How I Buy Groceries: Three Rules

Couponing and going after sales are no-brainers, right? Here are my three main grocery shopping rules that may not be obvious.

Rule One: Shop around the perimeter of the store whenever possible.
I shop around the perimeter of the grocery store the majority of the time, venturing into the aisles only for necessary pantry items. If you follow this rule, you will buy fresher, healthier food automatically. Whether its produce, meat from the butcher, fish, dairy, or even baked goods, you'll find them around the fringe of the store, with the inner part is like the belly of the processed food beast. Although I do venture to the middle of the store for necessary condiments and canned goods such as artichoke hearts, olives, peanut butter, etc., it's a good mentality to be in while shopping, and I've found that I actually save a lot of money by not buying processed, packaged food.

Rule Two: Always take a list.
Taking the time to write up a detailed grocery list beforehand is the best way to avoid buying items you don't need, or won't use. If everything you buy is a part of a few recipes you know you will make, nothing will go to waste and you'll spend a lot less time deciding if you need some particular thing.  I like to shop once a week, sometimes every two weeks, and on Sundays I'll take the time to cook lunches and dinners for myself for that week. Tupperware and the freezer are my best friends.

Rule Three: Don't grocery shop hungry.
Shopping hungry is probably the worst thing for your grocery savvy because your eyes are a lot bigger than your stomach- and your budget. They'll try to get you with sale markdowns and coupons, and shopping on a full stomach is your best defense against this, along with your list.

Of course there are other things I try to keep in mind as well, like buy local when possible, buy in bulk, etc. but these top three are universal in my experience and have been the most helpful to me. I don't succeed all the time with all of these rules, but keeping them in mind will save time and money, and prevent food waste in the long run!

I am curious to know what your rules are for savvy grocery shopping! Let me know in the comments!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This is a simple side dish, but so tasty! I have heard so many people gripe about Brussels Sprouts. They think they don't like them because they've always had them steamed. Well, I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of steamed sprouts myself. Roasted sprouts, on the other hand, are a whole different experience. If you've never roasted your Brussels Sprouts, you may be in for a life-changing experience with this underrated vegetable.

Wash your sprouts, making sure to get all the dirt off. There is nothing worse than gritty vegetables. Halve them, and toss in a large bowl with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, using just enough to coat them when tossed. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Lay in one layer on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crispy and brown, but not burned.

I like to serve them with steak and garlic potatoes, but they go with almost everything.

Pumpkin Ginger Creme Brulee

I made this for a twist on a classic dessert just in time for 'Friends-Giving' Thanksgiving dinner. This was my first time making creme brulee but I was very happy with how it turned out, as were my guinea pigs.

The pumpkin maintains a traditional holiday taste with the ginger giving it a nice kick and an unexpected layer of flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches nutmeg
2 pinches ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

coarse sugar to coat each ramekin, about 1/4 cup


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the milk and cream with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves over medium. Use a fine-mesh strainer to dust the spices into the milk and cream mixture, stirring with each addition so the spices get incorporated into the liquid and don't clump. Heat while stirring constantly until just boiling, then immediately take off heat and let cool.

While the milk and spice mixture is cooling, whisk 4 egg yolks with the white sugar in a large mixing bowl.

While whisking, mix the milk mixture into the eggs and sugar.

Whisk in the pumpkin puree.

Pour into ramekins (or oven-proof cups), and place in a hot water bath as pictured below.

The water bath will keep the consistency of the custards smooth by letting them cook more gently. 

Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, as long as 45. To test for doneness, gently shake the tray. If the custards have set along the outsides and shimmy a bit in the middle, they are done. If they are still totally liquidy in the middle, leave them in for another 10 minutes or so. 

When they are ready to come out of the oven, remove the custards from the hot water bath and chill in plastic wrap for up to one day before service or at least one hour. 

Before serving, place enough coarse sugar on each custard top to completely cover them. Caramelize the sugar with a creme brulee torch or broil on high until caramelized dark brown but not burned. 

Crack the top with a spoon and enjoy!

Cilantro Jalapeno Mayonnaise

I love this mayo so much, that it has largely become my 'secret sauce.' It's also incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro, washed
1 clove of garlic
2 jalapenos, stemmed
1 tsp water
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 3/4 cups store-bought or home-made mayo (I cheat and use best foods mayo, tastes great!)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until everything is incorporated.

Enjoy with tacos, burritos, wraps, as a chip dip, on sandwiches etc.

