Homemade Mayonnaise

Aside from Ketchup and Barbeque sauce, I basically despise condiments.  I find mustard unappealing, and mayonnaise practically repulses me.  Seriously, egg salad, potato salad, and cole slaw- basically the staples found at every picnic and potluck- kind of make my skin crawl.  I have had a life of discarding half of my sandwich because the waiter didn't hear my clear qualification of "NO MAYONNAISE".  It's a pathetic existence.  This inexplicable hatred was quelled this weekend however, when I made Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.  All the recipes called for mayonnaise, but I couldn't bring myself to allow my dinner guests to spread that nasty goo on such perfectly good sandwiches.  The thought of it was almost insulting, so instead of giving them a jar of hydrogenated oil, soy lecithin, and preservatives, I decided to make my own.  And- It. Was. Good.  Call Channel Five News, folks, this hater has been converted.  Not only was it good- but super entertaining to watch.  I think I'll give mayonnaise for Christmas this year, just so I can make a ton of batches and observe the magic unfold, over and over.

Chocolate Ginger Mousse with Orange Whipped Cream

I'm pretty sure "chocolate" is one of my most used labels... by a lot.  But really, who doesn't love a good chocolate recipe?  Chocolate plays so well with others, I can't help that I resort back to it as soon as I need to whip up a 'fancy' dessert.  In this instance the bitter dark chocolate harmonizes perfectly with the warm, spicy ginger, creating a uniquely satisfying mousse.  Dollop on some orange whipped cream, and this simple concoction screams gourmet.  It's awesome.  And who doesn't need another chocolate recipe in their repertoire?  I know I do- especially one that takes only 3 ingredients.  Sign me up.

Vietnamese Chili Lime Sauce

Growing up I did not have broad food horizons.  I would eat Pb&J, butter noodles, or cheese and crackers.  Not even kidding.  Lasagna was pushing it for me.  I was the kid that ordered french fries at the Mexican restaurant.  You get the idea.  Exotic food was unimaginable for me, but then I discovered the Vietnamese restaurant near my house and it changed my life.  Everything there was delicious, and they mixed so many foods together and I didn't die!  What makes everything Vietnamese so delicious is the marvelous sauces, and aromatic fresh herbs.  This chili lime sauce is a standard sauce that goes with anything from shrimp spring rolls, to green papaya salad, to char-grilled chicken and vermicelli.

Crunchy Ginger Snaps

[Insert witty introduction]

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup raw sugar (optional) 

Mini Pumpkin Spiced Donuts

I'm pretty sure the words "Mini", "Pumpkin", and "Donut" speak for themselves, but in case they don't I always have something to say: Make these.

I saw this recipe on Blue Eyed Bakers and instantly decided I needed a mini donut pan.  Totally worth it.  Not to mention, I can now make donut (doughnut?) shaped meatloaf, which is hypothetically one of the grossest things I've ever thought of.  I'll let you know when it actually happens.  Anyhow, onto something far more appetizing...

How to Fry an Egg

Don't you hate when you jack up something so seemingly simple as frying an egg?  Yet somehow, flipping the stubborn thing proves substantially more complicated than such a mundane task should be.  If you actually manage to get the spatula under the egg without breaking the white, you then manage to flip with too much enthusiasm and splat the yolk upon impact.  Life is tough.

So... maybe this trick common knowledge, but it was earth-shatteringly life-changing when I discovered it.  You don't have to flip you eggs.  You heard me! All that devastating drama: futile!!

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Sandwich Cookies

Girl Scout cookies have a dear place in my heart.  No commercial cookie even comes close to competing with the sheer deliciousness of a Tag-a-long, Samoa, or Thin Mint.  Seriously though.  Maybe it's the exclusivity that make them taste so divine, or the dynamic crunchy/chewy/sweet combination that enables them to supersede every other cookie in existence.  Either way, they are basically the greatest cookies ever.***

Pepperidge Farms' Mint Milano cookies do however follow as a close second in the commercial cookie championship. (I like alliteration.)  These super simple cookie sandwiches are loosely inspired by Milanos, only better, because I made them.  No, I'm kidding.  They're better because the group of business students I fed them to said they were better.  And folks, that measure right there is as good as science.

Roasted Asparagus

There are no sexy words related to asparagus.  Usually I attempt to come up with some suave, provocative description to get your mouth salivating or alternatively I at least try to pen a witty description... but asparagus?  How does one make asparagus alluring? "The green, knobby stalks drizzled with luscious olive oil dance with the freshly ground pepper and salt.  The dazzling show of vegetable..."  No.  Let's face it... asparagus is not a sexy food, however it does taste wonderful.  Particularly, roasting asparagus brings out its natural flavor flawlessly, without resulting in the sinewy or limp asparagus often achieved through other cooking methods.


And in case this description wasn't fulfilling enough, here's your trivia for the day: Did you know that asparagus is a cousin to onion and garlic?  I certainly didn't.  Thank you, Wikipedia.