Just Like the Real Thing

Ok, so I've been trying to eat healthier (ok maybe not healthier but better so I can get rid of this baby weight) and this morning I decided to have an egg white omelet.  It was perfect and thanks to Kate my omelet didn't fall apart like it usually does.  I wish I had taken a picture. 

Anyway, I searched for something to do with my leftover yolks and came across homemade mayonnaise.  Perfect!  I decided since I made my first near perfect omelet today, I would also try to make mayo for the first time.  I don't use mayo much except for in recipes.  However, Taylor LOVES mayonnaise, but he is very very picky about it.  He said it tasted just like the "real thing," but was a tad too acidic for him.  I thought it called for a lot of lemon juice, but I went straight by the recipe.  Next time I'll probably only use 2 tbsp of lemon juice instead of 3.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Source: Cooking for Engineers

2 egg yolks

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of white pepper (I used black pepper since I didn't have white)

1 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)  

Whisk everything but the oil together until it is combined and smooth.  Then add the oil a drop at a time while whisking.  Ok, I tried really hard to whisk this by hand.  My arm about fell off!!  I ended up throwing it in the blender, and presto!  I had mayonnaise!

Homemade mayo will last in the fridge about a week.  This was plenty for us, but if you use a lot of mayo in one week you may want to double the recipe.

Peppers, Southern Style

There are many southern specialties that are well known across the nation: bbq, grits, and fried chicken just to name a few.  One not so well known item is pepper sauce.  I know this because I searched many popular recipe sites to find a way to turn my abundance of serrano peppers into this southern style seasoning and only found recipes for hot sauce.  Pepper sauce is not hot sauce.  Basically it is peppers that have marinated over time in vinegar and therefore the vinegar becomes hot like the peppers.  You can eat the peppers, but the vinegar is most often used as a seasoning over bitter greens like collards or turnip greens.  Making pepper sauce was the first suggestion my grandmother had when I told her I had more peppers than I knew what to do with.  Of course, I don't eat any kind of greens, but I make a lot of marinades and I think the pepper infused vinegar would be a great addition.  Not to mention it just looks pretty sitting on my kitchen counter!

I found recipes on www.southernkitchen.blogspot.com and www.thesoutherndish.com  and merged them.  Next I am going to use my extra peppers to infuse olive oil. :)

Southern Pepper Sauce

peppers, any kind you like or any combination thereof

white vinegar

glass bottle with cap

Measure how much vinegar you need for your bottle and remember the peppers will take up some room as well.  Bring the vinegar to a boil and reduce to a simmer while you prepare the peppers.  You don't really have to do anything other than wash the peppers, but I chose to prick each one several time with a straight pin so they would release their hotness quicker.  Add the peppers to the bottle then pour in the vinegar.  The longer it sits the better it will be!  No refrigeration is necessary!