Home-brewed Hard Apple Cider

I started brewing cider about a year and a half ago after my brew-master friend convinced me how easy and cheap it was to do. He makes wonderfully tasty beers like lavender honey lager, coffee stout, and grapefruit ale. I am nowhere near his expertise and creativity in brewing, but I hope to be at some point. It's a typical progression in learning to brew to first make cider and mead, and later moving on to beer. Cider and mead are easier technically and more forgiving than beer, and I'm just now at the stage where I feel I can take on beer. Needless to say, this cider recipe is probably your best bet for starting out and testing the waters.

Gathering Your Supplies

Brewing Supplies: 

2 carboys or brewing buckets (one for primary fermentation, one for secondary)

Air lock

liquid funnel

automatic siphon

Cider Ingredients: 

Unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider

Sugar

Yeast 

Fruit or spice additives (optional)

Ingredient Ratios

I use a 3 gallon carboy, but I'm going to list the ingredient ratios for one gallon for adaptability.

To make one gallon of cider, you will need:

1 lb sugar: regular white baking sugar is fine, but you can also use brown sugar. White sugar to start out with is a good idea- you can branch out later. 

1 tsp champagne yeast: you can buy a cider yeast, but I like to use Champagne yeast for the more subtle flavor and stronger potential alcohol content. I would not recommend using an ale yeast for cider as it will retain a strong 'yeasty' flavor after brewing. Or, as one of my brew friends says, like "Rhinoceros farts."

1 gallon unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider

Primary Fermentation (1-4 weeks)

Funnel your cider into the carboy a little at a time, periodically adding sugar and stirring to incorporate. Be sure to leave a few inches at the top of the carboy for air bubbles. See picture above, taken during fermentation. Once your sugar is totally incorporated, add your yeast after it has been activated in a bit of warm water. If you would like to add any fruit additives, now is the time. I have tried fresh orange juice/peel and raspberries and had nice results. Seal with your airlock. 

You can put water in the airlock, or alternately use vodka as any leakage into the carboy will just be alcohol. An alcoholic 'seal' as opposed to water is also a great added bacteria blocker to keep your cider safe during fermentation.

Once all ingredients are combined and the airlock is in place, keep the carboy in a warm, dry place. If it is kept at room temperature or around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, fermentation should start in about 5-15 hours. 

For about a week after fermentation has begun, your cider should be bubbling furiously, then it will slow by the second week. You can choose to bottle and drink after only two weeks if you like a sweet, fizzy cider. I have done this before and been perfectly satisfied with the results, but usually secondary fermentation is a good idea for a few reasons. 

First, racking the cider to a second container will give you an opportunity to leave behind all the nasty, dead yeast that has settled to the bottom of the carboy. If you have added any fruit extras, you will also leave them behind at this point.

If you like a dry cider, secondary fermentation will let the yeast eat more sugar. Secondary fermentation will also let the flavors of the cider to mature. You will have a less 'yeasty' taste and more subtle notes of apple. 

If you have your heart set on a clear cider, it is typical for cider to be cloudy at first and clear as yeast settles during primary fermentation, continuing to clear during secondary fermentation.

Racking the Cider

Place your second container below the carboy and use your auto-siphon to easily transfer your cider. 

Be sure to taste a sample at this stage. If it is sweeter than you would like, you may choose to let secondary fermentation go for longer. If dry and flat, you can add a bit of sugar for carbonation and/or a little sweetness at this stage. You can also wait until bottling to add a tiny amount of sugar to the bottom of your bottles for the desired carbonation and sweetness. 

You should not transfer all of the liquid to the second container as there will be a yeasty sludge at the bottom inch or so. Yes, you will have to sacrifice a bit of precious cider but it will be worth it, trust me. 

Secondary Fermentation (1-2 weeks)

Let secondary fermentation go for 1-2 weeks or longer based on sweetness and carbonation at the time of racking. It's okay if the cider is totally flat at this point because you can add more sugar for carbonation at the bottling stage. If you added more sugar during racking, it might be a good idea to check the cider after a week or so to see if you have achieved the desired carbonation and sweetness. If you are happy with the cider now, you are ready to bottle and enjoy. 

Bottling

As previously mentioned, adding a small amount of sugar to your bottles is a good way to add carbonation and sweetness for drinking. However, be careful if you choose to do this as residual yeast will create CO2 and you do not want to make bottle bombs. To combat this, putting bottles in the fridge will render the yeast inactive. 

Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala

This Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite things to eat, ever. Just ask Joe, my old roommate. On one nondescript day at the lake house, he was probably practicing seven hours of classical guitar as per usual and I was likely home early after my part-time Archaeology contract job. I honestly can't remember anything about that day except that Joe made us the Tikka. As I worked on my work report on my laptop at the dining table, he proceeded to cook for about four hours straight.

