My sister is a huge fan of roasted red pepper hummus so she was one inspiration behind me creating my own version at home.  The other inspiration was my fancy new blender that I just knew would create the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever made.

And I was right.  This was the smoothest, creamiest hummus that has ever come from my kitchen.

I’ve been without a regular blender for over a year now.  The last one I owned, an overpriced and under-performing Kitchen Aid blender, broke as soon as the warranty expired.  And I wasn’t in a big rush to run out and replace it with another piece of junk.  I’ve never been a huge fan of blenders because I have never owned one that worked really well.  Sure, they all claim to crush ice.  But they never really do.

I knew that there was another class of blenders out there that could do all sorts of wonderful things, but they have always been way out of my budget.  So I’ve made do with my food processor and immersion blender and for the most part have been perfectly happy.  But I’ve always been secretly envious of those lucky Vita-Mix owners.  And yes, I have been researching high-powered blenders for the past year, silently wishing to have one one of these mystical machines taking up more of my precious counter space.

And then it happened.  I innocently went on a trip to Costco with my sister and brother-in-law.  I was there with good intentions.  My main mission was to pick up some new books and dvds to send to Justin in Iraq, and I had just placed a dvd set of 24: Season 7 in the cart when I heard the sound:  a blender!  I couldn’t help myself, I started walking towards the sound and the gathering crowd.  On the table was one of the two blenders I had been dreaming of for the past year.  It was a Blendtec, and I was instantly hooked.

I stood there wide-eyed as the showman created something with the texture of ice cream out of nothing more than a handful of strawberries and some ice cubes.  I eagerly tasted the samples of the ‘whole fruit’ juice he made after throwing a mixture of fruits, peel and all, into the miraculous machine.  Penny and Robert eventually found me and started laughing uncontrollably when they saw me standing there, transfixed.

I know, I know.  It was like being sucked into a real-life infomercial.  Except this was a product that I knew.  It was a product that I had researched.  And that’s how they got me.  It didn’t help that Penny and Robert were standing there urging me to do it.  One of my brother-in-law’s favorite pastimes is to take me to Costco and see how much money he can get me to spend on things I don’t really need.  For him, this was the mother lode!

So you’ve already figured out that I bought it.  It’s been over a month now and do I regret it?  Not one bit!  This ‘blender’ is amazing.  It will pulverize anything I put in there, wet or dry.  I can grind grains into flour, I can grind nuts and spices, even tiny amounts.  I can make velvety smooth sauces.  And of course, it makes excellent hummus.  I’m not gonna lie, these things are expensive and plenty of you will think I’m crazy.  But for me, it was worth it.

My name is Nicole and I am in love with my blender.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded*
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)
scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the ingredients a few times.

Leftover hummus can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days.  I’ve also heard that it freezes well, but we never have any leftovers!

* I know that roasted red peppers are available in jars at the grocery store, but they are so easy (and in most cases cheaper) to roast at home.  And of course, freshly roasted peppers taste much better than the ones from a jar.  Here are instructions for roasting red peppers. And did you know that you can freeze roasted peppers?  Why not roast a bunch at once and then freeze the leftovers?  Here are instructions for freezing roasted peppers.

While we mostly eat guacamole during spring and summer when Southern California is bursting with fresh, local avocados, I couldn’t resist digging through the large pile of perfectly ripe Haas avocados at the grocery store the other day. I guess I can thank the Superbowl for that!

Why is homemade guacamole so often reserved for special occasions and social gatherings? Considering that avocados are really good for you and fresh guacamole is so delicious and easy to prepare, I think it makes a perfect afternoon snack. In fact I love making small batches just for me!

Worried about calories? You should know by now that the avocados are filled with the good fats your body needs.  And you don’t always have to always eat guacamole with deep-fried tortilla chips (although that’s still my preferred method of getting guac into my mouth). Instead, try serving it with Whole Wheat Pita Chips and you’ll have a filling, nutritious snack to get you through the afternoon.

After years of making overly complicated but average tasting batches of guacamole, I finally realized something. Guacamole is best left simple and fresh. Avocado, onion, chile, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper are the only ingredients needed. Nothing dried or powdered, no extra spices, no secret ingredients. I don’t even add garlic. And to me, this is the best tasting guacamole around.

