As a busy mom, who runs a home business, homeschools her kids, and cooks real food, I can’t usually spare the time for “fancy” foods. Hollandaise sauce was one of those fancy foods I never thought to try because it seemed like it was too much fuss for a sauce. Who needs a sauce over eggs anyway? Who has time for sauces?
But after hearing so much about hollandaise-how nourishing it was and how delectable, and my mom telling me how easy it really was to make, plus I was trying to get my kids to eat more butter, I decided to see if I couldn’t make a busy mom version of the fancy stuff. Turns out, it’s no big deal to make and the taste is super worth it! Hollandaise is for more than just Eggs Benedict. Serve it over just about any lightly steamed veggie or over fish. My kids were excited to try as a dipping sauce for steamed veggies. Total win!
The extra sauce is easily reheated in a double-boiler…if there is any extra. 😉
Preheat your blender by filling with very warm tap water and allowing to sit. You may also make this recipe with an immersion (stick) blender.
Melt the butter gently over low heat until very hot, but do not allow to brown. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, pour the water out of your blender, blend the egg yolks with the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt (if using). This step can be done in a canning jar with an immersion blender, if preferred.
With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the hot melted butter. Mixture will thicken considerably into a velvety, smooth sauce. Once it’s thickened, it’s done! Enjoy!
Preserving fresh herbs from your garden is very easy and can provide wonderful flavor (and a significant boost in nutrition) for your family’s meals for the whole year!
Bring a quantity (large or small) of freshly picked herbs into the kitchen. The best time to pick them is just before they bloom, but they may be used later as well.
Wash herbs in plenty of cold water. Remove leaves from the stems and pat dry in a clean cotton dish towel or spin them in a salad spinner to remove excess water.
Process the leaves in a food processor just until they are chopped. Do not puree.
Put the chopped leaves into a glass jar. Pour raw vinegar over the herbs until they are covered.
Store this jar, covered, in the refrigerator.
The herbs will shrink over time, but they are still wonderful to use. You can scoop out the amount you need and squeeze out the vinegar, or not, depending on your recipe. They will keep for many months.
The vinegar is a wonderful addition to homemade salad dressings and marinades as well, being full of flavor!
I do this with basil, oregano, lavender, sage, thyme, and parsley. If you have other favorite herbs, they should do well also!
Raw apple cider vinegar is the most easily sourced, but there are other wonderful raw vinegars available, for instance, wine, rice, and balsamic. Keep your eyes open at your favorite health food outlet, and you can tailor the combinations to your own menus.
This recipe makes a mayonnaise that results is a great texture at room temperature. If you’re not going to use it all right away it is best if you store the leftovers in the fridge and set it on the counter 10-20 minutes before you want to use it. It’s still spreadable when cold, just very thick.
I use a stick blender and a wide mouth mason jar to make this quickly and easily with minimal clean up. You could also use a regular blender.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks and set the whites aside for another use. Blend the yolks with your blender for about a minute.
Add lemon juice and blend for 30 seconds, then add the sweetener of your choice and sea salt and blend again for 10 seconds. If you choose to use mustard then blend it in now.
Melt lard over very low heat. Remove it from the heat as soon as it’s melted, or even a bit before. The goal isn’t to cook the egg when you mix it in, but the lard does have to be liquified.
Add the melted lard 1 Tbsp at a time in the beginning, blending between additions. You may add 2 Tbsp at a time once the mayo has successfully emulsified and is getting thicker. If you add too much lard it will separate, so make sure you stop when they mayo has a good spreadable texture. 3/4 of a cup is usually good.
Once the lard is incorporated blend in 1/2 Tbsp of whey, then let it sit on your counter for about 7 hours before storing in your fridge.
Everyone loves taco night. But when you’re in the pinch of the weeknight bustle, it’s easy to be tempted by expensive instant mixes (with ingredients that make you shudder). Save time and money by storing this simple homemade mix in your cupboard — and make taco night everyone’s favorite again.
Combine ingredients in a jar. Shake to combine.
2-3 TB of mix = 1 instant package of taco seasoning.
To cook, add 2-3 TB of mix to 1lb of beans and/or ground meat.