Wonderful smells wafted over to me on my laptop and my curiosity grew. What was he doing in there? He must be making a feast, I thought to myself. At last he was ready to share the mysterious and alluring dish.

At first taste I was hooked. It tasted better than any Chicken Tikka I had ever ordered from an Indian restaurant. The wonderful balance of cumin and paprika with the richness of yogurt and cream, lifted slightly by hints of lemon and cilantro, it was perfection. To top it off, he served it with rice and naan, which was necessary to lap up every bit of delicious sauce from the plate.

After much doe-eyed pleading, he showed me how to make the recipe, the same one I am sharing with you today. But hold on, Chicken Tikka Masala wouldn't be complete without rice and homemade naan!

Here is my recipe for how to make "really sticky" sticky rice just like in a good Thai restaurant. It is the culmination of a year-long battle with rice cooking which I am finally over, thanks to my fool-proof stove-top method.

For the naan, I used Half Baked Harvest's recipe! I absolutely love the addition of milk and yogurt to the wet ingredients as well as the use of whole wheat flour in addition to white flour.

For the marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek Gods yogurt)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs


For the sauce:

1 sliced jalapeno
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt

16 oz. tomato puree
2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl, stir well with chicken which has been cut into bite sized pieces. Refrigerate for up to one day before making the dish. If you only have an hour or less, it will still taste great but not be as tender or flavorful.

Spread chicken on a broiling sheet and broil on high until the tops are browning, about 12 minutes. While you wait for the chicken, you can start on the sauce, but don't forget about the chicken under the broiler! I can't say how many times I have left something to broil, forgotten about it, and discovered a much crisped surprise. The best way for me to remember is just to leave the oven cracked.

Heat a medium to large pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Once butter is melted, sautee the sliced jalapeno rounds with the garlic for about one minute. At this point, you can remove the jalapenos and still have infused jalapeno flavor if you prefer the dish less hot, but I like to leave them in. The combination of the cayenne and jalapeno makes the finished sauce relatively mild to moderately hot.

Add the spices, and stir to prevent burning until aromatic.

Add tomato puree and cream. Bring up to high until just bubbling, add the broiled chicken, making sure to add in all of that yogurty goodness from the marinade. Turn down to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Just before service, add chopped cilantro.

Devour with sticky rice and naan!

Indian Spinach with yogurt and spices

This recipe is actually adapted from a recipe for Spinach Paneer. I liked it so much with just the spinach and spices that I felt it could stand alone. It's healthy, flavorful, and great to freeze for a side dish in a pinch.

Ingredients:

11/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced.

1 large green serrano, pablano, or other mildly hot chile, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garam masala or curry

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 package fresh spinach or 1 16 oz. package frozen spinach

salt

1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred


Whisk together turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil, set aside.

Chop spinach finely, set aside.

Heat a large sautee pan over medium heat until warm, add oil, turmeric, and cayenne mixture.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and chile. Saute until the onions are translucent and the mixture is softened, about 10 minutes.

Add garam masala, coriander, and cumin. Stir until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir well, adding a pinch of salt. Take off heat and add the yogurt, stirring so it doesn't curdle.

Bakery style cookies with chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, and oats

I have been on a quest for my favorite cookie- and one I could make in my kitchen. I have always loved the chewy, dense, perfectly soft bakery cookies as big as your tea saucer that you have to eat in two different sittings- or not. So, I set out to replicate them and include my favorite cookie ingredients along the way.

This is a basic recipe that can have various ingredients added and taken out by preference, built-in creativity!

3/4 cup unsalted butter, completely melted (you can brown the butter for a rich, toffee flavored cookie)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

semisweet chocolate chips
shredded coconut
walnuts
oats

Once the butter has cooled, cream the sugars with melted butter until well incorporated. Add egg and egg yolk, beat. Add extract, stir well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl, add in batches to the wet ingredients until smooth. Add chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, oats, and any other additional ingredients.

This is the important step for getting chewy, fat cookies. You need to bake the cookies at a lower heat (325 degrees) for a longer amount of time (about 15 minutes). The amount of batter used for each cookie should be about a fourth of a cup or the amount that you can just ball up in your fist. Also crucial is that you pre-cflatten your cookies before baking, otherwise you will get dome cookies that are raw in the middle.

Enjoy right out of the oven, as hot as you can stand, but beware hot molten chocolate burns!

