Homemade mayonnaise

The soy-free mayonnaise found in the store can be pretty expensive so I set out to make a homemade equivalent.

Ingredients

1 egg yolk (make sure to check date stamped on cartoon to make sure you are using the most fresh eggs available)

1 Tbs white distilled vinegar

0.5 tsp of salt

0.25 tsp of dried mustard powder

3/4 cup oil (preferably canola or safflower)

Directions

Mix the egg yolk, vinegar, salt and mustard powder together in a circular glass container. I've found that containers with steep sides (IE 90 degrees) work much better for the later stages of prep. then do those that have more slanting sides (IE bowls). In order to achieve the mayonnaise emulsion, the oil needs to be added very slowly in the beginning to the egg yolk mixture using a whisk. If the oil is added too quickly than the you will end up with a soupy mess instead of the desired emulsion. To do this you can use a tablespoon to add a couple of drops at a time. Once you have added about half the oil you can start adding oil more quickly. Since you are adding fresh egg yolk the mayonnaise should be used within 3-4 days.

* it should be noted that lemon juice can be added instead of vinegar for those who don't like vinegar. If you are using wet mustard, try using a scant teaspoon instead of the dry measurement.

Quick Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are VERY rich, but the little one loves them and they are really quick and easy to make and requires no flour which is nice if you are running short on gluten free flours.

Ingredients:
* 1 egg
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place egg, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla in a mixing blow and blend.

2. Add chocolate chips.

3. Drop teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes

Chocolate cream cheese frosting

We had some extra cream cheese leftover and I thought I would attempt a homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting. It was very rich. Here is the recipe:

1.5 cups of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

0.25 cups of either milk, rice milk or water

0.5 stick of butter

0.5 lb of cream cheese

1.5 cups of powdered sugar

1-2 tsp real vanilla

Let butter and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Blend cream cheese and butter together until light or fluffy. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler adding the milk/rice milk/water and stirring. If you don't have a double boiler you can boil water in a larger pot and nest a smaller pot inside to get the same result. Using this method will ensure the chocolate is not heated more than 214 degrees F, preventing it from burning at the bottom (Natural gas combusts around 3,600 degrees F and a red hot stove element registers around 2,000 degrees F-- both definitely hot enough to burn chocolate in short order). Pour molten chocolate chips into the cream cheese/butter mixture. Add vanilla to taste and then add powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved, scraping down the walls of the bowl as you blend. This frosting has a good consistency, and a rich and decadent taste.

Belgian Waffles

Dry ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup millet flour

1.5 cups tapioca starch or potatoe starch

0.5 tsp salt

0.33 cup white sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp xanthan gum

Wet ingredients

2 eggs

6 tbs melted butter or oil

2 tbs vanilla extract

2.25 cups milk (should be added a bit at a time until right consistency is achieved)

Mix together dry ingredients. Add eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract to dry ingredients. Then add milk slowly to the mixture until the proper consistency is achieved (slightly thicker than pancake batter). Then using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, spoon the proper amount of batter into the waffle iron (heaping 1/2 cup full). If using a waffle iron coated with teflon, no cooking spray is needed for releasing the waffles from the iron. Top with your favorite toppings. Makes approximately 8 belgian waffles.

*Note: I usually make the batter in a sealable plastic container so I can refrigerate the leftover batter for another day. The waffles made from refrigerated batter seem to behave and taste the same as waffles made from the fresh batter.