Thawing Spinach

You have a block of spinach that you need to thaw, but what is the best way? Place the spinach in a shallow dish in the microwave oven. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Now just remove the spinach from the packaging and wring out the extra liquid if needed.

LEFTOVER GREEN SALAD

After dinner you are cleaning up and putting away any left overs. You notice that there is some salad left over.

The last time that you saved some salad it got all soggy and slimey.

What can you do to to prevent this?

The solution is to simply grab some paper towells.

Before you place your salad in a storage container fold up a piece of paper towell and place in the bottom.

Now place your salad on top of the paper towell and cover tightly.

Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

You can use your leftover salad for fillings in sandwiches or pita's

SMALL AMOUNTS OF PRODUCE ITEMS

If you are making a recipe that only calls for 1 cup of broccoli, or maybe a half a cup of sliced mushrooms, check with your local grocery store and see of they have a salad bar.

If they do, simply buy the amount that you need, already prepared in most cases for your recipe.

Now you will not have a large amount left over that you may not use.

LEFTOVER BEANS

If you have any leftover beans that have been cooked but not seasoned, place them in a container that has some italian dressing and refrigerate.

After a few days spoon out a few onto a salad for a garnish or use as an appetizer by themselves.

STIR FRY PREPARATION

Preparation of vegetables and meat is usually more time consuming than the actual cooking.

When stir frying, high heat is used to cook meat and vegetables quickly in a very small amount of oil.

The largest amount of time will be spent fine chopping aromatics such as garlic, green onion, ginger, or chili, and cutting meat and vegetables into uniformly sized pieces.

This can include thin slices, shreds, or a medium dice.

It is important that all of the sizes are the same size for quick and uniform cooking.

It is not necessary to own Asian cooking utensils, such as a seasoned wok and a long handled scoop, but they will make your task easier.

A wok is made to concentrate the heat in the center of the pan for cooking, and the edges acting as a warm resting area to leave your food after it has completed it's cooking cycle in the center.

A long spatula or scoop is used to keep the food in motion, by stirring, lifting and tossing.

This will insure that each piece is evenly exposed to the heat without scorching and to seal in the flavor as well as keeping your hands away from the heat.

Once you begin the actual cooking occurs very rapidly, and so it is important to have everything ready and near the stove before you begin.

I like to cut each ingredient and place it in a separate bowl. Now when you are ready to start cooking, you just pick up the bowl for the items that you are ready to cook and dump it in.

If you don't have a wok, you can use a skilled and a large sauce pan for the same results if need be.

Heat the skillet to high heat, and place a nonstick saucepan over Medium Low heat.

Now cook each item in the skillet, when it is done cooking place it in the sauce pan.

When you are ready to complete your dish, place everyting back in to the skillet and prepare the sauce.

RECYCLED VEGETABLES

Since this is the cooking and eating time of year we tend to over do it sometimes.

You have cleaned up after dinner and found that you have just a few spoonfulls of vegeatables left.

Not enough for another serving, but still enough that you hate to throw away.

Place them into a larger tightly sealed freezer proof container and freeze.

Now whenever you finish a meal and find that you have more left over, add to the container.

The next time that you are making soup or stew, simply pull out your collection of vegetables and add them to your creation!

SWEET POTATO SURPRISE

When you are boiling your sweet potato's in water to make mashed sweet potatoes, add a stick of cinnamon to the water.

The cinnamon will permiate the potato while it cooks, giving it a spicier taste as well as filling your house with a great home baked smell.

QUICK PUMPKIN FOR PIE

To quickly and easily peel a pumpkin for pie or mashing just turn to the microwave.

Take your pumpkin and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and fiber.

Place the pumpkin cut side down on a large plate or in a bowl.

Place the plate/bowl in the microwave and cook until tender.

Using a pair of oven mitts, remove the pumpkin from the microwave and scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and into a bowl.

Let the pumpkin cool, then continue with your recipe.

PRE-COOKING MASHED POTATOES?

If you find that you are going to be in a pinch for space while preparing your special meal, you can always prepare your mashed potatoes up to 2 hours ahead of time.

When you have thoroughly prepared your potatoes and they are ready for serving, simply place them into a crock pot and let them sit at the low setting for up to 2 hours.