Ras El Hanout Moroccan Spice Blend

I love making a regular batch of this blend. It's my secret weapon, it should basically be encased in glass and labeled "in case of boring food emergency." It's a little bit of an investment in spices to make this, but it's worth it. A batch will last several months in a closed container. You can add a dash of this to meat dishes- it's equally good in chicken and beef, vegetable dishes, meat pies, quiche, soups, and anything that needs a little kick in the pants flavor. I absolutely love the play of savory and typically sweet spices here. Turmeric, cayenne, with cinnamon, nutmeg. It would be the perfect complement to pork with a fruit-based pan sauce or chicken with apricots or dates.

Combine well in a medium mixing bowl.
Store in a closed container in a dry place.


1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

My secret to great food all the time: A well-stocked pantry

I am a recent college graduate with a low-paying job, and I love to cook healthy, delicious food all the time. And no, I don't have an expensive grocery bill. In fact, I spend $50 every two weeks on groceries regularly with the occasional splurge for parties or big dinners. The secret to this is a well-stocked pantry with a diversity of base ingredients that can be used in a wide array of dishes.

These are some things I always keep on hand. I know that I can go to the store, come back with mostly produce and the occasional meat item, and create dishes I will be excited about with these ingredients already in my kitchen.

Spices
Spices can't be emphasized enough! With a good arsenal of spices, you can liven up anything. Here is what is usually on my spice shelf:

Asian/Indian Cooking:
Cumin
Curry
Paprika
Garam Masala
Turmeric

Middle Eastern:
Mace
Coriander
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon

French/Italian Cooking:
Thyme
Sage
Oregano
Rosemary
Allspice
Fennel seed
Herbs de Provence

Other/Baking:
Nutmeg
Ground Ginger

Ras El Hanout spice blend: I like to keep this on hand to liven up meat, vegetables, any substantial savory dish that could use a little kick. It's a slightly sweet, slightly spicy rich spice blend that is traditionally used in Moroccan food.

Vegetable Bullion: I use this sparingly as I am not a huge fan of the high sodium content, but its good in a pinch if you don't have any stock and need to mimic that rich flavor.

Shredded Coconut: Just because I am a coconut-nut. Shredded coconut can be used in chicken dishes, rice dishes, cookies, and my favorite, coconut french toast.

Oils/Sauces
Soy Sauce: Can be used in a variety of meat dishes including pork and chicken, and in soups.
Sesame Oil: Using sesame oil in Asian dishes adds nice flavor as opposed to using vegetable oil or olive oil.
Fish Sauce: A little goes a long way when you're using fish sauce. I use it most often to add an extra layer of flavor to stir fry.
Worcestershire sauce: A favorite to use with beef. I love using it in my burger patties.
Stir-fry sauce: A good standby for a quick dinner.

Canned Goods
Conconut Milk: Can be used in savory and sweet dishes: Asian food combined with curry, in rice, in oatmeal, in baking.
Black Beans: A good staple in a pinch that can be tossed in a salad or used in a burrito.
Canned Chicken Stock (or homemade frozen): I like to keep some chicken stock around to add depth of flavor to soups and sauces.

Long-life Vegetables 
Onions: Onions are as basic a staple as they come. Whether it's in soup, sauteed vegetables, in a sauce, and in most savory dishes.
Garlic: Garlic is essential to most savory food I cook! It's also known to have great health benefits as it contains vitamins including Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, and is a natural immune system boost.
Ginger: An easy to keep root that makes a nice addition to meat dishes, vegetable sautee, etc.
Potatoes: It's good to have potatoes around for a side by themselves, in soup, roasted, etc.

Grains
Quinoa: Healthy-a complete protein, tasty, and goes with most vegetables. I love quinoa.
Japanese or Thai Rice: A nice side dish to most dinners. I like to soak my rice overnight for sticky rice the next day. You can also substitute coconut milk for water and make coconut rice. Feeling sweet, add a little sugar, toasted coconut, and butter for a coconut rice pudding.
Penne Pasta: A great standby that can be combined easily with stray vegetables and spices if you don't have a lot of food options.
Rolled Oats: A favorite breakfast staple and a good baking ingredient.

How to Make Really Sticky Sticky Rice

Ever crave the stick-to-your-teeth-sticky sticky rice from Thai restaurants at home? I do. There is an easy way to make sticky rice at home, and with items you probably already have.

You'll need:
Long-grain thai rice or other asian white rice
cheesecloth
large shallow pot

I love making rice this way because it doesn't require specific ratios of water to rice, and your rice should turn out perfectly cooked every time- not mushy with too much water or dry with too little. The first step is to soak your rice overnight. Add about a half inch more water over the level of the rice as it will expand while soaking.

