Elote Sauce

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (just the powdered stuff, not fresh)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Mix together and refrigerate for one hour.  Spread on corn on the cob...preferably grilled or roasted.

And for you gringos, elote (corn) is pronounced ay-LOH-tay.  I guess you can leave out the cilantro if you must.

Mayonnaise

*note: I would post a picture, but my photos are not that great and it would make it look bad. thank you.


*another note: I have always steered clear of making my own mayo, because I couldn't imagine it actually turning out. Last night I wanted garlic mayo and found this darling. This is the most amazing mayo I have ever tasted. I don't think I'm exaggerating. I added about 3 cloves of garlic to this and I may have had terrible breath afterwards, but it was worth it. Don't ask anyone else if they agree.


And now, whisk together the following, or use a mini-food processor:

1 large egg yolk
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt

Measure out 1/2 C oil. (I used canola oil. I was hesitant to use olive oil)
Add a few drops of oil and continue to whisk or pulse in food processor.
It will begin to thicken soon, and when it does, add tiny bits of oil in a slow and steady stream (or a few drops, pulse, a few more drops, pulse) If you add too much at a time it will not blend properly.
Continue to whisk or process until all oil is mixed in and mixture is thick.
Add:
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 cloves chopped garlic, if you want
Mix again.

This will keep in the refrigerator about 3 days.
I was very surprised how easy and fast this was. And so much better than prepared mayo!
I'm thinking this would make wonderful egg salad sandwiches!

Easy Homemade Play-Doh

Put 1/2 cup salt and 2 Tbsp alum (or cream of tartar) in a bowl. Pour 1 1/2 cup boiling water over and stir for a minute or so, until most of the salt is dissolved. Mix in 1 Tbsp oil, 2 cups flour and your choice of food colouring. Mix and then add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until all of the flour and food colouring is mixed in. Store the play-doh in a plastic container or a Ziploc bag.

This is a nasty tasting play-doh, but it is completely safe for curious pre-schoolers who feel the need to sample such things. :)

Basil Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. ground (like brown) mustard

3 Tbsp. honey

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

3 oz. basil

About 2 c. light olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in blender except the oil; blend profusely. Slowly add oil until well emulsified.

This is delicious over baby spring greens, feta cheese, and strawberries. Enjoy!

Yogurt

This is how I make one quart of plain yogurt:

-Heat 3 1/2 cups whole milk for 6 minutes in the microwave (or to 180 F)
-Let it cool in the fridge for 40 minutes (or to 110 F)
-Whisk in 1/8 to 1/4 cup dry milk (for thickening)
-Whisk in 1/4 cup yogurt (plain with live cultures)
-Pour into 1 quart jar and close lid tightly
-Place into small insulated cooler of some sort and add enough hot tap water (or 110 F water) to cover the yogurt (not the whole jar)
-Let it sit in a warmish place for 6 to 8 hours, and then refrigerate.

I forgot about it last time, and made it in the afternoon and didn't refrigerate it until the next morning. It was totally fine; it was just a little more sour than normal, but I kind of like it that way anyway.

I know these temps and amounts are flexible and debatable and whatnot, but this is my little system with my microwave and fridge that works well for me. I put the yogurt beside the fridge in the little water cooler jug thing b/c there's heat that comes off the fridge. Also, you could probably use lower-fat milk and a yogurt starter or something. I don't know. This is how I do it!

here, there, and back again

i really wasn't planning to post this story, but robyn thought i should so here goes. i decided to make this cake for our 4th of july bbq with some friends of ours. there were 4 of us there. we each had a piece, and i left a good sized piece with them (about the size of 2 slices). the next night we went to my cousin's house for dinner, and i took the cake there to share. 4 adults plus 1 child each had a piece, and i left another (normal size) piece with them. the next day i had a piece with my lunch but still, there was cake. that night i went out with 2 friends and dropped jose off at one house to hang out with one of the husbands and he took the cake there. he and the husband of my friend each had a piece, and... we left the last piece there. finally the cake was gone. you can do the math to see how many servings it serves.

the weird thing about this cake is that it's quite a lot like a banana or nut bread of some kind, so it's not the normal cake texture. also, they ask for way way way too much icing sugar for the icing. the other thing is that although the link i've posted appears to be the exact same recipe (same magazine, same person's name, same picture of the cake) there are some minor differences from the one i made. so if you choose to make this cake, please keep in mind two things: 1. i want to hear how yours turned out with those changes, and 2. this cake is enormous. beware.

This is Not a Recipe

but since it concerns food, eating, etc. I thought I would share it here. I didn't find this on my own; Christina D gets credit for this.

1. Go to http://www.thedailyplate.com/
2. Join (for free)
3. Search for the foods you've eaten today
4. Look at how many calories, fat, sodium, fiber, etc. you've consumed
5. Enter in the exercise you've done today
6. See how many calories you've burned
7. Set some goals for yourself (if you want)

You can choose to gain, maintain or lose weight, and then it will calculate for you how many calories you need each day. As you enter foods in throughout the day, you see how many calories you have left for that day. As you enter your exercise, you "gain" calories for that day. The website is kind of "busy" looking and almost info overload, but once you get going it's not as bad as it seems at first. I am finding it quite helpful, although it will take some time to see if it really is helping me or not. Let me know what you think!

well, i don't have a recipe to contribute because you all have the red lake cookbook... but i am currently making judi paishk's lemon bars. i just have to say that i'm really excited to eat them. i'll let you know how they turn out.

kim

let the recipe posting begin!