Bloody Johnnys Food

BLOODY PANCAKES

Steps:

• Make the strawberry sauce: Cook 3 cups chopped strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, the juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the berries break down, 10 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids; let cool. Meanwhile, make the pancakes: Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 eggs and a little vanilla in a medium bowl, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined. Cook by 1/4 cupfuls in a hot buttered skillet until golden. Stack the pancakes, then drizzle with the strawberry sauce and insert a knife into the top.

BLOODY MIRIAM

Steps:

• My most favorite memory of Bloody Marys was when I lived in Chicago; I'd just graduated and I was working at CNN. I felt so independent, so excited about the future in journalism ahead of me. One Sunday morning, I met up with a couple of my friends at a beer garden, where I had one of the best Bloody Marys ever; not only did it come with blue-cheese stuffed olives, but it also came with a shot of Guinness in the bottom. The beer gave it just a hint of bitterness and a nice depth. Now that I can't handle gluten (ugh!), I can't do the beer, but if you can, try it.
• In a mini-chopper, combine the mint, jalapeno, pickling juice, Worcestershire sauce, turmeric, paprika, garam masala, and salt and pepper, to taste. Whizz until the mint is finely minced and the mixture is as smooth as you can get it.
• In a pitcher, combine the mint mixture with the lime juice, lemon juice, tomato juice, and vodka. Stir, and pour into 4 ice-filled glasses. Stab 2 or 3 blue cheese olives on a toothpick and let it fall into the glass along with an asparagus spear and pickled jalapeno. Garnish with lime and lemon wedges. Sip, and enjoy the rush that the jalapeno pepper will give you. Your brain will start tingling in the back! Seriously!