In the kitchen: mayonnaise

This is one of The Kid's favourites. When he first tasted it he said, "Mom. Did you actually MAKE this?" I said yes, and he replied, "It's the BEST thing EVER."

I was shocked. I mean, what kid notices what mayo tastes like?! Maybe I have a wee chef in the making. :)

If you've never made mayo, go do it. Now. It's that good. 

Homemade mayonnaise
This is the basic recipe, but you can fancy it up any way you like. Capers are good, so is tarragon, and I imagine dill would be yummy, too.

1 large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 -2 tsp lemon juice

Place everything but the oil and lemon juice in the blender or processor container. Process 5 seconds in the blender; 15 seconds in the processor.

With the motor running, add 1/4 cp of the oil, *one drop at a time* (and I am NOT kidding about that part). With the motor still running, add the remaining oil, pouring in a fine drizzle at first, and then in a thin, steady stream.

When all the oil has been added, stop the motor. Add lemon juice to your taste (personally, I prefer it with no lemon at all) and stir. Enjoy!

In the kitchen: homemade stock

Making stock is one of the easiest things you can do to give your meals that extra little "something." It's rewarding, too - not only do you get less salt and no preservatives (as compared to the store-bought kind), you get to recycle food waste and save money: a big pot of chicken stock costs less than $5.

Gardening: organic fertilizer

One thing I always forget as a gardener is that plants need food. I remember the watering and the weeding, but that's about it.

Preparing food for plants is more chemistry than cooking, however. I had to refresh my knowledge of NPK (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) and try to figure out how much of each thing was needed. Apparently you should test the pH of your soil before fertilizing. I say apparently because I didn't bother - I was just happy I remembered that they need food at all.

Late nights on Granville

My husband's been spending a lot of nights on Granville Street lately.

Dog vs Machine

Every spring, something happens that makes Danny worry.

Green cleaning: homemade all-purpose cleaner

I used to be friends with Mr Clean, Tilex and good old-fashioned Comet. We had some good times, until I started to cough every time we got together. That's when I realized what a bad influence they were on me, my family and the environment. So, I've made some new friends, ones that treat me right.

In the kitchen: carrot cupcakes

I've been waiting a whole year to make these. I saw the design on a web site last April, but for some reason (that I can't recall right now) I couldn't make them for Easter 2009, so it had to wait until this year.

Pretty cute, huh? I didn't quite get the toasted-coconut-nests look, but it's not bad.