Living in the Basque Country shattered our two dimensional approach to a basic staple, mayonnaise. The Basques made their own mayonnaise at home, often with fresh farm eggs, and then with unexpected twists and turns, some mixed in lemon instead of vinegar, others added garlic. The explosive taste of fresh made mayonnaise made sandwiches stand out. The famous Basque tradition of pintxos probably is memorable to visitors for the exciting dimension of fresh mayo.
Back living in the US, and thereafter the Caribbean, we have continued to make our own mayonnaise. We have added yogurt to the mix, tasted the difference of corn or canola, extra-virgin olive oil vs a blended olive oil and of course added the occasional garlic.
More recently we have embarked on making our own ketchup. The task began with the basic reading of the list of ingredients on the back of a purchased product. Then ensued several blind taste tests. We are still arriving at our favorite and exact mix. In the meantime, as with the mayo, I do not miss store bought ketchup. Ever try mayo-ketchup? When both are freshly made it is fabulous!
Our next culinary basic on the horizon…. home-made peanut butter.
But for those who are curious here is our recipe in progress… feel free to share any tips.
Ketchup
- 12 oz of tomato paste (2 small cans)
- 9oz of vinegar (using the same can as a measure as the paste its 1 1/2 can)
- 1/2 an onion ground in
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 3 table spoons of sugar
- Then put the bowl in the microwave to cook for 4 min. to minimize the sharp edge of the onion.
Mayonnaise
- one clove of garlic
- Puerto
Rican spices (adobo - a mixture of salt, pepper (black and white),
garlic and a bunch of other stuff I’m too lazy to read off the
ingredients.
- 1 cup blended olive oil (extra virgin has too much taste. You want something more innocuous)
- 1 fresh farm egg
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar
- Use an immersion blender to emulsify the product into a mayonnaise consistency.
- *Optional: I also blend in two tablespoons of non-fat yogurt. It smooths out the taste and cuts the calories a bit.
For more recipes from our home to yours…click here.
"Mom are we in St. Louis yet?" Javier asked as we were up in the sky and a thick layer of clouds made it seem like the plane was standing still. "No, Javier, not yet…" I replied.
"When I get to Mama ‘ouise’s house I am going to make a snowman with Jaimito and Olaia," Javier continued. His foreshadowing of events required explanation, "Javier, when we get to St. Louis there wont be any snow, it will be warm like it is back home. You will be able to play outside jump in the pool, play in the swings, ride the big wheels on the round about… you will have a lot of fun but there will be no snow. Snow is for winter and Christmas, Now its summer and it will be hot." "OK, Mami" my answer seemed to satisfy him or at least send his day-dreaming in a new direction.
"Mami are we in St. Louis yet? I want to play with Logan." Javier chimed, as he sat next to me on the plane landed in Miami. "Not yet… Javier, we have to take another plane. In two more hours we will be in St. Louis, but you probably wont see Logan until tomorrow."
Javier was exploding with sentences, thoughts bubbling over in anticipation of visiting his grandparent’s house. I couldn’t blame him. We all look forward to these visits. Kids play with their cousins, grown ups catch up on each other’s lives, politics and daily events are discussed and debated. It is all good fun and the warmth of family is ever present.
Imagine our surprise when after all this non-stop excitement, as Javier is becoming overwhelmed by exhaustion he tells me "OK Mami, I’m tired lets go home."
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William Damon’s book, "The Path to Purpose" is not yet on my bookshelf but in the meantime I read an article on the books key findinds in Education Week (June 11, 2008), "Majority of Youths Found To Lack Direction in Life." It seems that Damon’s findings point to one fifth of survey participants as having a "spark" or a purpose. In other words, 20% of our youth felt passionately about something, had been involved in the community, had an idea of what they wanted to do in life and were committed to leading productive lives. The downside is that 80% of our youth are either "disengaged" from their communities, unfocused or dreamers.
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My kids see my husband and I all the time. Up to
the age of 4 we are both the primary care givers. Once they begin
school and music lessons they begin to meet the world. Schooling ends
and again they are again in the fold of their parents. So much
togetherness forces the issue of emotions. My children have seen all
range of emotions. They know that I can cry when I am tired and tense,
I can be angry
when I am feeling sorry about something, or be grouchy when I am tired
or hungry. While I am scolding them and upset, dissapointed or frustrated I
sometimes remind them I love them at the same time I reiterate how I
feel and why.
My
6 year old explained to my 3 year old who had just spilled milk all over the coffee table within a foot of my laptop: "Javier, mami may be mad at you
but she always loves you." It was good to know that through all the repetition the message had stuck. Not only the messages seem to be understood, the emotional analysis seems to be catching on too… Javier (3y)
will now turn around and tell me when I deny him a petition that he is
"very angry with me because I am being mean with him because I said no
when he wanted to play with play dough". I congratulated him on his
complete assessment, gave him a hug, told him I loved him and still
said "no."
Now, the next time I say "no" or have my children bummed
out I will go the extra step and set them to do some home based
learning activity: puzzles, mind games, reading or math. I just read in
Education Week (June 11, 2008) in an article by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo
that happy is not all its cracked up to be in learning circles. It
seems students who were feeling melancholy, somber, neutral or just
not happy were better at detail oriented tasks and math. Students who
were happy were less able to concentrate and made more mistakes.
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There is no denying time, it passes whether you want it to or not. Last night my sweet little girl, my first born whom I can still recall as a newborn infant, asked me if she could cuddle up next to me and fall asleep on my bed. She is now a 4′10", lanky version of that little puddle of joy. How could I deny her cuddling with Mami. I read her Nancy Drew and allowed her to fall asleep.without having to move. I stared at her beautiful face as she dreamed a sweet dream, I am sure. I remember how having her fall asleep on my chest or next me quieted down my brain and gave me peace. Her presence by my side focused my my every thought as a profound sense of unlimited love took over my being.
Ironically, the morning after she wanted to fall asleep like a little baby snuggled against her Mami was the day she wanted to go with all of her posse in tow to the Piercing Pagoda and have her ears pierced.
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