My first tutorial...Dicing an Avocado!

My friend Hillary posted a delicious dip tutorial yesterday. Looks wonderful, right? Well, I couldn't help but notice her method of dealing with the avocado. Now, I'm no expert, but in my 8 years in Texas and my Chef husband have taught me a few things...and dealing with avocados is one of them. I love avocados, and I don't think I had my first one until college. They aren't real big in the deep south. But since living in Central Texas, we have avocados in the fruit basket like we have apples, onions, etc...it is just a staple. Yes, they are fattening but it is the GOOD fat! (you only have to tell me that once!). I eat a couple a week at least. One of my favorite quick lunches is a boiled egg and an avocado spread on toast...delish!

So, I commented on Hillary's blog that I needed to teach her an easier way to handle an avocado. She emailed me a "do tell" and left me a message this morning to fill her in {sidenote: Hill, I love you....but lazy people without kids are not awake at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings}. I realized I had to take photos to demonstrate, so while Chris and I were making brunch before I went to work today (btw - only 3 games left this season, woo hoo), I took some crude photos to demonstrate this method. Here we go:

Start with a SOFT avocado.  It should be dark like this one....and very soft, but not super-mushy (technical term).

Slice lengthwise.

Karate chop the pit with a heavy knife.  (you can even say "hi-ya!" when doing so).

Twist knife and pit comes right out.  Easy-peasy and less dangerous than other methods.

Score the avocado lenthwise while still in the skin.

And since I am demonstrating chopped avocado, go ahead and score it the other way too, creating little avocado chunks.

It'll look like this.  (Mine is messy though cause I was in a hurry).

Then, get a big spoon and scoop it all out, staying close to the skin.

Plop it in a bowl, or wherever you wish.  There you have your chopped avocado, without messy hands or green avocado mess on your cutting board!

Squeeze lime to keep it green and "purty."  {p.s., Hillary...I have never heard of the leaving the pit in there method, but will try that next time I need it to hold overnight!}

And here is how I ate it.  This is our favorite Saturday brunch meal that we make almost every week.  It really is fast too!  Just plain ol' whole wheat toast, topped with plain ol' cold cut ham (browned in skillet), topped with Stouffer's Spinach Souffle (I heart stouffer's - no preservatives!  And this souffle can compliment so many dishes, but it is sooooo good at breakfast/brunchy stuff!  Just don't cook it as long as they say too...), topped with a tomato slice, topped with a poached egg (I go 3 minutes, husband goes 2 on his).  We've had hollandaise on it before too, but that is just too rich for me.  This is incredibly filling, delicious, but not heavy.  We've also done fancier breads, etc....but this is a quick, in your pantry, plate of deliciousness.  Of course, today I had some cool avocado chunks as well! 

Yes, I ate two. 

And when you cut into the egg, you get this glorious gooey-ness:

Everyone enjoy football Saturday!  I will be sneaking away from our baseball game to watch as much of Bama-Virginia Tech as I can! Roll Tide Roll!

Recipe - a yummy and healthy side

I would never have subscribed to any Martha Stewart magazine, not that I totally dislike her, I just am hesitant to contribute to her empire. I admit she has some amazing ideas that appeal to my o.c.d. dreams of perfect organization, and I would probably sacrifice a baby toe to be able to fold a fitted sheet like she can.....but I digress. Last year, I was threatened with my airline miles from Delta expiring, and it was use 'em or lose 'em time, and my option was magazine subscriptions. There weren't many to choose from that I would have wanted, but several of my co-workers now subscribe to Golf magazine, and there are a few of you out there that got a few others. In the end, I went with one- Martha Steward Everyday Cooking or something like that. It is a little magazine - old tv guide style, or Soap Opera Digest, if you will - I thumb through them eventually and every now and then, find a recipe that does not sound half bad. The photo is what made me try this one - it LOOKED good. I had never had cooked cauliflower before, so didn't know what to expect, but I knew it was not a favorite raw. I am happy to report it is really good..especially the pieces that kinda carmelize. It is EASY and good for you! So check it out:

Martha Stewart’s Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower broken into florets
2 TB olive oil
1 ½ tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450.
Spread cauliflower florets on a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil. Sprinkle with oil and paprika and toss to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes.