The method is simple.

First prep your ingredients: remove the stem and seeds from a fresh serrano chile (or jalapeno) and then mince it. The seeds and white membrane inside the chile hold the majority of the heat, removing them keeps the guacamole from being too spicy. Make sure not to touch your eyes after handling the fresh chile pepper!

Next, remove the thick stems from half a bunch of cilantro and put the leaves in a pile.

Run your knife back and forth through the pile of leaves until the cilantro is finely chopped. You should end up with about three tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro.

Next, mince one quarter of a red onion. You should end up with about 1/4 cup minced onion (to learn the best method for chopping an onion, read this post).

Squeeze the juice of one lime into a small bowl. You’ll need about two tablespoons of juice.

Prep work is finished, now you’re ready to make the guacamole! Cut your avocados in half and remove the large seed.

Use a big spoon to remove the avocado from it’s skin, it should come out easily if the avocado is ripe (and it better be ripe!).

Put all four halves of  peeled avocado into a medium bowl and add a tablespoon of lime juice. Mash it all up with a fork, making it as chunky or smooth as you want. The lime juice adds flavor, but also keeps the avocado from turning an ugly brown color, which is why I have you add some of the juice at this point.

Once the avocado is mashed, stir in the onion, chile, cilantro, salt, and a dash or two of fresh ground black pepper. Taste the guacamole and add enough of the remaining lime juice to taste. I like lots of lime juice, so I use most of it! Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings until you get it right or the guacamole is gone!

Homemade guacamole is simple to make and tastes so much better than the store-bought varieties, you’ll soon be wheeling your cart right past those plastic tubs of green goop without a second glance.  Enjoy!

Guacamole

2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/4 of an onion)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
scant 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

In a medium bowl, mash together avocado halves and one tablespoon of lime juice with a fork. Add chile, cilantro and onion and mix well.  Add salt, pepper, and remaining lime juice to taste.

Yield: about four servings

Recipe Notes: I find this guacamole to be only mildly spicy, but If you would like less spice, start with only half of a chile and make sure to remove all the seeds and white membrane before mincing.  If you would like a very spicy guacamole, leaves the seeds in and/or use more chiles.  And of course, all ingredients can be adjusted to suit your own taste!

Related Recipes:

• Avocado Pie
• Black Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Chili Garlic Corn Chips
• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Smoky Tuna Dip
• Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce

Around the Web:

• A Twist on Guacamole from 101 Cookbooks
• Guacamole from Andrea’s Recipes
• Perfect Guacamole from Simply Recipes
• Gourmet’s Mango Pomegranate Guacamole from Serious Eats
• Authentic Mexican Guacamole from Whipped

I love lemons.  Love love love them!  So it should come as no surprise that lemon curd is one of my favorite treats.  Sweet and tart, rich and creamy, it’s just one of those perfect creations that I can’t imagine living without.

I first tasted lemon curd only a couple of years ago.  I was staying with my aunt and uncle and was going through a ’scone stage.’ I don’t know how many batches of scones I made in a week, but it was plenty.  Since I’ve always heard that lemon curd is the perfect accompaniment to scones, I decided to try a batch.  My Aunt Kathy and I fell in love with it and now my scones just seem lonely when I eat them without lemon curd.

Well, I’m going through a scone stage once again so I decided to try out the Lemon Curd recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook.  I generally have a hard time following a recipe without changing anything, but this lemon curd was made exactly as directed.  I have to warn you that it’s very, very tart.  But I absolutely love it that way!  I’ve eaten it on several cranberry orange scones (these but with orange zest instead of lemon) and I’ve also been stirring it into bowls of my favorite plain Greek yogurt.  And since this recipe made quite a large batch, I might just have to bake some more scones in the morning!

Although I am really enjoying this batch of lemon curd, it’s not as thick as other recipes I’ve tried. I’m not sure if it’s something I did wrong, or if it’s supposed to be this way, but I think next time I might try this Foolproof Way to Make Luscious, Light Lemon Curd that I read about at Fine Cooking.

Lemon Curd
from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

1. Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and salt in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Cook, stirring, over moderately low heat until mixture warms, then add butter and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes.

