Garlic Mayonnaise

If you’ve never tried homemade garlic mayonnaise, now’s your chance! And if you love garlic, you can start rejoicing!

Since it’s so velvety in texture, it can form the base of many salad dressings. Of course you don’t have to put the garlic in; this is simply a basic mayonnaise where I added garlic. You can leave it plain. Other additions could be herbs and spices you like. Cranberry and horseradish make fine additions as well.

However, today we’re talking garlic mayo and not just for dressing or sandwich spreads! Did you know that mayonnaise can replace the egg wash and flour to get breadcrumbs to adhere to food? I never made the connection either, but learned that in one of my air fryer groups. Mayonnaise also helps prevent the food from drying out.

So next time you want to bake or airfry breaded chicken breasts, use this! It adds such great flavor.

Dust Off That Immersion Blender

I’ve had an immersion blender for ages. They were all the rage about 10 years ago. I played with this toy and then put it away, using it only periodically to puree a soup. And yes, I even made emulsified dressings and mayo with it.

But dust it off an make this mayonnaise. You have all the ingredients on hand I am quite sure. With the stick blender, you don’t have to let the oil drizzle in a thin laminar thread. You just dump all the ingredients in a container then let ‘er rip, as they say.

As for the container, it’s best to use the one that came with your blender. If you can’t find it, a pint mason jar will work well. You need something tall and with a base that’s just a little bit larger than the head of the blender. The reason is so the oil can be gradually incorporated through the openings at the head of the blender. Just remember to use high speed and don’t stop until the mayo is almost formed.

Dijon Mustard

This is something that’s a regular pantry item for me because I like it as a condiment and I also use it in cooking. My Swiss Dijon chicken is one such recipe.

It’s use in this mayonnaise–or anything emulsified–is that it is also a great emulsification aid. You only use a small amount so you probably won’t even taste it. But don’t leave it out; you’ll have problems if you do.

And a word about the egg–to be on the safe side you can use a pasteurized egg. I don’t because I get fresh just-laid eggs from a friend who keeps free-range chickens that are fed organically. And yep, those eggs have a bluish shell!

The Recipe

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Easy Garlic Mayonnaise

Great sandwich spread or base for a crumb coating

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

Course: condiments, Dips/Sauces/Dressings, Sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: adhering crumbs to food, garlic mayonnaise, making mayonnaise with an immersion blender

Servings: 16

Calories: 122kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Using the container that came with your immersion blender or a wide-mouth pint mason jar, add all the ingredients in the order listed. Let this stand about 5 minutes so everything equalizes.
• Place immersion blender in the container with the head touching the bottom of the container and blend at high speed until mixture begins to emulsify--it'll turn white--about 1-2 minutes.
• Place in a container with a tight-fitting lid (or if you used a mason jar, just put a lid on it) and store in the refrigerator. It lasts about 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg

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Polynesian Pork Loin

A pork loin with south seas flavor? You betcha and it’s great too since the flavors infuse thanks to your Instant Pot!

There’s no need for marination here because the short time this cooks under pressure makes the flavors go all throughout the meat.

The Polynesian flavors consist of soy sauce, pineapple and peppers as its base. Add a bit of garlic and ginger and there you have it. As always I advise using fresh everything rather than off-the-shelf seasoning. When it comes to ginger, fresh is best and ginger can be frozen for future use. But I’ve discovered the paste sold in a tube that’s in your produce section. In the fridge, that has a long shelf life and it’s worth every penny! There’s other herbs sold this way and it’s so convenient and as I say, it lasts.

Roasting In The Instant Pot?

Absolutely! There’s a method to doing this so your roast comes out perfect every time. You will use several functions of the Instant Pot and you’ll see how versatile it can be. One caveat is this is not a 15 minute meal. There’s a time investment of about an hour but it’s worth it. Another great factor is that you only have one pot to wash (that part is my favorite).