You can serve them right in the crockpot to save dirtying any more dishes and they will stay toasty warm.

Delicata Squash

Delicata Squash is a form of winter squash. Winter squash has a hard skin that makes it easy to store for several months.

Delicata is oblong in shape and has green and yellow stripes with a yellowish orange flesh inside. Delicata does not store as well as other winter squash because it has a thinner skin. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Delicata squash can be cut in half the seeds removed. This versatile squash can be sliced thin and can be used in lasagna's or gratin. It can also be baked or mashed.

Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash is a form of winter squash. Winter squash has a hard skin that makes it easy to store for several months.

Acorn squash is aptly named as it looks similar to a large green acorn. If the skin has flecks of Orange, White or Yellow that is ok. The inside of the squash is orange in color. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Acorn squash can be cut in half lengthwise and the seeds removed. The squash can then be baked until the flesh is tender. (about an hour to an hour and a half) Once roasted you can use it as a bowl for soups or stews or scoop out the flesh and serve.

I like putting a tablespoon of butter and brown sugar in mine before baking.

Banana Squash

Banana squash is a form of winter squash. Winter squash has a hard skin that makes it easy to store for several months.

Banana squash is aptly named as it looks similar to a large banana. It is cylindrical shaped with pinkish tan skin with orange flesh. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Banana squash can be cut in cubes and the seeds removed. The squash can then be placed into a saucepan over medium heat with a bit of water over medium heat or baked until the flesh is tender. (about 25 - 30 minutes)

Once cooked you can mash well and use in casseroles, pies or used as a side dish.

Buttercup Squash

Buttercup Squash is a form of winter squash. Winter squash has a hard skin that makes it easy to store for several months.

Buttercup squash Looks a bit like a small green pumpkin. The inside of the squash is orange in color. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Buttercup squash can be cut in half lengthwise and the seeds removed. The squash can then be baked until the flesh is tender. (about an hour to an hour and a half) Once roasted you can use it as a bowl for soups or stews or scoop out the flesh and puree.

Hubbard Squash

Hubbard Squash is a large (10-15lbs) winter squash. Winter squash has a hard skin that makes it easy to store for several months.

Hubbard squash comes in a variety of skin colors, anywhere from white to orange to green. Like other squash it has orange flesh inside. Hubbard squash has an extremely thick skin and stores extremely well. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Hubbard squash is very moist. It is great pureed and in pies. If you don't want to buy a whole hubbard, look for new hybrids that are a bit smaller. Some stores even sell cut squash so that you don't have to buy as much.

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is very versatile. It is easier to work with as it can be easily peeled with a standard vegetable peeler. The inside of the squash is bright orange in color. Look for squash that is very firm with no soft spots or mold.

Butternut squash can be cut in half lengthwise and the seeds removed. You can then slice, cube or shred the squash and cooked using any quick cooking preparation. (bake, steam, saute, fry)

I like adding enough flour to baked pureed squash to make a dumpling and cook in stews or soups.

PUMPKIN SEEDS

OK, the pumpkin is gutted and carved, now you are trying to figure out what to do with the seeds.

Toasting the seeds will make a healthy and tasty snack.

From your seeds remove as many of the membranes as possible and throw away.

Place a large pan on the stove and fill with water. Add salt to the water using about 1 teaspoon for every cup. Bring the water to a boil and add your pumpkin seeds.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove from the heat and drain off all the water.

Place the seeds onto paper towels that have been placed on to wire racks and let sit in a cool dry place for at least 4 hours until dry.

Place the seeds into a large bowl and add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and mix until all of the seeds are coated with oil. Place the seeds onto a clean dry baking sheet and place into an oven preheated to 350º.

Bake the seeds for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with salt and let cool.

You can serve immediately or you can store in a tightly sealed jar or container for up to 1 year.

BROCCOLI PREP

When you pick up broccoli from the store, you never really know how to prepare it for storage since it takes up so much room in the refrigerator. When you get home, rinse off the broccoli well and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, use a paring knife and cut apart the large clumps of broccoli into smaller serving sized pieces.

In another large bowl place some ice cubes into some cold water and set aside. When you water comes to a boil, drop in the broccoli and boil for just a minute or so until the broccoli turns a bright green.