2. Immediately pour curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to help force it through.  Discard what is left in strainer.  Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate, covered, until cold.

Yield: about three cups

Recipe Notes: For me, it took much longer than ten minutes for the lemon curd to thicken, although I think that might have had something to do with the faulty burners on my stove.  However, it never thickened enough to hold the marks of the whisk like the recipe said.  I finally removed it from the heat when it was visibly bubbling and poured it through the strainer.  It did thicken in the fridge, but it’s still not nearly as thick as lemon curds I’ve made in the past, so keep that in mind. The lemon curd can be kept, refrigerated, for about a week.  And I’ve heard that it can also be frozen, although I haven’t tried that myself.  Also, as I mentioned earlier, this is a very, very tart lemon curd. This is perfect for my taste, but if you prefer more sweet than tart, you should perhaps try a different version of lemon curd.  I’ll add links below to several recipes.

Lemon curd is wonderful spread on fresh, hot scones but it’s also great on muffins, or even toast.  The Gourmet Cookbook suggests folding it into whipped cream for an instant lemon mousse, and I’ve already mentioned how much I love it stirred into some thick, plain yogurt.

Related Recipes:

• Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
• Apricot Cream Scones
• Quick and Easy Lemon Cake
• Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Around the Web:

• Lemon Curd from Becks and Posh
• Homemade Lemon Curd from Lex Culinaria
• Alton Brown’s Lemon Curd from Food Network
• Lemon Curd for Scottish Shortbread from Fine Cooking

And today we have the final recipes in the Holiday Recipes series I’ve been putting on with Amanda and Tyler of What We’re Eating.  At our pre-holiday dinner, Amanda made a delicious cranberry sauce that included persimmons and just a touch of fresh rosemary.  I would never have thought to add rosemary to cranberry sauce, but the combination was perfect!

I decided to pair my cranberries with apples, fresh ginger, and lots of sugar for a sweet-tart sauce that is the epitome of fall.  Since I’ve always loved the homemade applesauce my grandma serves every year with the Christmas ham, I decided to make an applesauce that goes well with turkey, too!  This one definitely fits the bill.  And I added the big dose of fresh ginger with my husband in mind, as that’s one of his favorite flavors.

For those of you who have never made homemade applesauce, this will be a revelation.  Just throw a whole bunch of apples in the pot with a bit of water and sugar and it practically makes itself.  If you’d like to make plain applesauce using this recipe, omit the berries and ginger, reduce the sugar a bit and throw a couple cinnamon sticks into the pot.  Proceed with directions and remove the cinnamon sticks at the end.  Of course you can add some ground cinnamon at the end and even use the fresh ginger if you like.  Once you make homemade applesauce for the first time, you’ll never be happy with the store-bought stuff again.

Cranberry Applesauce with Fresh Ginger

4-5 pounds baking apples, peeled, cored and quartered*
1 cup water
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup water
1 12 oz. package cranberries
1-2 cups sugar**
1 tablespoon grated ginger
pinch of salt

Place apples in a large saucepan or dutch oven.  Squeeze lemon juice into the cup of water then pour over the apples.  Add cranberries, sugar, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt.  Stir, then bring mixture to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When apples are soft enough to mash with a spoon, remove from heat.  Mash with a potato masher, or for a smoother texture, run mixture through a food mill.  Let cool, then refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.  Can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a year.

Recipe Notes: *I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicous apples. **The amount of sugar is up to you.  If you prefer a very tart sauce, you might even use less than a cup.  2 cups of sugar will give you a sweet, dessert-like sauce.  You can always start out with a small amount and stir more in towards the end of cooking.  I prefer my sauce sweet!

Yield: about 7 cups

In case you missed any of the other recipes in our holiday series this month, you can see them all below.  Click on a photo to be taken to the recipe.  Happy holiday planning!

Sourdough Stuffing with Apples and Bacon

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

And the Holiday Recipe Series continues over at What We’re Eating with:

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce with Rosemary and Persimmon

Although my favorite sandwich has always been a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT), this Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Turkey Sandwich (BLAT). might have just taken over the top spot! I know that B.L.A.T. often stands for Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato, but I didn’t have any good tomatoes!  And since this was my dinner last night, the turkey is what made it more substantial.

