Simple Homemade Mayonnaise

When you don't have the time to run to the store for Mayonnaise or you would rather have it without all the unnecessary unpronounceable ingredients in it, you can make it at home!

This mayonnaise is creamy and smooth and if you want to adjust the ingredients to your liking such as adding more salt or mustard, you can.  Adding the oil a few drops at first then adding it in a good steady stream to finish it off makes it creamy.  As you add the oil, you will notice that it gets thicker the more oil you add and the more it is whipped.  

I don't have a lot to say about this recipe except that it is easy, delicious and it's pretty! 

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp. salt (sea salt or kosher)

1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. white or apple cider vinegar

1 cup light olive oil

Add all ingredients except the oil to a small food processor.  Blend well.  Start adding the oil a little at a time and when you see it start to thicken up, you can add it in a more steady stream.  When you have added all your oil and it is nicely incorporated, place the mayo in an air tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Egg yolks

 Salt

Mustard

  Lemon Juice

Vinegar

Blend

Add oil a tiny bit at first

When it starts to thicken, add the oil a little faster

 

 

After you have added all the oil the mayonnaise will be thick and creamy.  remove from food processor and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 I hope you feel as accomplished as I do when I can make something at home that normally we always buy prepared at the store.  Enjoy!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017

Maple Vinaigrette

If you are looking for a great vinaigrette dressing that doesn't use sugar and tastes so good you might forgo the salad and just drink the dressing, this is a recipe for you!  

The first time we made this dressing we couldn't get enough.  The second, third and fourth time we made this dressing, we couldn't get enough!!  There is something about the sweetness of the maple and the tang of the Balsamic vinegar that makes a blend that leaves you wanting more salad! 

That's a good thing, right? 

This vinaigrette works up fast and you can make it all in one 2 cup measuring cup.  

3/4 Cup light Olive oil

1/4 Cup Balsamic vinegar

1/4 Cup Pure Maple syrup

1/4 Cup Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pour olive oil into a glass 2 measuring cup up to the 3/4 cup line.  Add Balsamic vinegar until liquid reaches the 1 cup line.  Add syrup until it reaches the 1 1/4 cup line.  Add mustard until liquid reaches the 1 1/2 cup line.  Mince garlic and add to maple mixture.  Stir until well blended. Add pepper.  Continue to stir until all ingredients are completely blended and smooth.  Pour into an air tight container and store in refrigerator.  Remove from refrigerator a few minutes before you want to serve it so the oil has time to warm up.  Shake well before serving.

Pour olive oil into a glass 2 cup measuring cup to the 3/4 line. 

Add Balsamic vinegar until liquid reaches the 1 cup line.

Add syrup until it reaches the 1 1/4 cup line.

Add mustard until liquid reaches the 1 1/2 cup line. 

Mince garlic and add to maple mixture.

Stir until well blended. Add pepper.  Continue to stir until all ingredients are 

completely blended and smooth. 

Pour into an air tight container and store in refrigerator. Shake well before serving.

Enjoy!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017

 

Whipped Raspberry Jello

I can't wait for you to try this wonderful sweet Jello recipe!  My friend Denise Lilly brought a bowl full of this yummy pinkness to our Christmas Eve dinner and it was the winning dish that we all went back for seconds, thirds and some of us, fourths!  I won't name names, but their initials are Kent and Nancy!
It will be hard to decide if you want to serve this as a salad or a desert. (You might want to do both, why not, life is short!)
Denise told me that this was a holiday meal tradition for her family and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving or Christmas with out it.  I think it will be a great addition for a Valentine dinner too!  Thank you Lilly's for letting us be your friends, we love you!

1 (6oz.) package Raspberry Jello
1 1/2 Cups boiling water

4 Cups frozen Raspberries

2 Cups thawed (in the fridge) Cool Whip 

Place Jello in a large bowl, add boiling water, stir until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Add frozen fruit to Jello and stir until mixture starts to thicken.  Fold Cool Whip into Jello mixture.  Pour into serving bowl or into individual serving cups.  Refrigerate until firm.

You could also decorate with more Cool Whip or whipped cream and some fresh raspberries.  It is also good with strawberry Jello and strawberries.

Place Jello in a large mixing bowl

Add boiling water and mix until completely dissolved. One to two minutes.

Add frozen Raspberries to jello and stir until thickened.

Fold in Cool Whip

You can leave it in this bowl or place in individual serving cups and refrigerate until serving time.  Garnish with more cool whip or whipping cream and more berries if you would like!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017

Kalamata Pot Roast

Several years ago I picked up one of those pamphlet cookbooks from the checkout stand at the grocery store and found a recipe for a roast that I thought would make a great Mother's day meal.  When our two oldest boys asked me what they could make me for dinner I suggested this roast.  

I wondered what it was going to be like after turning two teen-aged boys loose in the kitchen, but after the first 15 minutes, the house started to smell wonderful and I found myself looking forward to a delicious meal...I was not disappointed!  This roast with a couple of amazing tweaks by the boys was full of flavor and so tender there was no need to cut it with a knife!  

A year or so after that Mother's Day, my husband Kent and our friend Randy Macari, entered a cooking contest and prepared this roast in a Dutch oven (often called a camp oven,) using charcoal briquettes.  They executed it perfectly and won the two thousand dollar award! 

You can make this in a slow cooker, in a cast iron pot, or in grandma's good old Dutch oven.  I have enamel cast iron pots that go in the oven that bake evenly and seal in the moisture.  Either way is great!

3-4 pound boneless beef chuck roast
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/2 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/2 Cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 Cup beef broth

1 jar (10 oz.) small whole onions or 1/2 cup fresh or frozen

Brown roast on all sides. Place in a slow cooker or cast iron pot.  Sprinkle seasonings on top of roast in order listed, carefully pour beef broth on top of the roast (mostly around) so as not to wash off all the seasonings. Cover and cook 6-8 hours in the slow cooker or 

at 300 degrees in the oven for 4 hours.

I heated the oil in the pot that I wanted to cook my roast in and browned it on all sides

Add brown sugar and spread out evenly on roast

Add Oregano, Basil, Italian Seasonings, Salt and Pepper

Add Garlic, Sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

Carefully pour the beef broth over the top of roast and add onions  

Cover the pot and bake at 300 degrees for 4 hours or until very tender.

Now take that thing out of the oven, plate it up and dive in!  You can strain the juices and make a yummy gravy or just pour the juice over the roast!  Enjoy this sweet and savory roast and I can promise there won't be too many left overs if any after feeding your family!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017