Make Your Own Mayo

Making your own mayonnaise may not be something that's ever crossed your mind.  I've always heard  it was better than what you could buy in the store, but so are homemade cookies, and quite frankly that has been a bigger draw to me than making my own mayonnaise.  But, I'm on an eating plan right now that doesn't allow cookies (darn it), but does allow mayonnaise, if you make it yourself from healthy ingredients.  I am a fan of that white creamy stuff and plenty of dishes that contain it in the ingredients list.  I'm thinking of potato salad, egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, and so on.  Those are all things that are usually banned from most diets.  And you mean I can have that and still lose weight?  Okay, I'm interested. 

The recipe I used came from this cookbook.  Actually, it's full of great recipes, and I may share some of those later on.  But for now, let me show you how easy it is to make your own mayonnaise from a few basic ingredients.  

Before I do that though, I pulled a jar of store bought mayo out of the fridge and looked at the ingredients list.  This is what I saw on the Kraft Light Mayo jar : water, soybean oil, modified food starch, vinegar, sugar, maltodextrin, salt, natural flavor (hmmm, wonder what that is?), eggs, mustard flour, lactic acid, potassium sorbate, phosphoric acid, dried onions, dried garlic, calcium disodium EDTA (I have no idea), beta carotene.  Even though I don't know what all those things are, I do know that they are listed in order by the amount of each ingredient in the finished product.  So, my store bought mayonnaise is mostly water.

My home made mayo has an egg, lemon juice, light olive oil, dry mustard and salt.  This small ingredients list is what gives it the thumbs up for my eating plan.  Healthy fats and a little seasoning.  That's it.  This can be made in a food processor or blender.  I used my blender, and it turned out beautifully... the second time.  Yeah, the first time didn't work so well, because I didn't fully follow the directions.  Making mayo, is like a science experiment. There's all kinds of science going on in that blender.  Things like emulsion and creating colloids was mentioned in the recipe.  Don't worry. You don't have to really understand it, but you do  have to follow the directions perfectly.  And here's the way it works.

Place the egg and 2 T. lemon juice in the food processor or blender.  The recipe called for bottled lemon juice, because of it's reliable acid content, but I didn't have any, so I used fresh lemon juice and it still worked beautifully.  Put the lid on the blender and forget about it for awhile.  (This is where I messed up. I was too anxious, or impatient.  Same thing I guess.)  Leave it for at least 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours.  

Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil,  1/2 t. dry mustard,

and 1/2 t. salt to the egg and lemon juice.   Blend until combined.

While the blender is running ( I put mine on a slow setting), very slowly, in a small stream, pour in the remaining cup of olive oil.  Patience is important here too, because it should take a couple of minutes to pour all of that oil in the blender.  Pretty soon, the blender will begin to make a new sound, one that means that your liquids have emsulified (I love sounding all scientific), and voila, you have mayonnaise. 

Condiments may not make the most beautiful food photography, but I think this is some lovely mayonnaise!  And it tastes amazing. Really, it is so much better than the stuff from the store.

This doesn't really feel like dieting to me.  

Now that I've mastered mayonnaise, I may have to try the recipe for BBQ sauce, hoison sauce, and ketchup, all yummy things that normally have a ton of sugar in them.  For now though, I'm sold on this mayo, and I think I will have to continue making it, even when the diet is over.   It's worth the effort.

I'll let you in on another thing I've discovered recently.  Coconut milk is a magic ingredient.  Whipped sweet potatoes with coconut milk and a few raisins is totally divine.  Replacing the cream that I would usually use in my butternut squash soup with coconut milk was a good idea too.  Perfectly legal on my diet.  I just love happy food discoveries. 

Listen

Listen.  This is my word for 2015.  If you are confused about this whole word thing, you can go here, where I explained why I sometimes choose a special word at the beginning of each year.  And here is a post about last year's word.   

Shhhh.  Be quiet.  Listen.  This is what I want to do more of this year and I'm already excited about the prospects.  I'm learning to slow my pace.  I say I'm learning, because it's not my natural tendency.  I'm all about productivity and to me that usually means, hit the floor running early in the morning and don't slow down until it's time to hit the sack.  A Melissa in motion, tends to stay in motion.  Not really what Newton meant in his Law of Inertia, but it's worked for me.  And if it's worked, you might wonder why I would want to change things up.

First of all, I believe each day is a gift, and I don't want to waste any of that precious time.  For this reason, I'm a planner.  I've learned from experience that when I don't plan, the things I want to do or should do, often don't happen.  Also, I'm a bit of a control freak, which is an improvement upon the huge control freak that I used to be.  Funny, how life's experiences teach us that even when we think we are in control, we're not.  I heard a speaker say once, that it must make God smile at times to watch us planning out our lives so strategically.  And then He probably says, " Now that looks pretty good, but this is what's really going to happen."  I've learned to plan out my day and then pray about it.  I pray to have the grace to go with the flow, especially when it turns out to look anything but what I had planned.