The first function you will use is the sauté function to brown the meat. I used the “high heat” setting for that. I could fit a 3 pound boneless loin in my pot, but I have an 8 quart model. Smaller capacity pots you may have to cut the roast in half so it fits.

Next you’ll use the “pressure cook” function, but only for a short time. After that time is up, you don’t release the pressure but you must make sure it goes into “keep warm” after the pressure cooking is done. This is the most important part of the cooking. Whilst on “keep warm,” the pressure will release gradually and naturally. The part of the cooking on “keep warm” is the longest part of the cooking process; approximately 45 minutes.

Roasting in the Instant Pot is possible!

Slow Cooker Too

Since the original recipe–made with beef–was a slow cooker recipe that I adapted to pork and the Instant Pot, it certainly may be cooked in the original fashion.

All you’d do is brown the roast on all sides, dump in the sauce (minus the peppers and pineapple rings) and let ‘er rip for 6-8 hours.

The Recipe

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Instant Pot Polynesian Pork Loin

Put that Instant Pot to work and make this yummy pork roast.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork loin recipes for instant pot, roasting in the instant pot, slow cooker pork loin recipe

Servings: 6

Calories: 379kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast (see NOTES)
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper cut in strips
• 1 medium green bell pepper cut in strips
• 8 oz can unsweetened pineapple rings reserve juice
• 1 tbs oil

Sauce:

• Reserved pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 clove garlic finely minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (see NOTES)
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Thickening:

• 4 tbs cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Pat pork loin dry with a paper towel. Set Instant Pot to the "saute" function at high heat. Add the oil and when oil is hot, brown pork loin on all sides. Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes until they are translucent.
• Mix the sauce ingredients (reserve the pineapple rings for later) and pour over the roast.
• Set Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. IMPORTANT--you must let the Instant Pot go into "keep warm" when the cook time is up--do not release the pressure valve. After the cook time on pressure is up, let the pot go into "keep warm" mode letting the pressure reduce naturally. Keep the pot in "keep warm" mode for 45 minutes.
• After the 45 minutes are up, remove the lid and test the temp of the roast. It should be 145F/65C, if not, replace lid and set to "keep warm" for an additional 10 minutes.
• Once the roast has reached the proper temperature, remove to a platter and tent with foil. Leave the juice in the pot and set the Instant Pot to "saute" at medium temperature.
• Add the bell peppers and the reserved pineapple slices; bring to a boil.
• Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
• Stir cornstarch/water mixture into the sauce and cook for 1 minute. Using the entire amount of cornstarch will produce a sauce with body. If you prefer a thinner sauce, use half the amount.

Notes

For slow cooker--brown roast on all sides then place in the slow cooker. Pour sauce over the meat and cook for 6-8 hours on low (times approximate). Add the pineapple rings and the peppers and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes. Thicken juice if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 909mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 713IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

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Once you make these homemade versions of condensed cream soups, you’ll never open a can again!

Condensed Cream Soups Done Better

Condensed “cream of” soups are a very common ingredient in many recipes.

Lots of crock pot and casserole recipes call for this and while I don’t mind using the canned variety, even the lower-sodium varieties, I’d rather control the salt and seasonings myself. Many of my readers ask if there was an alternative to the canned stuff, but I really couldn’t recommend anything to them; until now.

Having a homemade version is the ideal solution, but most versions I tried were pretty blah. Then I found this recipe and it’s delicious!

Cream of Mushroom

Perfect In Many Ways

This recipe is so perfect because you can add literally any veggie or meat to the basic recipe.

This recipe was the answer to my prayers for a couple of reasons. The main reason was I needed cream of onion soup for a recipe, but it’s not available locally for me.

Another major reason this recipe is a godsend to me is because I would rather control the seasonings in everything I make since I find many store-bought products way too salty. This is especially true for canned cream soups and the low-sodium varieties lack oomph too.

Cream of Onion

A Flavorful Stock Is Important

A lot of flavor in this comes from the stock, so make sure to use something that’s very flavorful.

