M is for Media

As in, I've got a Media pass to the Independent Garden Center show in Chicago this week.

M is also for Meet up, wherein all the bloggers and social media types with these passes get fed lunch, and I get to meet face to face a lot of the people I've befriended on Twitter and through the blogs. I'm not all that connected, as in no smart phone, so tweeting will be a little one-sided (I can tweet out, but not receive), but I'll let you know about the best products I see. I will make a special effort to look for "Ns" (Wednesday), and "Os" (Thursday)!

Anyway, follow me on Twitter @NotDabblingXan; we'll see how I do as a "real" media person.

And just because you really should be doing this, here's Little Blue Hen's wonderful recipe for easy (easy easy) homemade mayonnaise. I actually double the recipe below and I use cold eggs; I find that the oil emulsifies more reliably if you do that.

Anyway, stop buying mayonnaise in the store. I mean it.

Homemade Mayonnaise
Adapted from The Perfect Pantry via Little Blue Hen
Makes about 1 1/2- 2 cups

2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons room-temp water
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cup light, unflavored oil (canola, safflower, or grapeseed. The flavored oils, like nut or olive) will give your mayo a distinct taste of the oils)
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/4 lemon

Put egg yolk, water, and mustard in the bowl of a 3-cup food processor. Run the blade to make sure it catches the mixture, dribble in a bit more water if needed or stir up the yolk to get it to catch. Run the food processor until the mixture is pale yellow (about 30 seconds or so).

The oil must be added very slowly to ensure that the mixture emulsifies. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil in a narrow (pencil tip width) steady stream. You can tell the emulsion is working because you'll start to hear slapping sounds as the food processor runs. Some recipes recommend stopping when about 1/3 of the oil has been added, and then continue to add by teaspoonfuls, but I've found it works fine to just keep the steady stream going. Stop the motor and check the mayonnaise to make sure it is emulsifying. If so, continue adding the oil slowly until it is all combined.

When all the oil has been added, add the salt and lemon juice. The lemon juice will help increase its shelf life. I've had this mayo last 3 months in the fridge.

It took me about 3 tries to get my rhythm on homemade mayo, but it is so superior to even the best store bought that once you get the hang of it, you'll never buy mayo again.