Spice Up Your Condiments

By hpdoxi

When you’re nearly to the bottom of the jar, think twice before you toss out a condiment—with the addition of an unexpected spice or sauce you likely have on hand, you can create bold new dips, sandwich spreads and more.

Ingredients

• Spice up your mayonaise, butter, ketchup, mustard, and sour cream. See the directions for more information.

Preparation

Step 1

Mayonnaise
•Add pesto: Blend 2 tablespoons of pesto into a cup of mayonnaise for delicious, Italian-style flavor. It’s yummy on your average turkey sandwich, or as a spread for a tomato and mozzarella panini.

•Add lemon juice & sea salt: Create bright, clean flavor when you squeeze a quarter of a lemon into a cup of mayo, plus a dash of sea salt. We love it on white fish, or as a dip for homemade French fries!
Tip: To prevent the citrus seeds from falling into your mixture, hold your lemon skin-side down as you squeeze.

•Add garlic: Spice up your next cookout by serving garlic mayonnaise alongside your burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches in an old-fashioned squirt bottle. A teaspoon of minced garlic is all you need for 1 cup of mayonnaise.


Ketchup
•Add curry: It’s a strong, savory herb, so use it sparingly—just a pinch will add exotic layers of flavor to 1 cup of tomato ketchup.

•Add barbecue sauce: Combine two classics and create a new condiment favorite! Whether you have a cup left or an entire bottle, mix ketchup with equal parts barbecue sauce and enjoy.


Mustard
•Add rosemary: Like mustard, rosemary has a slightly bitter, aromatic quality, making the two perfect mates. For a gourmet sandwich spread, add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary to 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard.

Tip: Don’t bother plucking each rosemary sprig off its stem—instead, gently pinch your fingers and pull backwards down the steam to easily remove them.

•Add applesauce: For Dijon or coarse-grain mustard, try mixing in a few spoonfuls of cinnamon applesauce. The unlikely ingredients combine to create a sweet, tangy sauce that’s delicious on pork and chicken.


Butter
•Add berries: With a bit of butter and a few leftover berries, you can make something truly special. Drop a few berries into softened butter, then mash together. We love blueberry butter on a whole grain bagel or blackberry butter on toast.

•Add honey: A few drops of honey can give butter a whole new attitude—experience something heavenly when you melt it on just-baked bread.


Sour Cream
•Add cilantro: This fresh, leafy herb has bold, distinct flavor, so sprinkle just 1/2 teaspoon of chopped cilantro into a cup of sour cream to instantly dress up fajitas or a taco salad.

•Add chipotle peppers: Look for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce at your local grocery—they have spicy, smoky flavor, so finely chop the peppers, then add 1/8 teaspoon to a cup of sour cream. Yum!