First, I buttered and grilled a couple slices of sourdough bread (one side only) in my cast iron skillet.  Then I spread the inside of each slice with a generous amount of Spicy Chipotle Mayo (recipe below) before piling on the ingredients.  Sliced oven-roasted turkey breast, applewood smoked bacon, sliced avocado, and some red leaf lettuce were my ingredients of choice.

Although this is not an uncommon sandwich, I had never tried it on grilled sourdough, and this was the first time I’ve used a chipotle mayonnaise.  YUM!  File this one away for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

Now, I didn’t make the mayo from scratch so this is a simple condiment you can whip up in less than five minutes if you have the ingredients.  I used chipotle chili powder rather than chipotle en adobo, because that’s what was in my pantry last night.  Chipotle chili powder is a great thing to keep on hand for when you want to add a bit of chipotle flavor but don’t want to open a whole can of chiles.

Spicy Chipotle Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I suggest Hellmans or Best Foods)
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 t. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 t. fresh chopped herbs (parsley or cilantro)

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Enjoy on your favorite sandwich or use as a dipping sauce.

Yield: enough for one large sandwich.

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Related Recipes:

• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Bacon Tomato and Blue Cheese on Focaccia
• Bruschetta Three Ways

Around the Web:

• Turkey Wraps with Chipotle Mayonnaise from The Gourmet Project
• Turkey Bacon Sandwich with Walnut Rocket Pesto from Cooking up a Storm
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Pear from Simply Recipes

It’s time to eat your vegetables!

I really haven’t been eating enough veggies lately.  Bacon? Plenty.  Chocolate chip cookies? Oh yeah!  Pizza? Three days worth.  Cinnamon buns? That was our dinner the other night.

Something’s seriously gotta change around here!  Granted, I have been cooking at home a lot lately.  But if I don’t get back to cooking some of my healthier recipes, I’m still gonna end up looking like I’ve been eating at McDonald’s every night!

And I know my body is getting sick of eating nothing but fat and sugar. Because yesterday, when I ran up to the market to grab some eggs, the broccoli cravings started.

Every once in a while, my body lets me know when it needs to get back on the green stuff.  I was walking past the produce on my way to eggs and I was stopped in my tracks by that huge pile of beautiful green broccoli.  My body was saying, “feed me broccoli NOW!”

So, I picked out some broccoli, grabbed the eggs, and headed home to feed the beast. I walked in the door, pulled out the pot with a steamer insert, washed and chopped the broccoli and had it steaming within about three minutes.  I was completely on autopilot, my body just wanted some vegetables immediately!

I don’t like my broccoli overcooked, so I steam it only until it’s bright green and just barely tender.  I ate the first pieces plain, with my fingers, right out of the steamer basket.

Once my body realized that I was actually feeding it good stuff, I was able to relax and think about what else I might eat for dinner. After ruling out bacon (only because I had already eaten it for breakfast), I decided that the rest of the pot of broccoli would do just fine for dinner, as long as I had some of my trusty dipping sauce!

Am I the only one who likes to eat steamed broccoli with my fingers?  Growing up, we always dipped our broccoli in mayonnaise (although I was probably forced to use a fork back then).  I still love broccoli with mayonnaise, but it’s not the healthiest option, right?

About a year ago, I started creating yogurt-based sauces for my broccoli and artichokes.  I still add a bit of mayo, but the sauces mainly consist of yogurt and chopped fresh herbs and lemon or lime juice. Usually I make them with whatever herbs I happen to have on hand, but the cilantro lemon sauce has definitely become a favorite!

Luckily I had all the ingredients to make my favorite one last night!  This sauce is so good with broccoli! But it’s also good for dipping artichoke leaves, and one night I realized that I like it with corn chips, too!  You could even use it for a salad dressing if you have any left over.

Creamy Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce

zest of one lemon*
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup thick yogurt**
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more, to taste)
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Whisk together first six ingredients and add more salt to taste if desired.
2. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
3. Serve alongside steamed broccoli or artichokes.

