Friday, April 30, 2010

My Adventures With Mayonnaise

So, my sister came over a couple weeks ago and showed me how to make mayonnaise. Well, I had recommended to her that we use my immersion blender because I read online that you can make mayonnaise in an immersion blender without having to add the oil slowly. You could just throw all the ingredients in there together and it would work. Well, it didn't and but we had a nice bacon, lettuce and tomato salad with a dressing made from our liquid mayonnaise. It tasted good, but it wasn't mayonnaise.

Well, Ethan has been really cranky and needy lately, and I thought it was due to this one tooth that hasn't popped through yet, but he has been happy as a clam the past two days and his tooth still isn't through, so I'm not sure what that is all about. Needless to say, he was a happy camper today and let me get all kinds of stuff done without whining all over the house all day :). So I decided to take advantage of his mood and get cooking! I attempted the mayonnaise again. I was determined to use the immersion blender successfully, but this time I started the right way. I added one egg to the container, and then slooooowly added an olive/coconut oil blend drip by drip. It turned out fairly thick! But then I added vinegar afterward, and it became liquid again. I tried again. Cracked another egg, but this time, added vinegar to the egg, blended then added the oil. Well, I guess I didn't pour the oil slow enough this time and it never emulsified. I added too much oil and the result was a very olivey tasting mayonnaise liquid.

I couldn't let it go to waste. Afterall, I used pastured chicken eggs and good quality coconut and olive oil. So, I turned it into a honey mustard dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade)
3 tbsp mustard (I used grainy brown mustard, but yellow would be classic and yummy too)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Apple cider vinegar (not sure how much, just use as much as it takes to taste right, probably around 1/4 cup.
Raw honey ( I think I used around 3 tablespoons)
a little whey (this will make it last longer with the homemade mayonnaise)

Mix all together with immersion blender or just shake it all up in a jar.

I then had a little less than 2 cups of honey mustard dressing that I wasn't sure I would use before it went bad, and I hate wasting food, so I decided to then make potato salad with it!

2-3 lbs potatoes, red works best, but I only had russets, so that's what I used, cooked and cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup honey mustard dressing
salt
pepper
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
paprika for a splash of color. I didn't have any, but it would have been a lot prettier if I did! Oohh, smoked paprika would have been really good. Oooh and truffle oil would have been a good oil to use for the mayonnaise. Why didn't I think of that before? Oh well, next time.
Anyway, make sure the eggs and potatoes are cool before tossing all the ingredients together in a bowl and let chill in the fridge for awhile before eating.

I guess you have noticed that I didn't put a recipe for the mayonnaise. I am going to perfect it first, and then I will post my final results in a recipe format. I will master this! I'm determined.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Life With a Child

You know how people always say that once you have a baby, you forget what your life was like before you had kids? Well, I'm going to be honest and say I do remember what it was like, and at times I do miss it. I remember the nights where I could go to bed at midnight and get up at eight without a chubby toddler's foot kicking my face just as I'm drifting off to sleep, knowing that once I hit my pillow, I'd get a full 8 hours and could time when I wanted to go to bed accordingly. I also remember being able to go out with friends last minute without needing to call up a grandparent first to make sure there was a babysitter, being able to shower every day, sitting at the computer for hours on end just killing time without a child trying to claw at my shirt and crawl on my lap, right as I am sitting down to return an email. I could go on. Yes I remember all this stuff, but as the months go on, the small things that I used to relish have become so insignificant, and a distant memory. I can only imagine that as time goes on, the memories will become more distant, and while I do think of these moments occasionally when I've had a long day and want to relax, I wouldn't have it any other way. I think this is what the phrase is intended to mean:"Once you have a baby, you don't forget what it's like to be without one, you remember what it's like, but wouldn't trade it for anything."

This is my life.

Let's see what I have to say when he hits the terrible twos :)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Gluten Free Oven Baked Pork Chops, Red Cabbage Cole Slaw and Oven Fries

Yum!! Was at home all day today, so I decided to make a nice homey meal.

Oven Baked Pork Chops

2 or 3 pork chops (I used boneless)
3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
dash of lawry's salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
dash of garlic powder
1-2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup whey

Combine corn flake crumbs, lawry's, italian seasoning, garlic powder in a shallow bowl, add melted coconut oil and combine with fingers until all ingredients are mixed well. beat egg and whey together. Let chops soak in the egg mixture for at least 1/2 hour. I also used a meat mallet to tenderize the pork some. The whey will help tenderize as well. Coat chops with corn flake mixture and place in a non stick baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chops are done.

Oven fries

2-3 baking potatoes, sliced like wedges.
olive oil
sea salt

Toss all ingredients. place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, then crank up the heat to 425 and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until fries are crispy, or done to your liking.

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1 celery stalk, sliced at an angle
1 cup mayo
2 tsp celery salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced onion

combine mayo, onion, celery salt, honey, ACV and pepper together in a small food processor, blend until smooth. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the size. Adjust spices to your liking.