August is one of the most awesome months of the year! Never mind the sizzle of 100 degrees outside or the bittersweet emotions of back-to-school . . . . it’s freakin’ Hatch green chile season, baby!
Central Market invited me to celebrate at their Hatch Chile Festival (running until August 22, 2017) and share my love for this famed pepper hailing from New Mexico. Oh, you KNOW I was into this invitation like a salty tortilla chip in hot salsa! I tasted, I learned tips & techniques, I took home fresh Hatch and packaged products, and today I’m sharing all that and 101 Ways to Enjoy Hatch Green Chile Now & All Year!
Are you ready to have your avocado-loving mind blow? In a pinch, you can soften a rock-hard avocado in the microwave in 2 minutes or less!
Most of us know that firm avocados take a couple days or more to achieve that magical yet fleeting soft, creamy state, even using tricks like storing next to a banana, sticking in a brown paper bag, or even burying in a canister of flour. When you need a soft avocado STAT and not “someday,” this microwave trick (probably my best of many avocado hacks yet), will save the day.
Please note, this is not the very most OPTIMAL way to enjoy a softer avocado, because obviously that would be natural avocado ripening. But like I said, sometimes we just don’t have time for that! It’s still an effective avocado softening solution that can help your satisfactorily get of a pinch at meal time.
Pick an avocado: Choose your avocado to “ripen” in the microwave. This will be a hard avocado, not yielding to gentle pressure – because if it does have that “give,” it’s ready to be cut or mashed up and devoured. This technique works best with rock hard to very firm avocados. For example, the avocados I used could not even be cut in half and twisted from the seed. If that seed (pit) seems too hard to get out, an avocado tool can help and is much safer than a knife.
Prepare the avocado: There’s not much to do, except use a fork or small paring knife to add a few prick marks to allow any steam forming to escape. While some have suggested removing the seed before microwaving an avocado, I find that it holds the heat that helps soften the avocado from the middle.
Microwave the avocado: Set whole avocado in center of microwave and use “defrost” or “low” setting to microwave in 30 second intervals. Between each 30 second blast, allow avocado to sit for 30 more seconds to slowly and gently used the heat that is building up in the seed. I usually do 3 to 4 cooking increments (totaling1:30 to 2 minutes of cook time). Use care when removing avocado from microwave, it may feel like a hot potato. When cool enough to touch, gently squeeze to ensure desired softness. If still hard, microwave for another increment or two, until done. Please not that these directions will vary based on 1) the avocado size, 2) the avocado ripeness, 3) the wattage of your microwave, and 4) fate.
The only caveat to this avocado hack is that the taste may not be as blissfully “avocado” as ripening the natural way. Some have said this microwave hack “diminishes” the taste – I didn’t find that to be true. What you will be tasting is an avocado that is not fully ripe but has been tricked into being soft – how can something be diminished, if it has not acquired its fully state of being. There I go being philosophical about fruit again!
Regardless, this little trick is a lifesaver if you realize you have a company coming and your investment in avocados aren’t cooperating. So, you’ll just add a little more lime juice and garlic to your guacamole, the creaminess will still be there! I was able to put this hack to the test in a big way when I realized I had about 20 pounds of avocado “rocks” last weekend when two hours away from teaching a class on how to grill produce – including grilled avocados.
The plain truth is, as we get a little older, it’s harder to make muscles and convince them to stick around, especially in the abdominal area. The potential for maximum muscle mass lasts until the 30s, after that it’s a small gradual decline in mass month by month, year by year. Gasp, experts say a sedentary lifestyle can result in a 3 to 5 percent decline per decade! This loss of muscle is often replaced by a little extra padding around the middle or “muffin top,” even if you are in good or reasonable shape overall. Plus, the hormonal changes brought on by peri-menopause or full-on menopause don’t help matters much.
The quest for a flat mid-section or six-pack abs in middle age or older shouldn’t be about rocking a bikini or turning heads at the gym, although I guess these are nice side benefits – but, haven’t we moved past this ego feed?! Instead, appreciate what a strong core through functional fitness can do for your daily living. Strong abs help improve balance, stability, back strength and posture, and, in my opinion, can make you feel and look 10 years younger. A strong core also lessens the chance for injury from actual exercise or random stupid stuff, like twisting the wrong way while holding a bag of groceries, keeping up with your kids, or even playing with grand kids. Read on to get the tips on How To Age Proof Your AbsContinue reading →
Grilling season is here! It’s my favorite cooking method and I’m a lucky girl to live in a climate that permits it nearly all year. Most of us use the grill to fire up steaks, burgers, chicken and even seafood. But, don’t forget to grill your vegetables – flame-kissed, caramelized vegetables are magic! Adding grilled vegetables to your meal is the easiest way to win dinner, win compliment, and win the summer!
There is no excuse to be stuck inside with a plate of steamed broccoli or sad salad when you can be outside kicking up the flavor. and your heels! You can grill just about any veggie, even lettuce and lemons! Read on to get vegetable grilling tips along with some great recipes. Continue reading →
When blessed with warm weather and three-day weekends, we grill burgers . . .I only wish there were more of the latter! So, it’s no surprise that this Memorial Day, I will be rounding the family and some dear friends to partake in the worship of sunshine and flame-kissed, juicy burgers with all of the fixings.
In honor of National Hamburger Month which occurs every May, I put together a tutorial on How to Make a Better Burger Bar for Beef Loving Texans (please check it out)! I touch on the meat of that post here and add some new burger hacks and helpful hints here to take your burgerlicious summer cookout to the next level.