Yield: approx. 1 1/4 cups of sauce

Notes:  *A microplane grater is a lifesaver when it comes to zesting citrus fruit!  **I generally use a strained, greek-style yogurt for my sauces and dips, but it’s also easy to strain the liquid from a regular plain yogurt.
This is a fairly tart sauce so if you’re sensitive to puckering, you might want to scale back a bit on the lemon juice and zest.  I like to add LOTS of fresh ground pepper, but I didn’t measure how much.  Just do lots of tasting and season as you go!

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Related Recipes:

• Oven Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Chili-Garlic Oil, and Parmesan
• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Blood Orange and Green Olive Salad
• Zucchini and Tomato Gratin
• Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
• Tzatziki

Around the Web:

• Mom’s Dipping Sauce for Artichokes from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Creamy Feta Dressing from Kalofagas
• Creamy Herb Dressing with Yogurt from Thyme for Cooking
• Roasted Eggplant and Yogurt Dip from Chocolate and Zucchini
• Arugula Yogurt Dip from Tofu for Two

This is one of those salads that just came together in my head as I was wandering through the produce section at the grocery store one day. I was craving a jicama salad, but wanted to do something very different than the citrus salad I made last winter with my sister’s tangerines.

Although I did choose to once again pair the jicama with fruit, mango in this case, the flavors in this summer salad are quite different than its winter equivalent. Jicama doesn’t have much flavor on its own, so I combined several of my favorite ingredients to add some interest. The corn, mango, avocado and cilantro all worked very well together.

Grilling the corn intensifies the flavor and adds just a hint of smokiness to this sweet and mellow salad while the mango and avocado add a creamy texture that contrasts nicely with the crunchy jicama.

To grill the corn, I simply rubbed the shucked ears of corn with a bit of olive oil then grilled them directly over medium heat, turning frequently until the corn was tender and slightly charred. After letting the corn cool slightly, I carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn.

Grilled Corn, Mango and Jicama Salad

Kernels from 3 ears of grilled sweet corn*
1 medium jicama, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
3 small mangoes, cubed
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
simple honey vinaigrette (recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well. Salad can be served immediately at room temperature.

Simple Honey Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, vinegar and salt. While whisking steadily, add the oil in a slow steady stream until it’s all incorporated.

*For a great tip on cutting corn off the cob, check out Elise’s post on Simply Recipes.

Since this salad was completely improvised, I hope you do the same by adjusting ingredients to suit your own taste. I had originally planned on making a honey lime vinaigrette but I accidentally dumped the first batch of dressing all over myself and the kitchen floor! Since I was completely out of limes at that point, I went ahead and created a milder honey vinaigrette using a bit of apple cider vinegar in place of the citrus juice. I was happy with the result, but feel free to continue my experiment with lime juice if you feel like it!

Related Recipes:

Tangerine and Jicama Salad with Garlic and Cilantro
Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Cilantro Caesar Salad with Carne Asada

Around the Web:

Jicama Salad Recipe from Simply Recipes
Grilled Chicken, Mango, and Jicama Salad with Tequila-Lime Vinaigrette from Whipped
Beet and Jicama Salad from My Life as a Reluctant Housewife
Jicama Salad with Chili-Spiced Chicken from Culinary in the Desert

And all you need is one of these:

Plus some lemon juice and/or vinegar, a little dijon mustard and 3/4 cup of oil. Oh, and a whisk and some elbow grease. I still can’t believe how easy it was to make!

I’ve been in denial about homemade mayonnaise for a long time now. I’ve read a million different recipes and even seen videos. But for some reason I thought that there had to be some trick that no one was telling me. I didn’t believe that it could really be that easy.

I mean, if it were that easy, someone in my family would have made it before. Right? At some point in my 32 years of life on this planet, someone I know would have made homemade mayonnaise if it were such a simple and delicious thing to do.

Well, I guess everyone in my family has been in homemade mayonnaise denial too, because it really is simple to make.

And, it’s absolutely delicious!

Mayonnaise is one of those things I’ve been meaning to experiment with for some time. But it wasn’t until I went out to breakfast with Amanda and discussed things like bacon (and how there’s no such thing as too much bacon) and the importance of homemade mayonnaise, that I decided it was finally time. Amanda assured me that it isn’t difficult to make mayo from scratch and that once I try it, I’ll never want it any other way. I believed her because, well, you’ve seen her food, right?