I'm still going to be that type A girl who sets goals and plans her days.  Just read on.  You'll see.  This is the way Heavenly Father made me, so it can't be all bad, right?  But I'm working a little margin into my life.  (Have you read this book about margin? - so good!)  I don't really have to over plan every day.  In fact, I could actually under plan it a little.  Some of the most lovely things happen when you aren't expecting them.  It's hard to really listen to anything when you're in an activity whirlwind, surrounded by noise and people.  Margin can help balance this condition. 

Here comes the planning part.  To be intentional about my word for the year...

* I will try to start each day with quiet time.  "Be still and know that I am God."  To me, this means sitting in my favorite chair and not only reading scripture and pouring out my heart to Him, but listening to Him speak to me.  Too often, I say my prayers, full of thank you's and please help me's, and then jump up and move on to the next thing on the list.  Oh, how I want to stop doing that.  I need to just be still and listen!

* Try to visit the temple as often as possible. Sit in the celestial room and listen.

* I will listen to the counsel I receive from my leaders and determine how I can be faithful to their words.  Just this Sunday, I heard a leader counsel me (and everyone else in the congregation) to have scripture study with my husband,  to support through prayer our new Stake Presidency, and let the atonement help me with the challenges and hardships I face in life.  Because I listened, I left that meeting convicted about some changes I needed to make.    

* When I'm with others, I will try to talk less and listen more. Instead of thinking of what my response will be to what's being said, I will just listen.  Have you ever noticed how difficult this is?

I will try not to interrupt others while they are speaking.  I do this too often.  Just ask my daughter.

* I will try to listen with my heart and not judge others.  Enough said. 

* I will slow down to smell the roses, really, I will.  And listen to the birds, the rain, and the other beautiful sounds that nature offers, but I'm often too busy to notice.

* I will listen to beautiful music, music that uplifts and inspires and  maybe, even music that I might not find beautiful, but could learn to appreciate, if I really listened.

* I will be a better friend, one who is available.  Sometimes I hesitate to call a friend, when I would like to, afraid that I might interrupt their schedules.  I expect others might feel that way about me too.  I want "my people" to be more important than any "to do" list.  I would love it if my friends could say about me, "She is a good listener."

* I will try to listen to what people are saying, even when they might not be saying it, by looking at their faces and their body language.  The still small voice is the best interpreter, helping me know what's needed when I might not know myself.  Learning to listen to that voice, takes a lifetime of practice. 

Ok.  That's it.  I think it's a good word.  I'm excited about where it might lead me this year and how I might grow in the process.  I've shared my plans, now I wonder what the Lord has planned for me.

How about you?  Have you ever chosen a word for the year? 

A Year of Family

Last January I wrote this post about my "word for the year".  Seems like I just blinked my eyes and here I am a year later, thinking about a "word" for 2015.  Before I get into that though, I want to pause and reflect on family, because that was the word I chose.  I had hoped to spend lots of time with those I love the most and strengthen relationships along the way.  I wanted to savor special moments, discover new things and celebrate some of the highlights of family life.    

I love my family so much, and want to be with them, but to be perfectly honest, it's not always easy.  These are the people who've seen me at my best and worst, and vice versa.  The ones I want to hug one minute and possibly wring their necks the next.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Heavenly Father knew we needed to be in families.  This is where we get to practice patience, forgiveness, unselfishness, long-suffering and charity.  We're really just a bunch of sinful people, trying to become a little less so.   I wouldn't want you to think otherwise.  The beautiful thing about a family, is that in the midst of all of this, we find pockets of real joy.   As I look over my pictures and journal entries for last year, I am reminded of how very blessed I am.  There have been many, many happy moments for which I'm eternally grateful. 

Life is loud and busy, and pulls in many directions.  Every day we have to make decisions about how we will spend our time and energy.  Family members are all in different seasons of life and it can be tricky to make time to be together.  Back in January, that time when all those paper goals look so attainable, I set some lofty intentions and was determined to make them happen.  I would spend more time with my husband.  We would take a vacation.   I would have the kids over for family meals on a regular basis.  I would visit my dad monthly.  I would check in with my adult kids every week.  I would take time to get away for a mother daughter weekend.  I would spend time with my sisters, visiting Sherri in Utah and meeting up with Cindy at least every other month ( after all, she lives so close).  I would try to visit my brother's family during the year.  I wanted to become more involved in my nephews lives.  I would have mom and dad Wray over more often, maybe a Sunday meal once a month.  I would remember birthdays and celebrate anniversaries.  I would be the best mother of the groom you ever saw.  I would.  I would.  I would... 