Remove from the boiling water and place into the ice water. Now just place your blanched broccoli into tightly sealed bags or containers and freeze.

Now when you are ready for some fresh broccoli just pull out a container and bring some water to a boil.

Place your broccoli in and let cook for just a few minutes.

Drain well and serve with some butter or your favorite sauce.

PEELING TOMATOES

Ok, so you have a cool recipe that you would like to try, but it asks for peeled tomatoes. You look at the tomato and remember what it was like to cut it up for the salad the other day and you wonder, How in the heck am I going to peel that thing??

This is going to be easier than you thought! Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, fill up your sink with 2-3 inches of water and add several trays of ice cubes.

Now that your water is to a rolling boil, drop in the desired tomatoes 3-4 at a time. Once the first 3-4 have been in the water for about a minute, remove them with a slotted spoon and drop immediately into the sink of cold water. This will stop the cooking process. Repeat this with the next 3-4 tomatoes until all that you need for your recipe have been cooked, then cooled. This process is called Blanching.

Next, remove the tomatoes one at a time from the ice water bath and using a knife the gently peel the skins from the tomato.

GRILLING VEGGIES

When grilling your dinner, you don’t always want to muss up the kitchen with the side dishes.

You can easily grill frozen vegetables to accompany your grilled creations.

Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, tear off a piece twice as large as a package of frozen vegetables of your choice.

Gently pull up the edges of the foil to create the bottom of your “dish”.

Pour in your frozen vegetables and season to taste with salt, pepper, and butter.

Fold foil over in half and roll all the edges together forming a packet.

Do not press out all the air. You want to leave a pocket for steaming.

Place directly on the grill over Med/Hot coals.

Grill for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the vegetables that you are grilling, turning often.

MUSHROOM STICKS

When cutting mushrooms up for a salad, try this fun trick.

Using an egg slicer, slice the mushroom once, the turn 90º and slice again.

This makes great matchstick style mushrooms that still taste great, but have an interesting shape that is easier to eat.

Cool Cole Slaw

To add some variety and flavor to your regular cole slaw, try adding a bit of purple cabbage to your salad when you are making it.

You can even use finely chopped up apples, carrots or pineapple for some extra zing.

AMAZING ANTIPASTO

To make a quick and impressive appetizer, purchase a jar of Italian Antipasto (My personal favorite is Napa Valley Bistro) and a pound of lump mozzarella cheese.

About 10 minutes before guests arrive, cube the cheese into about ¾ to 1 inch cubes and place in a decorative dish. Pour the contents of the Antipasto over the cubes of cheese and gently toss to combine.

Serve with long toothpicks or relish forks.

This does not store well once combined, so only try to make up as much as you will need. If you are unsure about how much you will need, cube the cheese and store in a zip lock bag. Combine about ¼ of the cheese and antipasto at a time as needed

SOUR SPAGHETTI?

If you have made up a batch of spaghetti sauce and you found that it tastes a little bitter, you can add some brown sugar to sweeten it up.

Add a tablespoon of brown sugar at a time until desired sweetness has been reached.

To prevent Tomato Sauces from becoming bitter, cook on medium heat. Tomato Sauces will often become bitter if you over heat it.

KEEPING CELERY FRESH

You always pick up some celery from the grocery store. When you get it home and go to use it, it is kind of rubbery and limp. The next time you buy celery, try this to help preserve it better:

When you get home, trim off the ends of the celery and the base.

Now trim the celery so that it will fit into a tightly sealed container.

Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the container and place your celery in the water.

Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Now your celery will be nice and crispy for about a week.

GARLIC ODOR

After peeling and cutting garlic, to get rid of the odor from your hands, locate something stainless steel in your kitchen.

It can be a pot or pan, kitchen sink, or even utensil.

Rinse your hands under running water, while rubbing the stainless steel with your fingers for 30-40 seconds.

Wash your hands with soap now, and the smell is gone.

COOKING WITH FRESH GINGER

Ginger comes in a large root form and can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores.

Typically recipes only ask for a teaspoon and after you are done cooking you are left with more than you used.

To store the unused portion of ginger, wrap it in waxed paper and place in a plastic bag.