Coincidentally, the new Bon Appetit arrived in my mailbox a few days later and Molly’s column just happened to be about the joys of homemade mayonnaise. I decided that it must be a sign and I headed to the kitchen determined to coax some mayonnaise-like substance out of one of those eggs sitting in the fridge.

Since the ingredients consist only of egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt, I figured I was pretty much good to go. But it turned out that for once in my life, I did not have any lemons on hand. So, I just substituted vinegar. I wasn’t too concerned about the flavor being perfect because I was still somewhat convinced that my first attempt would be a disaster.

I separated my egg, whisked in a little vinegar, mustard and salt then started adding the oil drop by drop. This was the part that had always mystified me. I was never sure how you could ‘pour’ the oil in a drop at a time. But Molly solved that problem by advising me to use a 1/4 teaspoon measure to add the first 1/4 cup of oil a few drops at a time. It worked perfectly!

Now I’m not going to lie. My arm got pretty tired after a few minutes of steady whisking. So I just took a break every now and again. But the whole process still only took about 10 or 15 minutes. And the end result was way better than I had anticipated.

It looked like mayonnaise!

It was silky and thick and a nice shade of pale yellow. If mayo can be described as beautiful, that’s what it was!

But the best part was the taste. Even without the lemon juice, the flavor was much better than my beloved Best Foods mayonnaise (or Hellman’s depending on which part of the country you live). I can’t wait to try it again with lemon juice. And again with fresh herbs. And again with garlic and olive oil. And again and again and again!

I’m sure that I’m one of the last few foodbloggers to make my own mayonnaise. But I’m also sure that there are many of you out there who are just like me, waiting for that little nudge to get out that whisk and give it a try for the first time. So I’m here to tell you that now is the time!

Now go make some mayonnaise!

Molly’s column, titled “Mayo Clinic” can be seen in the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit and the recipe can now be found on Epicurious. But there are tons of mayonnaise recipes out there for you to peruse. Here are a few that look temping!

• Homemade Mayonnaise without Tears from Just Hungry
• Mayonnaise from Cooking with Amy
• Homemade Mayonnaise with Olive Oil from 80 Breakfasts
• Homemade Mayonnaise (video) from Food Wishes Video Recipes

Sorry for the unannounced disappearance!

The move back to the states, living out of a small bedroom with two animals, and being without a steady means of transportation has made it difficult for me to concentrate on blogging! On top of that, all of my spare time lately has been spent house hunting and Christmas shopping.

Luckily, we did find a nice house, but for now it’s empty since our furniture is still on its way back from Sicily! But Smack and Thumbelina have moved into the new place and Justin has been sleeping there on an inflatable mattress so that his commute to work is shorter. The animals are happy to have the run of the house after being mostly confined to one room for the last month! I’ve been borrowing a car when I can and splitting my time between my sister’s place and the new house. Hopefully the furniture and my car will arrive sometime in January.

Tomorrow, I am heading back up to central California to spend Christmas and New Year’s with the rest of my family. I will have my sourdough starter in tow and plan on making a sourdough swap with some Bay Area relatives! If everything goes well, I’ll be returning with a new (to me) starter that has been in my cousin’s family for decades (maybe centuries)! I’ll know more about the history of it soon.

Phew! Now you’re all caught up.

So, what have I been doing, foodwise, in San Diego? Eating out a lot, unfortunately! Don’t get me wrong, I do like to eat out occasionally. But now that my body is used to eating good, home cooked meals, it doesn’t like it when I eat out too much! Not only have I been packing on the pounds (something that happens every time I come back to the states), but I haven’t been feeling that great either. But I have to admit that despite my increasing waistline and that not-so-healthy feeling, I’ve been enjoying eating out at some good Mexican, Greek, Chinese, and American restaurants!

One healthy thing I have been eating a lot of lately is the wonderful tangerines off the tree in my sister’s backyard. The oranges aren’t quite ripe yet but the tangerine tree is loaded with super sweet, perfectly ripe, seedless tangerines! Mostly we peel and eat them right off the tree but we’ve also been enjoying them in salads and even muffins!

