Bloody Beer!… as in Bloody Mary that is!

Yep, we tinkered with a Mexican favourite, the Michelada, a drink of spiced tomato juice over ice, with added lime juice, topped up with beer. We loved it, even if we can’t agree how to pronounce it (I listened to Dr Google and used the suggested pronunciation but Ilaria, who speaks some Spanish, disagreed). Oh well, however it is said, it is bloody delicious! It shouldn’t be lost on you that have one of these instead of a straight beer and you are actually consuming half the alcohol while upping your lycopene and Vitamin C levels. A healthy glass? Let’s say YES. And the perfect drink with our Hoppin’ Hot recipes we demonstrated at The Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Christchurch last weekend. The sun gods smiled, perhaps a little too kindly (man, cooking in a marquee is HOT), but the crowds were awesome, relaxed, and enjoying the day.
Here are some pics of the day The Great Beer Festival
Ilaria, though, was shocked at seeing the devastation from the earthquakes in Christchurch – lot after empty lot turned over to grass or scoria or being utilized as a car park. Sometimes you have to see these things to actually get some kind of an understanding of what has occurred and the impact it has had on the people who live there. But Christchurch we loved you!

You’ve got to try a Michelada. You can add clam juice, too, for a salty, briny taste. Sounds weird? It’s really good. We tried it with several different beers, and although it is a personal taste, there are a few guidelines, just like with matching food and wine.Michelada
I did Mexican corn again! I’m such a sucker for it and I keep on meeting people who have never tried this ridiculously addictive way with corn. I’ve got pics and instructions for wrapping corn cobs if you choose to barbecue them whole. It adds such a gorgeous caramel flavour and it’s well worth doing. Sweet Corn with Lime & Tarragon Mayo
The Michelada is the perfect drink with a plate of guacamole. We upped the ante with ours for the festival and topped it with hot-smoked salmon, preserved lemons and lime leaf fluff. What? Tummy button fluff? Don’t be silly! Lime leaf fluff! It’s sensational and adds a waft of intense lime scent and fresh lime flavour to any dish you care to scatter it over. Learn how. Holy Guacamole with Extras (like friends with benefits … HaHa!).
Ilaria whipped up her Watermelon & Feta Salad, adding a few more bits.  Chopped green chilli gives a sneaky bite when you least expect – but watermelon washes it all away nicely – lemon-infused oil which is terrific on watermelon and feta, and a handful of spicy rockmelon seeds. No, we didn’t spend an afternoon picking the seeds out of melons and toasting them – we used Tio Pablo’s rockmelon seeds! Watermelon & Feta with Lemon-infused Oil
And if watermelon is around 95% water, what’s the point of eating it? Does it contain any goodness? Find out. Watermelon

The sun is still shining and the cicadas singing, though many around the country are hoping for rain, and some cool breeze. Much of the country is now officially in drought. This time we need to pray to the rain gods. Just a little to begin, to soften the earth and make it receptive to water, then a nice big heavy downpour!
Cheerio
Julie