You can use vegetable or chicken stock for any variety you make. I used veggie stock to make the cream of onion and chicken stock to make the cream of mushroom.

I use low-sodium stock almost exclusively because I always remember my mother saying you can add salt but you can’t take it out.

Even though the concentrated stocks I use are lower sodium, they are still very flavorful. My favorites are Kitchen Accomplice and Better Than Bouillon.

You can also make these concentrates with additional herbs and spices! Roasted garlic would be a nice addition to cream of mushroom or cream of chicken!

Cream of Mushroom

Shelf Life

The chief concern with homemade is shelf life.

Of course this requires refrigeration so shelf life is limited. So what I am doing is making up the varieties I need for the week.

I would estimate that a week is about the limit you can keep this. I haven’t tried freezing it yet, but if you make it up and freeze it, I’d welcome your feedback on how the soup is once defrosted.

Keep in mind that this recipe produces a very thick mixture–just like the canned consistency. If you want to serve it as a soup (and it’s got an excellent flavor) just add a cup of milk or half-and-half to the concentrate.

Cream of Onion

Try It In Some Recipes

Now that you have these great-tasting condensed cream soup recipes in your arsenal, why not head over to All Free Casserole Recipes and try some of their spectacular collection of recipes! Here’s a couple that caught my eye–a Three Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole and this Cheesy Onion Casserole. These will taste even better when you substitute your homemade soup versions.

The Recipe

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Homemade Condensed Cream Soups

Once you make these homemade versions of condensed cream soups, you’ll never open a can again!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Slow Cooker, soups, Tips/Tricks/Methods

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream soup recipe

Servings: 8 -10 oz

Calories: 57kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter I use unsalted
• 1/2 cup chopped "add-ins" i.e. mushrooms, onions, chicken, celery, etc.
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tbsp concentrated stock see NOTES
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half see NOTES
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Melt butter over in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add your "add-ins" and concentrated stock and cook for about 5 minutes. If your "add-ins" are veggies, cook them till they are soft.
• Whisk in the flour--this will be VERY thick.
• Slowly whisk in the water--again, this will be very thick--so you don't get lumps, then repeat with the milk or half-and-half. Continue cooking until mixture bubbles, then cook for 1 minute.
• Add salt and pepper--if desired. Remember you can always add that later.
• Use as-is wherever condensed cream soup is called for.
• To reconstitute and use as a soup, stir in 1 cup of milk or half-and-half.

Notes

I use either Kitchen Accomplice or Better Than Bouillon and I use the reduced-sodium variety. You can use either vegetable or chicken stock in any variety of soup you choose to make.

Low-fat milk is an acceptable substitution if this is to be used for cooking, however, if you wish to reconstitute this to eat as a soup, it probably won't taste as good.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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Do these GIR Silicone Lids perform as they say they do? I tested them in my own kitchen and give you my opinion.

Kitchen Space Management

I think if you asked anyone if they have enough storage space in their kitchens, the unequivocal answer would be, “No.”

However, there are some of us out there whose negative answers to that question has nothing to do with vanity. Nor is it wishful thinking. We actually don’t have much, if any, kitchen storage space.

For me, that means no counters and only one full-wall cabinet unit, so I’m always looking for gadgets that take up very little space. These GIR lids are a near-perfect solution for me because they can be rolled up very small and stored in a drawer. And that small footprint is important to me.

I was provided with 4 lids–9×6, 9×9, 10 & 12-inch.

The Lids

The lids come in two shapes.

The round shapes (10 & 12-inches) are perfectly suited to stovetop use and form an airtight seal due to suction. They’re easy to grab when you need them if kept close to your range. I have mine rolled up on a shelf above my stove for easy access.

The rectangular (9×6) and square (9×9) shape I found useful to cover casserole dishes that I place on my table. They help to keep food warm as well. They can also be useful in the oven for when a recipe calls for you to cover while baking. I didn’t try this yet, though, but it would probably be the same as the round lids I used for stovetop cooking.