You get the picture, right?  The weeks flew by and they turned into months and wow, it's hard to make all those things happen.  But having a "word for the year" helped me stay focused and reminded me that if I wanted something to happen, I needed to plan it and put it on the calendar.  That approach yielded some great results.  Along with the "planned" activities, I learned that I could often capture the fringe moments, and make them special too.  Sometimes the unplanned events can be the most memorable.  Tender mercies for sure.

So, here's a little photo recap of some of my favorite "word of the year" moments from 2014.  

I'm grateful for each day with this good man.  

My kids.

Travis and Rebecca's wedding was a beautiful time, when all our family came together to surround the happy couple with love and best wishes as they started their own family.  That weekend was a blur for me, but as I look back on it, I have fond memories of watching my kids interact and feeling support from my extended family who came from near and far to be with us.  And most importantly, I gained a daughter.

I had numerous occasions to be with my dad and stepmom.  (she must have been behind the camera on these).  I especially enjoyed this visit to my Nana's farm.  So many precious family memories have been made here over the years.

Father's Day visit

Oh, there she is (my stepmom) along with my sister and nephew.

A rare photo op with my niece who lives in Virginia.  I was so happy to have her at the wedding.

Sister pictures

I made that trip to Utah!

Helping my nephew build his first gingerbread house.

And can't forget my puppies, who turned 2 this year.  

Even though she's awfully busy, my sister in law and I carved out some time to be together.

And good friends, who are like sisters to me, make me smile whenever they are around. They get me, you know?  And I always feel better after having been in their company.

 2014 wasn't all smiles and definitely had it's share of challenges, but these pictures remind me that God is good and loves me a lot.  I let these two scriptures be my guide this past year.  Of course, I fell short at times, but thank goodness for the gift of repentance.  

" A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you..."

John 13:34

"  Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. " 

 1 Timothy 4:12

Yes, God is so very good.

P.S.  Our family will be growing in 2015 as Travis 
and Rebecca welcome their first child.  I'm going
to be a grandma! Get ready for some baby pictures.

Thanks Be To God

First Monday counting... 
                                    when I share entries from my Gratitude Journal

"Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:57

"And this is the gospel, the glad tidings... that He came into the world, even 

Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and

to cleanse it of all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved..."

Doctrine and Covenants 76:40-42

Victory.  This is what I want to focus on this year.  Growing closer and closer to Jesus, my Savior, Redeemer and Friend.  Victory.   I want to remind myself at the beginning of each new day- that no matter what happened yesterday or what may happen today - there is always good news!  The gospel of Jesus Christ is "good news".   That is victory!  I will focus on the good news and the gifts that He bestows.  There will always be gifts, a multitude every day.  I just have to keep looking for them...

481-good health

482-manger on the mantle

483- menus on paper

484- trees tied to tops of cars

485- molasses cookies

486-unpacking favorite Christmas books

487- filling the house with festive music

488- morning back rubs

489- a cupcake surprise

490- a lost item, found

491- an hour on the yoga mat

492-Christmas shopping for loved ones

493- listening to The Messiah

494- a sweet compliment from my husband

495- planting bulbs to enjoy in the spring

496- visiting teaching

497-completing my annual reading of 

The Book of Mormon

498- gas for $2.38

499- feeling peace in the House of the Lord

500- online shopping

501-bedside visit with a sweet lady

502- learning about Saint Nicholas

503- a waking Amaryllis bulb

504- surprising someone with an unexpected gift

505- hearing the generator come on, when the power goes off

506- lighting the second candle in the Advent wreath

507- news that I'm going to be a grandma!

508- bread pans, ready and waiting

509- Christmas granola

510- Parker and Winston's second birthday

511-lunch and a movie with Kenzie

512- watching a train go by

513- girls night out

514- twirling ballerinas

515- a brownie sundae with four spoons

516- garland and wreaths

517- Santa mugs

518- picking out the perfect tree

519- nativity sets from around the world

520- new Christmas music from Sherri and Ken

521- angelic voices and live symphony

522-help with the decorating

523- trimming the tree as a family

524-generational baking

525- holding hands with  Mark in church

526-a great Sacrament talk

527- walking with the dogs to the mailbox

528- gathering eggs from the hens

529- Christmas cards in the mailbox

530- gifts under the tree

531- snuggled under blankets, listening to the rain

532- hot chocolate

533- being still

534- enjoying a visit with Trudy and sampling her 

family fruitcake recipe

535- watching the kids unpack their "special ornaments"

536-mistletoe and red ribbon

537- Christmas shaped cookies

538- seeing your kids "rise to the occasion"

539- finishing my knitted hat

540 - listening to BBC broadcast of Festival of Nine

Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve

541- seeing my kids walk in the door, one by one

542- listening to Dillon read The Polar Express

543- playing games around the table- and 

laughing so hard!

544- "cold" tissues

545- clementines

546- bulging Christmas stockings

547- Sturdivant Christmas party

548- silly family photos

549- after weeks of being sick, being able to finally 

smell the Christmas tree

550- looking back and looking forward