Write the date on the bag with a marker and place in the freezer.

When you are cooking, you can remove the ginger from the freezer, cut off the amount that you need and re-freeze the remaining.

Frozen, Ginger should keep for 3-4 months.

PEELING GARLIC

To peel a clove of garlic quickly, place the garlic on a flat surface.

Place the flat side of a knife on top of the clove of garlic.

Press down on the knife firmly, squashing the garlic between the board and the knife.

Lift the knife and the skin slides off, and the garlic is ready for mincing.

If you need the cloves whole, instead of pressing hard on the knife, apply gentle pressure and roll slightly.

FRESH VS FROZEN VEGETABLES & FRUIT

There is a common misconception that buying “fresh” vegetables is better for you than frozen/canned.

Frozen/Canned vegetables are picked when they are ripe and then processed expediently.

“Fresh” fruit and vegetables are generally picked before they are ripe. They are then boxed and loaded onto trucks for shipment. It can take weeks sometimes for shipments to reach their destination, and by this time most of the valuable nutrients have been leeched from the product.

It is good to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, but just remember when cooking, frozen or canned is not always bad.

BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER

After preparing broccoli or cauliflower florets, set aside the stem trimmings.

Peel the stems, then julienne or dice and add to your favorite soup, salad or stir fry.

You can freeze them in freezer containers for future use for up to 3 months.

Selecting an Eggplant

You are going to make a recipe that asks for eggplant, but you have never bought one before. Once you found them you don't know which one is the freshest or best.

When looking at them you want to make sure that the skin is smooth and free from cracks or indents that might indicate bruising.

Try to select smaller ones as the larger the plant, the larger the seeds.

You don't necessarily need to peel the eggplant. If they are young and small the skin should still be thin and tender. An older eggplant may have a thicker skin that you might want to peel, or it might be too chewy once it is cooked.

Eggplants do absorb what they are cooked in. Be cautious with the amount of oil that you do use, and do not overload the pan so that it cools down too much as the eggplant will absorb the oil instead of cooking in it.

Preparing Squash for Baking

You are getting ready to bake a squash, but first you have to get it cut and remove the seed. Here is a quick and easy way to get it ready for baking.

Place the whole squash in the microwave oven for 2-3 minutes. The squash should be warm to the touch but not hot.

Place on the counter and let stand for about 15 minutes.

Using a large sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise (from the stem to the base)

Using a large spoon, remove the strings and seeds.

Now all you have to do is finish baking your squash as per your recipe.

Many Sides of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a fabulously versatile vegetable. Depending on your recipe they add great flavor and unique textures. Most recipes will let you know specifically which kind of mushroom to use, but if the recipe does not indicate you would most likely use the White or Crimini.

Commom mushrooms that can be found in most supermarkets are:

Crimini - The Crimini Mushroom is actually an immature Portabello. They have a creamy brown colored cap, you might also see what looks like "scales" around the edges of the cap. They have a delicate texture and a mild taste.

Portabello - These are large mushrooms that can be used whole for stuffing, grilling and frying. It has a mild mushroom taste. Many vegetarians will use them in place of a protein for a recipe as they hold their shape well with most cooking methods. It also has a creamy brown colored cap with what looks like "scales" around the cap.

Shitake - The Shitake can be found both fresh and dehydrated. This mushroom has a very intense mushroom flavor. Colors can vary from light to dark brown caps.

White - This is probably the most common mushroom found in most markets. It has a very clean white cap and is typically smaller in size. These mushrooms can be used for most any recipe if you are unable to locate a specific kind that you are looking for.

When shopping for mushrooms you want to make sure that they are not shriveled up, or dry looking. They also should not be "soggy", do not confuse this with just wet from the vegetable spray. "Soggy" will typically have a slimy feel to them.

When you get them home, promptly remove them from the plastic bag that you are forced to use at the store. Place them into a paper bag and place in the refrigerator. Try to only pick up as many as you can use within a few days.

Please clean the mushrooms before cooking with them. Your guests will appreciate it. Remember that mushrooms grow in stuff that we do not want to ingest. Take out as many mushrooms as you think you will need and using a soft bristled brush, or an old toothbrush gently clean off any extra "dirt" that you see on the cap and underneath the mushroom. Gently rinse under water to remove any small bits and place onto a clean towell to dry.

