Quick Mayonnaise Sauces

Once you taste a fresh, homemade condiment for your sandwiches, meats, fish or poultry, you’ll never go back to store bought again.

Here are some quick, wonderful condiment sauces to liven up your dishes.

Jalapeno Garlic Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

3 whole pickled jalapeno peppers

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tsp. red-wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Pinch salt

1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Place mayonnaise, pickled jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, garlic, vinegar Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste in blender and process until smooth; transfer to a bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve on sandwiches or with meat or poultry.

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Three-Mustard Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse-grained mustard

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

2 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tsp. honey

Pinch salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustards, lemon juice, honey and salt pepper to taste. Serve on sandwiches or with meat, chicken, pork or vegetables.

Makes 1 1/4 cup

Creamy Apple Horseradish Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup applesauce

3 Tbsp. bottled horseradish

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Pinch salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

In bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, applesauce, horseradish, vinegar and salt pepper to taste. Serve on beef sandwiches or with roast beef.

Makes 2 cups

Quick mayonnaise Sauces

Lemon-Pepper Dill Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced

Pinch salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In bowl, stir together mayonnaise, zest, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cook asparagus or other vegetables, with crudites or with fish.

Makes 1 cup

Tahini Mint Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste, available at most grocery stores)

1 small garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves, minced

2 Tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

In bowl, stir together mayonnaise, tahini, garlic paste, mint, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Serve sauce with meat, chicken or vegetables.

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Caesar Mayonnaise Dressing

2 small garlic cloves, minced and mashed to paste with 1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. anchovy paste

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup bottled mayonnaise

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper to taste

In bowl whisk together garlic paste, anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Add mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste and continue stir until well combined. Toss dressing with salad greens, serve as dip with crudites, or on favorite Panini.

Makes 1 1/3 cups

Curry Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed.

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Paprika for garnish

In bowl, stir together mayonnaise, curry powder, lime juice and cayenne. Chill for 1 hour and garnish with paprika. Serve with chicken or vegetables.

Makes 1 cup

Spinach Herb Sauce

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, cooked, rinsed and squeezed dry

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp. fresh tarragon, minced

1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tsp. fresh chives, minced

In blender, puree spinach. Add mayonnaise, yogurt, tarragon and lemon juice until mixture is smooth. Stir in chives. Serve sauce with chicken.

Makes 2 cups

Chile-Lime Aioli

1 cup mayonnaise

1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic

4 tsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice

In blender, process chiles, lime juice and garlic until smooth. Stir into mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Excellent with fish tacos, on sandwiches or as condiment with grilled poultry.

Makes 1 cup

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Serve this tropical salsa over grilled fish, chicken or pork for a fresh new taste.

2 cups fresh pineapple, finely diced

1 cup fresh mango, finely diced

1/2 cup sweet onion, diced (like Maui or Vidalia)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 fresh hot chili, seeded and minced (like Jalapeno or Thai chili)

2 Tbsp. mint leaves, shredded

1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients and let stand at room temperature. Serve over grilled tuna, salmon, chicken, or pork chops. Also good served with baked tortilla or pita chips.

Makes 3 cups

Stuffed Baby Portobello Mushrooms

yourself for no reason at all!

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach

3 dozen baby portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook spinach in unsalted water; drain thoroughly. Squeeze all remaining water from spinach and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Briefly wash mushrooms (never soak them!) or brush them gently with clean towel. Remove stems and chop stems.

In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushroom tops until thoroughly coated with butter, about 5-10 minutes. Remove caps from butter and place in 9×13-inch baking dish, cap side down.

In same skillet, saute onions in butter. Add chopped mushroom stems and heat until tender. Add spinach and all remaining ingredients, except cheese. Mix well.

Fill caps with spinach mixture. Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Serves 6-8

Spicy Chicken Wings with Honey Mustard Jalapeno Sauce

Place jalapenos in saucepan and add enough water to just cover peppers. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Remove jalapenos from saucepan, reserving liquid. Add both sugars to liquid and return pan to heat. Bring mixture to boil, stirring to dissolve sugars. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Place jalapenos, sugar mixture, honey, vinegar, mustard and turmeric in blender or food processor. Blend until all ingredients are pureed.

Place chicken wings in large bowl and pour 1/2 cup pureed jalapeno mixture over wings, reserving remaining puree for dipping sauce.

Preheat oven to 400°. Place wings on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown, turning several times during cooking.

Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

Sticky Vermont Chicken Wings

3 lbs. chicken wings

5 oz. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

½ stick butter

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add maple syrup and soy sauce. Heat to boiling and remove from heat. Arrange wings in single layer in 13×9-inch casserole pan. Pour syrup over wings and bake for 2 hours.

Tacos de Carne Asada

2 lbs. flank or skirt steak

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. Chile powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

Rub olive oil on steak to thoroughly coat. In small bowl combine remaining spices. Rub spiced into steak. Place in plastic bag and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Grill steak over medium hot coals for 3-5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is achieved. Remove from coals and place meat on cutting board, allowing it to rest for 10 minutes. Dice meat and place inside warm, soft corn tortillas. Garnish with Pico de Gallo or desired accompaniments.

Pico de Gallo

1 white onion, diced

3 tomatoes, diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 jalapenos, diced

Juice of 2 fresh limes

1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to blend flavors.

6 large russett potatoes, peeled and grated

1 large onion, grated

2 eggs, slightly beaten

4 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Oil, to cover bottom of pan

Grate potatoes and place in strainer over a bowl. Squeeze all liquid out of potatoes.

Place potatoes in large mixing bowl. Add onions and stir. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls into hot oil, flattening the mixture slightly. Brown on both sides about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Place latkes on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Keep them warm in low oven while preparing remaining mixture.

Serve warm with apple sauce, sour cream or a sprinkling of sugar.

Mexican Won Tons

East meets west with this crunchy, spicy Tex-Mex treat.

Parmesan Chicken Wings

These wings are easy to prepare and absolutely fabulous. A must for family or your next party.

Curry Dip with Fresh Crudites

Spice up your next party with this creamy herb and spice dip.