped turnip greens. I mixed those in, sprinkled the top with a tablespoon or so of Cambodian Lemongrass Curry Powder from Savory Spice Shop, mixed again, and let it cook a few minutes until the greens turned a vibrant green.

I served it over brown rice and drizzled a little the following dressing, which made enough to drizzle on two plates plus extra to put in my Spring Garlic Broth:

• 2 TB soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp Sambal Oelek (Asian Chili Paste)
• 1 TB Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)

Enjoy.

I love that I pass a farm on my way home. Jay Hill Farm, to be exact. Beautiful bunches of spring onions were picked in the morning, so I brought them home and made a broth with:

• 1 bunch of Spring Onions with 2 feet long green stems (I cut off the bottom bulbs to use in my dinner)
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 TB peppercorns

I filled a large stock pot with water, added the ingredients, and brought it to a boil. I dropped it down to simmer for an hour and then removed it from heat. Next, I added approximately 2 tablespoons of the leftover sauce from my dinner that night which was: a little soy sauce, lemon juice, a bit Sambal Oelek (Asian chili paste), and Kecap Manis (aka sweet soy sauce).

I have this stored in my fridge to use in the next week.

Owning a Vita-mix has changed my life in many ways. One major change is that I no longer purchase rice milk. I make it myself in just minutes (after the 45 minutes or so it takes to cook the rice, of course).

Into the Vita-Mix goes 1.5-2 cups of rice. Experiment with this until you get the consistency you like. I lean towards 2 cups. Add water. I filled mine almost to the top.

Turn it up to speed 10, then high. Let it blend at least 2 minutes. Taste it and be sure you like the consistency. Add more water if it feels too thick. Sweeten with a few tablespoons of maple syrup if you like.

Enjoy. Store for up to a week in the fridge.