The next day when you are about 30 minutes out from your meal, drain the soaking rice. Next, stretch some cheese cloth over a large, medium shallow pot and secure.

Add about an inch of water to the pot. The amount is not critical because the rice will not be in the water, but suspended on the cheesecloth above. This is the magical part- we are just using the steam from the water to cook the rice, so no need to use a rice/water ratio. If we were cooking the rice directly in water at this point, it would be difficult to figure out how much water to use because of the soaking method.

*Edit: I have found that if you'd like to soak your rice and directly cook in water, it is possible to measure the proper amount of water. After soaking and thoroughly rinsing the rice, simply fill the water line about half a centimeter above the rice. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low at once for about 10-15 minutes. Just make sure you keep your eye on the rice so you can stop cooking when the water runs out, but before your rice begins to burn.

Place your rice on top of the cheesecloth and cover with pot lid. With our cheesecloth contraption, we are essentially imitating the classic bamboo rice steamer. Bring up to heat that gently simmers the water and notice the steam rising and cooking the rice.

Periodically check your rice for doneness after steaming for 10 minutes. It should be moist yet fluffy. If cooked but not sticky enough, you can make it more sticky by "paddling it" with a large wooden spoon after cooking.

Keeps refrigerated for about a week, resuscitate by breaking up rice grains and adding some water to the bottom of a bowl, and microwave on high for 1 min.

Mulled Wine: Gluhwein

I have been searching for a mulled wine recipe for a while that is reminiscent of my favorite German hot spiced wine, Gluhwein, or vin chaud.  Gluhwein is only sold in the states around the holidays, and even in season I can't find it where I am in the remote Arizona desert.

Most recipes add additional sugar but I have found that adding a little port contributes a nice layer of flavor and keeps the sweetness down. This mulled wine is a little sweet and spicy hot, best served warm. It's ok if you use cheap wine- in fact, you shouldn't use good wine. I was a bit worried about using Yellowtail cab, but the finished wine was very good!

Ingredients:

2 lemons

2 oranges

10 whole cloves

5 cardomom pods

1 1/4 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks

2 (750 mL) bottles dry red wine, such as Cabernet.
1/2 cup sugar

1 cup tawny port

Cheesecloth and twine

Rind the lemons and oranges with a vegetable peeler or carefully with your knife into 1/4-1/2 inch strips. Zesting does not work here- you want big pieces of rind so you can take them out later. Place in large saucepan with the lemon and orange juice. 

Place spices in cheesecloth, add to pan. Leave cinnamon sticks out separately and place directly in pan.

Add water, simmer mixture over high heat. Reduce to low and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced and fragrant, about 20 minutes. 

Add the red wine and port, stir to combine and heat until just simmering. Don't boil as this will cook off the alcohol. Remove from heat and let rest 5 min. 

Stretch some cheesecloth over a pot and secure with a rubber band. Now, strain your liquid into second pot. Discard of zest and spice bundle. You can freeze the cinnamon sticks to use in cooking later as they will still have lots of flavor.

Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce with Orange and Lemon

I look forward to making this applesauce every fall. I love the flavor balance of the apple and citrus combined with fall spices. I don't add any extra sugar. Just let the apples do all the work and you will have a sweet,  slightly tart, and flavorful applesauce. I have tried this with Braeburn, Gala, and Machintosh apples and all were good. Grannysmiths might be a little on the tart side, Fuji might lack in flavor. If you want to spend a little extra on the apples, I'm sure Honeycrisp would be great, too.

Ingredients:

6 lbs apples
zest and juice of 2 large navel oranges
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
1/4 lb unsalted butter

I like to zest and juice the lemon in the bottom of a large pot with 1/2 cup water, then cut the apples into 1 inch cubes and put into acidulated water. Here's a secret- You don't have to peel the apples! I must have spent hours over the several times I've made this applesauce peeling pounds and pounds of apples, but you really don't have to because the peel gets soft while cooking and then blended. You really can't tell it's still there and you will actually use more of the apples having not peeled them.

Once you've cut the apples, zest and juice the oranges and everything together in the pot with the cinnamon and allspice. Place the stick of butter on top and bring to a gentle boil on medium, uncovered. Bring down to low, or whatever temperature your stove slightly simmers but is not too wild. Cover and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until everything is soft. Mix well with a wooden spoon. You should have soft apples that break down with the spoon, along with expanded liquid. Pulse mixture carefully in a blender until just blended but not totally pureed. You should be able to get it to a stage where the peel is entirely incorporated but the sauce is still thick, not too runny. Enjoy while still warm in your favorite mug.