While the mushrooms are drying you can inspect the stems and prepare for use in your recipe. Shitake's have a very tough stem, and it it has not already been removed, it should be removed prior to use. All the other mushrooms have edible stems, and I will usually just trim off about 1/4 inch. This will remove and hard pieces that have dried out since harvesting.

Your mushroom is now ready to use in any recipe that you desire!

Keeping Mashed Potatoes

You are preparing your meal, and you get the mashed potatoes started. Once you are mostly done, you calculate and.... The potatoes are done early.

You can keep them tasting fresh with the quick tip.

Mash up all your potatoes with the seasonings of your choice. Place in a large bowl that you can use to reheat in. Make the top as flat as you can and pour in just enough milk or cream to cover the top. Now you can refrigerate until you are ready to use, up to 24 hours.

When you are ready to serve, gently mix in the milk/cream and reheat in the microwave, stirring every 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Quick Baked Potatoes

To make quick baked potatoes just follow these quick simple steps.

Select as many potatoes as you need for your meal.

Wash all of the potatoes well. Using a fork, prick the potato deeply in at least 5 places for each potato.

Pour a tablespoon of oil into the palm of your hand. Coat the potato with the oil completely.

Once all of the potatoes are coated with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt.

Place no more than 5 potatoes in the microwave oven on a couple of pieces of folded up paper towell and cook on high for about 2.5 minutes per potato. (2 potatoes = 5 minutes)

While the potatoes are cooking, tear off a square of aluminum foil for each potato.

When the potatoes are done cooking remove each from the oven and wrap well with the aluminum foil.

Place on the counter and let rest for 15 minutes or so while you finish preparing your meal.

When you are ready to serve, remove the foil and break open. Serve with condiments of choice.

Easy Herb Butter

You are tired of serving up the same old boring vegetables for dinner each night. Good herbs to keep on hand for your veggies are Oregano, Tarragon, Dill, Chives, Basil, Thyme and Marjoram.

To make quick herb butter for your veggies, take about 2 tablespoons of butter and let soften to room temperature in a small bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of the fresh herb of your choice (or a teaspoon of dried herbs) to the butter and mix well.

Let sit for at least 15 minutes before using.

Once you have prepared your fresh vegetables, scoop the butter on top of them and mix well, allowing the heat to melt the butter. Serve warm.

If you want, you can make the herb butter up to 2 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Vegetable Variations

You are tired of serving up the same old boring vegetables for dinner each night?

Good herbs to keep on hand for your veggies are Oregano, Tarragon, Dill, Chives, Basil, Thyme and Marjoram.

To make quick herb butter for your veggies, take about 2 tablespoons of butter and let soften to room temperature in a small bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of the fresh herb of your choice (or a teaspoon of dried herbs) to the butter and mix well.

Let sit for at least 15 minutes before using.

Once you have prepared your fresh vegetables, scoop the butter on top of them and mix well, allowing the heat to melt the butter. Serve warm.

If you want, you can make the herb butter up to 2 days in advance, cover and refrigerate until needed.

SPICED UP SALSA

You are having a get together where you plan on serving some salsa. You have tried making your own from scratch and it never really went so well. With this simple hint, you can have great fresh home made tasting salsa in a fraction of the time.

Grab a jar of your favorite salsa, about 9 fresh roma tomatoes, a small onion, and a few cloves of fresh garlic.

Dump your salsa into a large glass bowl and set aside.

Peel the outer layers off of your onion and trim off the stem and root. Mince the onion so that it is in really small pieces.

Place this in your salsa and mix well.

Peel your garlic and mince well, add to your salsa and mix well.

Clean each tomato well and remove any stem pieces.

Cut the tomato in half and under running water, gently scoop out the seeds with your fingers.

Now just finely dice the tomatoes and place in your salsa mix.

Mix well, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Now when your guests arrive simply scoop your salsa mix into your serving dish and serve with your meal or chips.

Your guests will love the fresh taste and wonder how you had all the time to make it from scratch!

WEIGHTY ISSUES AT THE SUPERMARKET

When you are shopping take a few minutes to weigh pre-packaged items, especially produce.

