Skip the Store-Bought Mayo — Make Your Own in Minutes

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:02:40 GMT

If you've ever flipped over a jar of mayonnaise at the grocery store, you know the ingredient list can be a little disappointing. Most store-bought mayo is made with highly processed soy oils and a handful of extra, unnecessary ingredients. And to be honest...do they even have a taste?! There are cleaner versions but they'll cost you a small fortune! Let's save money and eat better tasting mayo!

Homemade mayo is ridiculously easy to make. With a few simple ingredients and an immersion blender, you can have fresh, creamy mayo ready in just a few minutes — and you'll actually recognize everything that went into it.

Homemade Mayo Ingredients

1¼ cups olive oil
1 egg
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
Juice from ⅓ of a lemon

Optional add-ins: jalapeño, red pepper flakes, black pepper, onion powder, etc.

Directions

Add the egg, mustard powder, salt, garlic, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the oil to a jar.
Blend with an immersion blender until combined.
While blending, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1 cup of oil.
Continue blending until thick, creamy, and fully emulsified.
Store in the fridge.

We use it for chicken salad, sandwhiches, burgers, etc. It's so easy and tastes so much better than store-bought!

Quick Kitchen Tip That Saves Time

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:52:47 GMT

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that a few simple kitchen habits can save a surprising amount of time. Between homeschooling, caring for animals, tending the garden, and getting dinner on the table, I'm always looking for little shortcuts that make life easier without sacrificing quality.

The Peeling Trick We Use Every Time

One of my favorite time-saving tricks starts right in the garden with garlic. Garlic is one of the easiest crops we grow. We plant it in the fall, let it overwinter, and harvest it the following summer. It requires very little attention, and there's nothing quite like pulling beautiful bulbs of garlic from the ground after months of waiting. If you don't grow your own, this tip works just as well with store-bought garlic.

Peeling garlic can be one of those small kitchen tasks that feels surprisingly tedious when you're in the middle of cooking. Our solution is simple: Soak the garlic cloves in hot water for 2–3 minutes.

The skins loosen up and peel right off, making prep work much faster and less frustrating.

What We Do With Extra Garlic

This year, some of our garlic was ready to harvest while we were away on vacation. By the time we got home, it was past the point where it would cure well for long-term storage. So, we turned it into one of our favorite freezer staples.

After soaking and peeling the cloves, we chopped them up, mixed them with a little olive oil, and packed the mixture into ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be transferred to a freezer-safe container or bag. Each cube is about 1½ teaspoons of garlic, making it the perfect amount to toss directly into soups, sauces, stir-fries, and skillet meals.

Why We Love This Method

No peeling garlic when you're rushing to make dinner
Garlic is already chopped and ready to use
Reduces food waste from a large harvest
Works with homegrown or store-bought garlic
Tastes way better than the "fresh" chopped garlic in a bottle in the grocery store