My favorite salad so far was made of tangerines and jicama with garlic, olive oil, cilantro and crushed red pepper. This was actually one of the first things I created after arriving in San Diego and it was made with a bag of tangerines I found sitting on the kitchen counter one day (this was before I realized that my sister’s tangerines were ripe). I wasn’t sure who the fruit belonged to, but I figured that they were free for the taking since they had been left on the counter! I later found out that they were a gift from my brother-in-law’s aunt. Thanks, Aunt Monica!

The salad is a simple creation but peeling and sectioning the tangerines might seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Although some might think that tangerines don’t yield enough fruit to make this method worth the effort, I disagree! It really didn’t take much time at all and I enjoyed this salad even more than the orange salads I usually make! Here are some step-by-step photos to show you the process:

1. Cut off the top and bottom of the tangerine.

2. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the peel in sections, being sure to remove all of the white pith as you go.

3. Continue until the tangerine has been peeled completely.

4. Holding the tangerine in one hand and a paring knife in the other, carefully remove each section by cutting just inside the white membrane on either side.

5. Don’t throw away any of the peels or empty membranes, you’ll be salvaging the leftover juice from these later!

5. You should end up with perfectly smooth, bite-size, membrane-free tangerine pieces. I peeled and sectioned 4 or 5 tangerines to get this amount (enough for my lunch!):

Next comes the jicama! If you aren’t familiar with this slightly sweet, crunchy root, Wikipedia offers a good explanation. It might not be the prettiest thing to look at, but jicama is wonderful in salads!

I usually shred it, but this time I decided to try it cubed.

I wanted to have equal parts tangerine and jicama but I just eyeballed the amount instead of actually measuring.

Next, I chopped up a handful of cilantro leaves to sprinkle over the top.

Now for the dressing. Hopefully you listened to me and saved that pile of tangerine peels and mebranes! You want to squeeze every last bit of juice from that mess! You can even pour off the juice that has collected on the cutting board and whatever has collected in the bowl or plate of tangerine sections. You should be able to salvage about a tablespoon of juice per peeled tangerine. Exact amounts aren’t important, just collect as much juice as you can and put it in a bowl. This is about a quarter cup of juice:

Next, pour in an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil:

Then add one a clove or two of fresh chopped garlic (I used one clove for 1/4 C. juice and 1/4 C. olive oil):

Finally, whisk it all together! If you don’t have a cute little whisk like this one, don’t worry! A fork will do just fine.

To finish your salad, sprinkle the plate of tangerines and jicama with fresh ground black pepper, sea salt and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper (if you like it spicy, add lots of crushed red pepper, it’s great that way). Pour a few spoonfuls of dressing over the salad and reserve the rest for another use.

Now it’s time to eat!

Tangerine and Jicama Salad with Garlic and Cilantro

4 or 5 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
equal amount of cubed jicama (eyeball it)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper
dressing to taste (recipe follows)

Combine tangerine pieces and jicama in a bowl or on a plate. Sprinkle with cilantro, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Top with a few spoonfuls of Tangerine Garlic Dressing. Serves one or two.

Tangerine Garlic Dressing

1/4 C. fresh squeezed tangerine juice
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk together all ingredients.

Now I’m ready for some oranges! Although the oranges on my sister’s tree aren’t quite ripe, I know I’ll have access to plenty of fresh oranges once I get up to Madera tomorrow. My goal is to create a few new recipes using some of our wonderful California oranges when I get there. In the meantime, here are some orange recipes from last winter!

Blood Orange and Green Olive Salad

Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Mini Orange Cheesecakes with Grand Marnier Cream

And it turns out that someone did try making my Lemon Sugar Cookies with oranges instead of lemons like I had suggested after seeing that Patricia had tried them with Limes. Well, she actually used clementines but I think it’s close enough! Check out Allison’s Clementine Sugar Cookies at A Day Late and a Dollar Short.

One last thing! I want to send out a huge thank you to Ben Lew, the very talented designer who created the original Pinch My Salt theme for this blog. He is the one responsible for the new winter colors which showed up at the beginning of the month. If you only read my posts through a feed reader, stop by and check out the new look! If you are looking for a designer, Ben’s portfolio, resume, and contact info can be found at BenLew.com

I love olives. I’ve never met an olive I didn’t like except, perhaps, straight from the tree. Whatever you do, don’t eat an olive straight off the tree! But, I love olives.