Grab a few bags of onions or potatoes and compare each one to the weight that you see on the bag.

You will find that you can find bags that weigh heavier than the label as all items are not the same size and it is hard to get the exact weight for each bag.

Added up over time, you will save quite a bit of money if you consistantly buy heavier bags.

LEFTOVER BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Not everyone likes brussel sprouts, but if you are a lover of them you may occasionally find yourself with some leftovers.

Here is a quick and easy idea to use them up.

Cut leftover brussel sprouts into quarters and drop in the same italian dressing container as some beans or by themself.

The next time that you have a salad use as a garnish or serve by itself as a side.

LEFTOVER CELERY

Save the celery tops cleaned and cut up in a tightly sealed container then use them the next time that you are making soup stock or stuffing. Preferably within a week.

If you think that you will not need them for longer than a week, you can cut them into smaller pieces and dry them in your oven under very low heat for about an hour, then toss them into your next cup of soup for some extra flavor.

LEFTOVER BEETS

If you have some leftover boiled beets, chop them up finely and freeze them until the next time that you make up some hash.

By adding the chopped beets you will turn your regular hash into red flannel hash.

Or you can thaw them out and use them for a splash of color on a garden salad or as a topping for some soup.

STORING ONIONS

Store onions in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

When you get them home from the grocery store, trim off any excess tops or bottms and place in a tighly sealed plastic container.

This will keep them cold and help keep the juices from evaporating as fast.

This will also help prevent your eyes from watering when you start to prepare.

NAPA CABBAGE

You are getting ready to prepare a new recipe and it asks for Napa Cabbage. You are not sure what it is, so you veture out to the grocery store.

Napa cabbage can also be named Chinese cabbage or Celery cabbage. Unlike the regular round head of cabbage that is the staple in most stores, the napa cabbage is shaped like a football and looks a little like leaf lettuce.

It has a sweeter taste and is much milder than the standard round cabbage. When you do find it, you will want to find a head that has tightly packed leaves that are frim and not floppy.

To store the cabbage once you get home simply wrap the head in paper towells and place back into the plastic produce bag and refrigerate. It will keep for up to one week.

When you are ready to use remove amount of leaves that you desire, rinse well under cool water and dry thoroughly.

You can use Napa cabbage in pretty much the same way that you would use standard cabbage.

LEFTOVER CARROTS

Shred any leftover carrots onto a salad or some cottage/ricotta cheese. The carrots will add a bit of vitamins and crunch.

BAKED POTATO

Baked potatoes are a great meal accompaniment or even a meal by itself. My favorite way of preparing them is in the microwave. It doesn’t take very much time and it leaves your oven free for other things.

Thoroughly wash and dry a medium sized potato. Using a knife or fork, prick the skin deeply into the potato. This will prevent the potato from exploding in your microwave oven. Thoroughly coat the potato in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and sprinkle the exterior liberally with salt.

Place the potato on a paper towel in your microwave oven. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. (Add 1 minute for each additional potato) When the time is up, remove the potato from the oven and wrap in aluminum foil. Set aside and let rest 8-10 minutes before serving.

LEFTOVER ASPARAGUS & BROCCOLI

If you have a bunch of left over asparagus or broccoli, just cover them with water and boil for 10-15 minutes if they have not already been cooked.

Take the pieces and place them in the blender and puree well.

Strain out any larger pieces that are unprocessed and toss.

Store the puree in the freezer until you are ready to make up a batch of creamy soup.

ARTICHOKES ARE REALLY EDIBLE?

Artichokes are a wonderful food. I did not discover them until later in life, but they have fabulous flavor and are easy to prepare for a simple appetizer.

Preparation is the key with an artichoke. You want to make sure when you get it home that you rinse it thoroughly under cool water to remove any debris. Dry off the artichoke and take a look at the stem. You will want to trim the stem down to no more than 1 inch. After you have trimmed the stem, take your vegetable peeler or paring knife and peel off the top layer of skin from the stem.

Next, you will place the artichoke onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut about ¼ off the top of the artichoke. This will give the artichoke a “flat top” appearance. Take a pair of kitchen shears and trim about ¼ inch off the remaining leaves, removing all of the “prickly” ends. Using the juice of 1 lemon, thoroughly coat every cut area; this will help prevent the artichoke from discoloring. Use your fingers to gently pull the leaves apart to give it a “flowery” appearance.

