some new direction

A lot goes through your mind when you're staring at twelve liters of spinning soy protein while adjusting the pH from 4.6 to 8.  Nice thoughts, panicked thoughts, obscure thoughts,

food thoughts...

I'm sure the comparison between a laboratory and a kitchen isn't new to you.  And for some people, the two places are one in the same.  Though I work in a FS lab that's more biochem than food (and requires radioactivity training), the motions are pretty similar to what I do in the kitchen.

I mean, I take fewer liberties at work and use fewer graduated cylinders at home, but it's all about following a procedure, examining the outcomes, and washing dishes.

I can now sympathize with my parents since going home immediately to get dinner on the table.  So my mind was pretty preoccupied with work (and the UW v UNC game) when I was scooping out the last of my mayo.  I'm not even exaggerating when I say I spent a good three minutes scraping out every bit of mayo.  Thank goodness for silicon spatulas.  This has always been my problem - I am obsessed with making sure I get every last drop or bit or whatever.  It hurts when culinary show hosts basically leave a whole other cupcake in the bowl.

(I need this in my life.)

Anyways, protein extraction is kind of the same issue.  I stand there for longer than I should trying to scrape out all the bits that I can't reach in an asymmetrical bottle with a metal spatula (6x).  It's the most infuriating thing.  All that protein loss!

Well all those thoughts translated to a wedge salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, and a hard soft boiled egg.

Okay, not exactly food porn, I know, but I was super proud of how healthy I was being after dinners of burger and fries, pork sandwich and fries, and monkey bread (and I wish, fries).  Nope, just kidding, I was super proud of my caramelized onion aioli.

Ingredients

the last of your mayo

two pinches of turmeric

1 onion, sliced and caramelized (hopefully with more time and patience than I had)

salt and peppa

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons mushroom juices from sauteing mushrooms

-Zap it all in a Magic Bullet, scoop back out with a silicon spatula, and slather on everything