Sweetness and Yumminess

I just got back from a visit with my friend Jillian. She had boy-and-girl twins three weeks ago today, and this was the first time I got to meet them. They are just precious and doing great, and I love that baby smell on my hooded sweatshirt right now. (But don't get any ideas, Mom and Dad!). She has her hands full...her husband is a baseball player and had to leave for spring training when the babies were a week old....but her sweet mother is staying with her to help with everything. She's doing great and so are the babies...here's a little pic I had with them:

And now for the yummy part (although they were pretty yummy too, but I'll classify them as sweet!) - a recipe I tried a few weeks ago from Bobby Flay for twice-baked sweet potatoes - this is dee-lish!

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay (thanks Bobby and Food Network!)
Prep Time: 20 min (-for chefs, for normal people: 30-45!)
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients
4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo, pureed (this is in a can in the mexican food section)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup creme fraiche (ok, so this recipe is probably best with creme fraiche, but at my store, it was expired and I couldn't find it at another store, so I just used sour cream...maybe not as fancy and gourmet, but still delicious.)
1/2 cup maple syrup, plus 2 tablespoons
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until soft, 45 to 50 minutes. (this took me much, much longer than 50 minutes...like an hour and a half.) Remove the potatoes from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh, being careful not to damage the skin. Rice the flesh in a ricer set over a bowl. (Again, I don't have a ricer, and could only find it online, so I just whipped with a fork)
Bring the heavy cream and chipotle puree to a simmer over low heat in a small saucepan. Stir the warm cream, butter, creme fraiche and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup into the sweet potato mixture until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Fill each of the skins with the cream mixture, place back on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Remove the potatoes to a platter and drizzle the tops of each with the remaining maple syrup. (I didn't do that drizzle part b/c I don't like my sweet potatoes too, well, uh, sweet.)

Tasty

I tried this recipe from Cooking Light last night.....very good and surprisingly easy.

Peanut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Pick up a container of fresh pineapple chunks in the produce section of the supermarket; chop into half-inch pieces for the salsa.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cutlet and 1/4 cup salsa)

Ingredients
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
1 (1-ounce) slice white bread
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
Cooking spray
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Preparation
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, tossing well.
2. Combine peanuts and bread slice in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chicken. Dredge chicken in the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve chicken with pineapple mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.


I'm back on the blogging wagon...again....:)

Good Thing I'm Marrying a Chef

I had this recipe I have been wanting to try, and thought I would make it last night for Chris. It is time consuming, and takes me a few hours. The recipe called for me to put parchment paper on a pan in the oven. I couldn't find parchment paper, but I found generic brand wax paper. I figured it was the same.

It's not!

After a few minutes, I smelled something familiar, but not tasty. I opened the oven, and smoke comes pouring out, even though the food is not cooked. "Must have been something on the bottom of the oven," I tell myself. Ten minutes later, it is much worse. Chris comes to diagnose the situation, despite my objections (I wanted to keep the meal a surprise).

Suddenly, the familiar smell was clear: melted crayons from a elementary school art project come flooding to mind. I grab the wax paper box. "DO NOT USE IN CONVENTIONAL OVENS." So, all the ingredients, prep, etc. were a waste. The food went in the trash. To be honest with you, I nibbled a bit before throwing it away and despite the strong wax taste, I think I messed up the recipe anyway b/c it had a little bit of egg whites in it, but it tasted very eggy. So maybe it's just as well!

We just threw some chicken on the grill and had some broccoli and ready rice. Not exciting or impressive, but edible!

I can cook, and I have learned a ton from the chef. I would consider myself a "foodie" at times, but sometimes I feel like a little kid in the kitchen....last night was one of those!