In a large pot, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. Place the artichoke(s) in the boiling water and cover with a lid. Reduce your heat to a simmer and cook for 30-50 (depending on size) minutes until the leaves pull away easily. To test, firmly grasp a leaf and pull gently, do not yank.

While the artichoke is cooking, prepare a quick dipping sauce by combining ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 large garlic clove (minced) and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve your artichoke.

Once the artichoke has cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the water and place upside down on a few paper towels to drain well.

Artichokes can be served warm or cold, although cold is preferred. To eat, simply remove a leaf by the tip, dip it in your sauce and scrape the “meat” from the underside of the leaf with your teeth. Discard the tip.

Once you have eaten all of the leaves, you will find some of the young leaves inside with some fur. Using a spoon, gently remove the fur and the undeveloped leaves. This will leave you with the heart and stem. Simply cut up and enjoy!

EASY POTATO WEDGES

You keep doing the same ol’ potatoes every night for dinner.

The next time that you want to try something a little different, grab your apple corer.

This little tool makes perfectly sized potato wedges for baking or frying.

When you get to the round “core” you can either cook it whole or cut it in half lengthwise to more resemble the other wedges.

GRILLED CORN

During the summer and late fall, corn is in abundance at the corner fruit stands and grocery stores. Everyone knows how to boil an ear of corn, but a great way to prepare corn is often overlooked. I grill mine year round. The house doesn’t get hot with the boiling water and steam and it gives the corn a great nutty flavor that you just can’t get any other way.

About 2 hours before you are ready to grill the corn, remove all of the husks except one layer. This will protect the corn from getting singed. Place the corn into a large tub filled with salt water. (1tbs salt per gallon) Let soak for 2 hours. This will help keep the corn from drying out as much while grilling.

Prepare your grill and preheat the coals to medium hot. Place the corn directly from the water onto the grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes turning often to prevent scorching.

When the corn is done, remove from the grill and using potholders or clean cloth gloves to protect your hands from the heat, remove the remaining husk and silk from the corn. Serve piping hot with herbed butter.

AVOCADO PREPERATION

Everyone knows that Avocados make great guacamole, but it is hard to find a good recipe to make any other kind of dip or salad for parties.

I ran across this recipe for a great party salad with avocados. A little goes a long way and it has superb flavor.

First you have to know how to dice an avocado. This is actually a lot easier than you think.

Cut an avocado in half from small end to big end all the way around.

Grasping one half of the avocado in each hand with the cut in the middle gently twist the avocado halves in opposite directions.

This will break the pit out of one half of the avocado.

Set aside the part with out the pit.

Place the avocado half with the pit still in it on a cutting surface.

Take a sharp knife and hit the seed with the sharp edge of the knife like a hammer. (Please watch out for your fingers and hand!!!)

The knife will lodge in the pit.

Gently hold the avocado and twist the knife to remove the pit.

Hold an avocado half in one hand, using a table knife cut the meat to the shell (being careful not to cut the shell itself) in horizontal slices about ½ inch apart.

Turn the avocado and repeat until all of the meat is scored to the shell.

Over your bowl, gently push the center of the shell toward the scored pieces. This will in essence turn the avocado inside out, in the process your pieces will separate and fall off of the shell into your bowl.

Repeat with the other side of the avocado.

For the salad, coarsely chop up and fry 8 slices of bacon over medium heat until crisp.

Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

Remove all of the bacon fat from the pan except about 2 tablespoons.

Lower the heat under the pan to Med-Low and sauté ½ cup of Onion that has been finely chopped.

Add ¼ cup vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper to the onion.

Cook for about 3 more minutes to blend the flavors.

Add the bacon to the onion mixture, combine well and remove from the heat.

Prepare 2-3 avocado’s as listed above (about 2 cups prepared).

Place the avocado’s into a medium sized bowl and pour the warm onion & bacon mixture over them.

Serve warm, or let sit for a half an hour to allow flavors to mingle.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on lettuce leaves, garnish with fresh diced tomato’s if desired.