Homemade Mayo

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Georgina

Homemade Mayo

DSC_9957 copy Soooooooo full disclosure here, I have never been a fan of mayonnaise. You’re probably thinking “Um, what? Isn’t this post dedicated to mayo?”

YES. But hear me out.

I think it all started from an attempt to do a Hellmans mayo hair mask when I was around 13 years old. The smell you guys. Mayo heating up on your head, you can’t escape it. ughhhhh. So gross. Ever since then, even the whiff of mayo makes me lose my appetite immediately.

But then a little while ago I tried my aunt’s homemade lemon tarragon mayo with some bbq chicken wings (thas a whole other post to talk about how good that was) in short, it was sooo good. TOTALLY different flavor than the stuff on the store shelves. I decided I’d give making my own a try.

Not only was I surprised how easy it was to make, but also totally surprised how delicious it is! There are so many flavor combo’s you can think up. I wanted to try a spicy one.

Of course last week you caught a glimpse of it on these great tacos that we shared. Spicy, creamy, delicious. It’s the perfect way to get some healthy fats and tons of flavor to the tacos, or sandwiches or whatever else you put mayo on (I told you I’m new to this mayo world) 🙂
DSC_9947 copy The possible best part of this, is that you make it right in the wide mouth jar that you store it in. NO DISHES!!!

Entire process is about 30 seconds.
ALWAYSSUMMER DSC_9939 copy TA-DA! Done. And all with ingredients you can name and recognize (unlike store-bought). I suggested a few flavor add ins but basically you could do anything you wanted!
DSC_9934 copy DSC_9953 copy This spicy sriracha one is so good. Next on my list I want to try a curry mayo, & do a curried chicken salad of some type.
DSC_9963 copy A few action shots so you can see how thick and creamy it is. And of course, perfect on these delicious caramelized pork tacos with pineapple cucumber salsa.

Have any of you made mayo before? Do you have any outstanding flavor combos I should add to my list? I’d love to hear from you!

xoxo

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Caramelized Pork Tacos w/ Pineapple Salsa

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Georgina

Caramelized Pork Tacos w/ Pineapple Salsa

Oh Tacos. So difficult for me to try to photograph yet so delicious that I can’t help but share.

Tacos are one of my favorite things to make when you’re tight on time. They’re always a crowd pleaser and as you can see with this recipe, the flavor combos are endless. This particular recipe is a new favorite of ours.

Last week we shared the recipe for the Pineapple Cucumber salsa which is totally a great salsa to make not just for tacos but for chips, a topping for fish, and eating by itself.

As you learned last week, the salsa is incredibly easy to make. These tacos, even though the process involves heat, aren’t that much harder to make. Check it out:

See?!? You can top this with spicy chili sauce or anything you want. Then serve with some tortillas chips and the remaining pineapple salsa and it’s the perfect dinner!

So delicious.

But serious question time. Seriously bloggers, without a freaking taco stand holder thing (technical term), how do you beautifully photograph tacos?!? I commend all of you who have managed the feat.

They’re so delicious though. Ahhh my head will be filled with taco dreams until I make these again.

BUT WAIT!!!

What about that delicious spicy mayo that you see on the tacos? Well, you gotta come back next week to see that recipe.

Trust me, it’s worth the wait and it’s possibly the easiest part of this whole meal. Don’t miss it!

xoxo

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Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Georgina

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

DSC_9930 copy My biggest weakness in life is chips and salsa. Scratch that, it’s just the salsa.

Seriously.

I put salsa on everything. Eggs, salads, rice, fish, chicken, sometimes just a spoon that goes directly into my mouth. I can’t help it.

Red, green, fruity, spicy, canned, fresh, chunky, smooth- never met one I didn’t like.

GIMME ME ALL THE SALSAS!

This particular salsa is probably the easiest thing in the world. THIS one I made a while ago is easy too, but this bad boy only has 5 ingredients (not counting salt because, c’mon).

5 ingredients people!! DSC_9907 copy ALWAYSSUMMER Boom. You’re done, and well on your way to happy salsa land. If you’re obsessed with SPICY like me, you can throw in some jalapeño too, which I did.

