Condiments

Hee hee... Lisa said "Condiments"...

Wait... am I the only one who has the humor of a sixth grade boy and laughs when I hear that word?

How embarrassing.

Anyway, I've been planning for months to add some of the basic, non-meal recipes that I make in the kitchen. All of these condiments/sauces are made with things that I always have on hand, and I started making them fresh because 1) otherwise I'd never use enough of the store-bought kind to justify the expense (except salsa... that's like water in Texas), 2) I like not being reliant on the store for quick-and-easy things to make, and 3) they taste good and I can make the decision as to how much sugar/salt to include, and can vary it based on who's eating it. The honey mustard dressing came from having the world's most random craving for honey mustard with a roasted chicken salad. I've never found a store-bought honey mustard that tastes anything like restaurant honey mustard, and then I found the recipe included below. Hopefully this next week I can keep up with posting some basics like these, including homemade cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups.


Honey Mustard Dressing

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Now, follow these tricky directions carefully...

Whisk it all together. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Did you get all that? I know... this requires some serious culinary skills. :-) I love this on spinach salad, and the kids think it's great to dip homemade chicken tenders in, or sweet potato fries (that one surprised me, too, but I tried it... it's tasty).


Soy-free "Soy" Sauce
 
- 2 cups beef broth (I use bouillon cubes and hot water if I'm out of boxed or homemade broth)
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 dash black pepper
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 dash onion powder
- salt to taste (I don't always use salt-- it depends on what kind of broth I'm using/what I'm making with the soy sauce)

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Boil uncovered until reduced (I reduce to 2/3 c for the marinade below, but if you want to use it as a dipping sauce, keep boiling until it's reduced to around 1/2 c). You can store the sauce in the refrigerator-- be sure to shake it before using.


Pork Marinade

- 1 c cider vinegar
- 2/3 c soy sauce (I use the recipe above)
- 2/3 c brown sugar
- 2/3 T salt
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 t pepper

Mix all of this together and pour into a bag. Use to marinate 3 lbs of pork overnight. You can also use the marinade for chicken-- it tastes great!


Salsa

- 1 28-oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 bunch fresh, washed cilantro
- 3-5 cloves garlic-- too much garlic was the first time I "ruined" a batch of salsa... though really, it's hard to ruin if you taste test the whole way and add ingredients a bit at a time.
- onion-- this is subjective. I use less than 1/8 c, because as the salsa flavors mingle more over time, the onion can become REALLY potent. I often omit the onion completely, and it still tastes amazing. Too much onion was the second time I "ruined" a batch of salsa.
- 2-3 jalapeño peppers-- I use at least one with all of its seeds and one without. It's easier to add more "heat" with more seeds/peppers later than try to take it out!
- 1/2- 1 t cumin
- 1/2- 1 t coriander-- this is a spice you really should have in your cabinet. It's the "fruit" part of the cilantro plant, and I use it all the time in Mexican dishes. It's also used a lot in Indian cuisine.
- Kosher salt
- pepper

Pulse all of the ingredients in the blender. Add extra cumin/coriander/salt/pepper/jalapeños as needed. Cover and store in the refrigerator to let to flavors mix together.


Strawberry Syrup

- 3 c (1 lb) strawberries, mashed
- 1 c sugar-- you can reduce the amount. I use less than this for a "daily" version, and the full amount for "big deal" pancake breakfasts, like at the holidays
- 3 T orange juice

Boil all ingredients. Simmer until reduced to 1/3-1/2 original volume, around 15-18 minutes. Blend if desired. I use an immersion blender (kitchen necessity for soups and sauces!!) and blend around half of it, so I still have a few strawberry chunks. Serve warm.


Cocoa Syrup
takes 15 minutes to make; yield= ~3 c

- 1 1/2 c water
- 3 c sugar-- again, this amount can be reduced
- 1 1/2 c Dutch-process cocoa-- you can use regular cocoa, but I like the richness in the Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/4 t Kosher salt (oh, Kosher salt, how I love thee when cooking!)
- 2 T light corn syrup-- this helps it keep its "flow-ability" and prevents crystallization
- 1 T vanilla

Boil the sugar and water together. Whisk in the cocoa, salt, and corn syrup. Reduce until slightly thickened (it will just start to coat the back of a spoon-- you don't want to get it too thick). Strain if desired (I don't) and cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla once cooler. Store in the refrigerator. I pour it into 2 clean squeeze bottles from previous chocolate syrups. You only need a tiny bit for chocolate milk-- guaranteed to be loved by kids and husbands alike! Also, you can heat it up a bit more on the stove or in the microwave and when it thickens up more, you will have a delicious fudge sauce to serve over ice cream... or fresh bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Mmmm.