NOTE: Not a fan of traditional tacos or want to avoid corn? Make a salad using lettuce, cheese, salsa, meat (beef, chicken, etc), beans, and guacamole.
TIP: To save money, we buy our spices in bulk from a local health food store.
Seriously. Why didn’t I think of this before? No slowly dripping oil in, only to not have it emulsify. This gives you mayo with a great consistency. If you are using your own pastured eggs, leave it on the counter. Refrigerating makes it firm. If you refrigerate, leave it out on your counter 15 minutes before mixing into anything so it has time to soften.
Food process until well blended.
A bold, yet sweet BBQ sauce. Want to burn? Add more Chili Powder and Mustard. To lessen the heat, decrease.
In a medium pan, heat coconut oil and sauté onions 10 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté another minute.
Add all other ingredients and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use a Hand Blender to blend ingredients while in the pot.
Move over peanut butter! Coconut butter is simple to make and is rich and creamy. Sure, you could buy it, but it’s a lot more expensive that way. You can use coconut butter as a substitute for just about any recipe calling for a nut butter and it can also be used as a dairy-free substitute for butter in baking. We like it as a dip for fruit or spread on bread with some preserves. Can you say CBJ sandwich?! Mmmm. Be careful this stuff is addicting when eating it by the spoonful.
Place shredded coconut in a food processor and blend. While it is going, add in the coconut oil. Blend until the shreds begin to stick together.
Scrape down the sides and blend for five more minutes.
Scrape down sides again and blend until creamy and liquidy. About 15 minutes total blending time.
Pour into a clean mason jar and store at room temperature. Like coconut oil, coconut butter will harden at temperatures below 76 degrees. Gently warm to use.
*Depending on what brand of coconut you use you may need a tiny bit more coconut oil. Some coconut is processed a little differently and is left with less oil in it and therefore drier.
Recipe was shared on Homemaking Link-Up
Blackening seasoning is often expensive to buy in the store. Most likely, you already have everything you need to make a batch of this versatile seasoning mix. This mix goes great on meats, in sauces, dressings, dips, and more.
Stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar.
A classic Thanksgiving condiment that is great any time of the year. Stock up on cranberries and freeze them so you can make this, even when they’re not in season. Tastes delicious with any meal, or as a quick afternoon snack.
In a large food processor, add the orange and cranberries and pulse until very rough chopped. Add the nuts, ginger, honey, and lime juice and continue to pulse until combined, but still slightly chunky. This will keep in the fridge for several days and tastes better the day after you make it.
If you buy MagicShell in the store, it’s full of junk. Making your own, at home, is so easy and tastes better than the store-bought stuff. Plus, it’s a great way to get more coconut oil into your diet.
In a double boiler (or sauce pan over low heat), melt all of the ingredients together and whisk until combined. Serve over your favorite ice cream.
Coming up with homemade seasonings has taken a while. I don’t know why; they’re so easy to assemble and such a better choice than anything a supermarket has to offer. Be sure to purchase only organic spices as most conventional ones have been irradiated (not good). You can make this in big batches to have on hand, or just throw the spices on the beef as it cooks, which is what I find myself doing most of the time. Whenever possible, I like to use fresh garlic to benefit from it’s many good properties, but obviously if you’re wanting to make a big batch, it’s better to go with dried/ground so it can be stored. A little jar of this is a great addition to a gift basket, or presented in a cute half-pint mason jar is a sweet (er, spicy) present on it’s own. Here is our taco seasoning that my kids have decided is their favorite (they are my hardest critiques, you know):
Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container (I used clean old spice jars or little mason jars)
Use about 3 tablespoons mix with 1 pound browned ground beef (or meat of your choice. It’s also great with chicken). Mix with about 1/2 cup water and let it simmer so the meat really absorbs the flavor without drying out.
I love enchiladas. They are probably one of my favorite foods. I never realized how easy it was to make your own sauce at home, where you control the quality of the ingredients. You’ll never have to buy the canned stuff again!
Combine all ingredients, except vinegar, in an large soup pot. Enameled cast iron works well to keep the acid in the tomato from leaching a metallic flavor from the pot. Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and you’re ready to serve!
The sauce freezes very well. You can double, triple, or more the recipe and freeze. Make sure you leave enough room for it to expand as it freezes.