I made this salsa to put on some delicious caramelized pork tacos *tune in next week for those!* and it was soooo good. But I also ate this with chips and by the spoonful. I think it would also be delicious with some nice light fish or even shrimp!

Possibilites are endless 🙂
DSC_9914 copy Don’t forget to check back for the delicious pork taco recipe! Have wonderful and safe weekend!

xoxo

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Quick Pickled Jalapenos

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Georgina

Quick Pickled Jalapenos

Hello my favorite blog readers 🙂

So if you have been following my blog for any amount of time you know that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE spicy food. Seriously sometimes I cause myself pain for the love of spicy food. This was one of those times. My mom has a ginormous garden and also some friends who also have ginormous gardens, long story short, I went home one time and she asked if I wanted some of their home grown organic jalapenos.

Um duh yes I do.

Fast forward she gives me a bag of about 100. Not lying. Fast forward more- I wanted to just dice some and throw in the freezer to use for recipes and various things throughout the year but I also wanted to try this at home pickling recipe. I love pickled jalapenos but sometimes they are so mushy and sort of gross and not that spicy.

Ok soooooooo not to sound pompous but I don’t really think that jalapenos are that spicy. Sometimes you get a spicy one but more often than not, they’re just sort of a warm heat in your mouth. Anyway, I never use gloves or anything when I cut them up normally because I just wash my hands when I’m done and go on my merry way. I’m sure you can tell where this story might be going- I’ll get to the point.

HOLY SHIT. The peppers my mom gave me were soooo effing hot. Mind you I didn’t even cut them all my hand. (I washed, cut the tops off and cut in half lengthwise and then diced with this bad boy) well after about 5 (of the 100) I’m like whoa- I am having a hard time breathing. I started coughing and my eyes burned. I licked one of the peppers and hot damn my mouth was on fire. Well I couldn’t just stop in the middle so I kept going.

I had to take approximately 10 breaks to cough/ gag/drool/die in the sink, literally my mouth and eyes had saliva and tears flowing out of them at a rate beyond my control. Then to top this all off, my hands started throbbing. Like on FIRE. Especially my finger tips and cuticle areas. Seriously, my anxiety brain had thoughts of paralysis running through my mind and they were getting swollen and hurt so bad I could barely bend my fingers. You think I’m being dramatic. I am not. Swear on my life.

Anyway- I’m crazy and apparently a masochist so I finished all the peppers, cleaned up, washed everything twice, washed my hands like 50958209348 times and put ice on my hands. Ok. How fun was that?!?

Ahhhhh, next day, I wake up and start getting ready for work, doing my makeup, get something in my eye, use my finger get said thing out of my eye, ruin all my makeup because my eye starts burning and watering like cray cray again………….. I mean jesus. I called my mom asking her what she was trying to do to me with these killer psycho jalapenos. She said they mayyy have cross pollinated with some hotter ones…… perf.

Anyway, after about 3 days my hands returned to normal and I was able to touch my face without breaking out in tears.

You’re probably thinking “this story is supposed to make me want to make these freaking peppers?!”….. um yes. Yes, it is. These babies are soooo freaking good. Crisp and spicy (as the story above eludes to 🙂 ) and not full of any chemicals that you’ll get in the store bought kinds. The story’s main point was to make you laugh and also caution you don’t by lethal grade jalapenos and if you do, wear a HAZMAT suit or at the very least gloves and possibly goggles too 🙂

You need to try these- but be careful!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup white vinegar

3 T white sugar

1 T kosher salt

1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

15-20 jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings

Directions:

1. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, garlic, and oregano in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir in jalapeno peppers and remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes or longer.

2. Pack peppers into jars using gloves or tongs, cover with vinegar mixture, cover, and refrigerate until ready to eat!

I love these. And so fast and simple. This is 100%, without a doubt, one of those things that I will no longer buy store bought versions of. There is no comparison taste and texture wise. I’ll just be more cautious with prep next time!

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xoxo