Needless to say, silicone is safe at high temperatures as well as low temperatures. They’re also great covers for microwave cooking and reheating. The sizes offered are perfect for most pans that will fit in your microwave.

What I’d Like To See

There was one feature that I didn’t like about these lids. For lack of a better word, they were too “floppy.” When I grabbed a round one to cover a skillet, part of the lid dipped into the food and caused a small mess on my stove when I repositioned it on the pan. These lids could do with being a bit thicker so they don’t “flop” so much. And because they are pretty thin, you cannot place anything on top of it should you use it to cover a casserole that’s being refrigerated.

Another suggestion is to include a spring for around the perimeter that would keep the lid rigid. That spring could fit in a channel and could be removable for storage. I envision something like a pressure cooker lid and gasket type of set up.

For more information and products, make sure to visit GIR on the web.

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Need caramelized onions? Let your slow cooker do all the work!

Caramelized onions are a really special treat–and can be used in lots of recipes. French Onion Soup is the best-known use for caramelized onions, but there are many others too.

They are pretty easy to make the conventional way, but that way is quite tedious. You have to babysit the onions, stirring every couple of minutes and making sure the heat under them is low, low, low. The process seems to take forever and for me, it was about 45 minutes to one hour. Needless to say with arthritis in my hip, this was a process I’d preferred to avoid, so I’d make a lot at one time and freeze them. Caramelized onions do freeze well.

Then I was reading an article in The Kitchn about making them in the crock pot. The crock pot cooks low and slow so it’s the perfect environment for these onions. When most of us discover this method, we take to hitting ourselves upside the head that we never thought of this ourselves. Overlooking the obvious!

That article gives a basic recipe which works out just great, but you can always make additions like I do.

Many times I’ll add some herbs in, like thyme which I do like and goes well with most dishes that contain the onions. One sprig is all it takes–you want a whisper, not a big bite in the butt as far as the herb flavors go. So get creative and do your own flavored versions. After all, it’s no work at all making them with the crock pot method.

First of all you have to slice your onions really thin no matter what method you use. I tend to leave the root end in tact when I slice so the onion doesn’t separate. And the way to slice is different than just chopping onions–you slice parallel to the root as shown below.

Then basically all you do is mix these up with some oil or butter and seasonings and dump them all in your slow cooker. FYI they reduce like crazy so make sure you use the appropriate-sized cooker. The cooker should be 2/3 full. Three huge onions filled my 4 qt cooker 2/3 full.

You can stir periodically–they’ll caramelize a bit more evenly–but it’s not necessary. You can extend the cook time with the lid ajar to get a deeper color and make the liquid get a bit more “jam like” in consistency. I didn’t end up with any water/liquid at all after the base cooking time, but I did extend the cook time with the lid ajar to get a deeper color.

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Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

Need caramelized onions? Let your slow cooker do all the work!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 hours hrs

Total Time10 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: condiments, Tips/Tricks/Methods, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carmelized onions, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 1 cup

Calories: 508kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 3-5 very large onions baseball sized, sliced (see photo and description in post)
• 3 tbsp olive oil -OR- melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• pinch of white pepper
• 1 small sprig fresh thyme optional

Instructions

• Mix sliced onions with all the ingredients in a large bowl--mix up well so the onions are coated with the oil/melted butter.
• Place in a 4-6 quart slow cooker (see NOTES)
• Cook on low 10 hours, stirring every so often if desired.
• For deeper color, cook an additional 2-3 hours on low with the lid ajar.

Notes

Choose the correct size cooker--the cooker must be at least 1/2 full with raw onions. If you use too large a cooker, the onions (like anything else) will burn and overcook. If you only have a large-size crock pot, double or triple the recipe. THESE FREEZE WELL so if you have to make a lot, you'll always have on hand.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 1177mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg

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