I grew up in the middle of California, in olive county. Yes, Spain, Italy and Greece may be known for their bold and flavorful olives but if you’ve ever popped open a can of black olives from the supermarket, chances are it came from California!

I’m sure there are olive snobs out there that turn their noses up at the canned variety. It’s true that they are nothing like ‘real’ olives, but canned olives have their place. On American pizza, for instance. Or Nana’s tamale pie. And when you’re a kid, it’s fun to stick them on the ends of all your fingers and then eat them one by one.

But we eat more than canned black olives in California. Growing up, someone was always giving out jars of home-cured green olives. Those were the best! And after I moved to Oregon, my favorite part of the 11-hour drive between my new home and my old home was stopping off in Corning, California at The Olive Pit to sample dozens of varieties of gourmet olives (remember the Olive You refrigerator magnet?).

Canned, brined, oil-cured, salt-cured, marinated, spicy, salty, pimiento-stuffed, garlic stuffed, if it’s an olive, I’ll eat it! I even tried curing my own olives our first year in Sicily. Our first house here came complete with two olive trees in the yard. After some careful internet research and with some lots of meddling, I mean help, from my landlord who spoke not a word of English, I managed to water-cure some green ones and salt-cure some ripe ones.

The truth is that they weren’t nearly as good as any of the olives I can pick up at the markets here so I didn’t bother with it the following year. But it was an experience that I’ll always remember. And I’m sure as the years pass by, my memories will slowly change until someday I’ll remember those home-cured olives as the best I’ve ever tasted.

For the first two years here in Sicily we lived up in a small town on the base of Mount Etna (yes, the same Mount Etna that was recently spitting fire). We lived on the ground floor of a villa that was surrounded by a huge patio, which itself was surrounded by flower beds. We had bougainvillea, jasmine and climbing roses growing along the fences and the beds were filled with a variety of succulents interspersed with a couple olive trees and a big fig tree. We also had a lemon tree poking through the fence from my landlord’s property that supplied us with more than enough fruit each year.

Yes, it was as nice as it sounded.

No, we don’t live there anymore.

Our house was burglarized towards the end of our first year (they took everything and trashed the place) and there were a couple attempted break-ins the following year. There are many wonderful things about living in Sicily, the high crime rate isn’t one of them. It was only a matter of time before the house would be broken into again and we didn’t have the option of moving to another house. The only way to break the 4-year Italian lease was through the military clause that allowed us to move into American military housing. So, reluctantly and with a few tears (on my part), that’s what we did.

I miss our house, I miss the privacy, I miss being near a cute little Sicilian town (we’re pretty isolated here), I miss the olives and figs and lemons. But it’s not so bad. We still live in Sicily! I planted jasmine and bougainvillea in our backyard. We drive past olives and oranges and artichokes every day. I can use American as well as Italian appliances in our house because we have both types of electrical outlets in base housing. I don’t have to lock my front door.

But back to the olives.

My husband doesn’t eat olives. None of them. So when he’s gone, I have a tendency to put olives in everything! He’ll be back soon but this week I’m enjoying my regular snack of hummus with the special addition of Greek olives. I used a combination of green and black olives because I had half a jar of mixed Greek olives in the fridge. But you could use whatever olives you happen to have on hand. Even the canned black ones if that’s what you prefer!

Mediterranean Olive Hummus

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 T. tahini
2T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 C. pitted olives
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth, scraping the bowl down occasionally. The hummus can be thinned with water if necessary. All amounts can and should be adjusted to suit your own taste!

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped olives, if desired. Serve with pita, crackers, corn chips or it can be used as a sandwich spread.

Related Recipes:

• Sun-dried Tomato Hummus
  
• Black Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Tzatziki Sauce
• Spinach and Feta Turnovers

Around the Web:

• Hummus from cookthink
• Green Olive Hummus from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
• Garbanzo (Chickpea) Salad with Olives and Herbs from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from Dani Spies
• Whipped Chickpea, Spinach and Potato Spread from 101 Cookbooks

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