The proper way to cut up an Avocado.

There are many ways to cut an avocado.

Many WRONG ways in my opinion.
I've seen it too many times: wasted fruit tossed out with the skin when someone tried to cut it off. Sticky hands covered in green when someone tried to scoop out the flesh. Etcetera, etcetera.

Sure these OTHER ways get the job done - but too often it takes to long, is too messy, or wastes delicious (and expensive!) avocado fruit.

This is the way I do it, I hope you'll try it some time.

*disclaimer - the avocado used in this tutorial is not fully ripe so it's A. greener B. doesn't come out of the skin as well as a ripe one would.

1. Cut avocado in half. Pick out that little stem lumpy thing.
2. Smack the seed with a big knife and twist the seed out. Knock the handle of the knife against the edge of the sink or counter to get the slimy seed off the knife blade.
3. With a knife, score the flesh of the avocado (touching but not cutting the inner skin) long ways.
4. Do the same cross ways to create a bunch of little squares.
5. Hold avocado over bowl and squeeze gently from the inside to the outside to get the squares to pop out of the skin OR scoop fruit out with a large spoon.
6. Repeat on opposite side of avocado.

This method leaves you with nicely diced avocado chunks. You can leave them like this or mash them for guacamole - if you goal IS to mash, you don't have to do as nice a job with the dicing, simply slice a few times and squeeze out.

Twist seed out.

Slice long ways, careful not to cut the skin.

Slice cross ways to create dices.

Carefully squeeze out flesh.

Now, I better not catch any of YOU peeling an avocado any time soon!

Stuffed Jalapenos!

Woo hoo! My jalapeno plant is giving forth an abundance of fruit in a delicious and very spicy sort of way. This is a great surprise, as most my hot peppers of the past have been small and not so spicy. These guys are big, big enough to stuff, and very flavorful as well as hot.

I've been making a lot of salads these days. I eat them as a main course rather than a meager side dish, but it's fun to spruce them up with their own side of something exotic. Last night i made a mexican themed salad with a side of stuffed jalapenos wrapped in turkey bacon. It was too delicious, so i'm making it again tonight.

The salad could be any combo of lettuces and veggies you like - i used:

• half large head Romaine
• half cucumber diced
• 3 small yellow bells from the garden, diced
• about 1/2 cup frozen corn
• about 1/2 cup canned black beans
• one carrot, chopped
• handful black olives, chopped
• few leaves of cilantro, chopped
• green onions, chopped
• 1/2 or a whole avocado, diced (avocado dicing tutorial to follow)
  
• didn't use, but would be great with: jicama, black eyed peas, shredded cheddar cheese, etc
  

Toss with some cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Serve with some fresh salsa spooned on top. Perfectly delicious, with a complete protein and low cal. Serves two as a main course, 4 as a side salad. The avocados add a really nice feeling of oily satisfaction, but are better for you than most salad dressing oils.

The Jalapenos:

To be fair, I usually stuff my jalapenos with things like refried beans, fat free cheese, healthier stuff. But i sent the husband to the store and ended up with cream cheese - which is delicious, just a bit more decadent.

(this stuffed last night: 4 decent sized jalapenos, plus one large Giant Marconi bell/ tonight: 2 jalapenos, 3 small poblanos, and 1 small marconi - would probably be enough to stuff about 6 regular sized jalapenos (about 3 inches long or so)

• Jalapenos (also works with small poblanos, or just about any thick walled bell pepper, preferable slender in shape)
  
• about 4 oz. light cream cheese (half a small tub)
• half can of black beans, drained
• 4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• several dashes cumin
• salt
• finely chopped cilantro - about 1/2 tablespoon
• Turkey bacon
  

Mush filling ingredients together until well blended. This filling is great when it's super garlicy, so don't skimp on the garlic! Put on some thin rubber gloves (trust me) and carefully cut the top end off of each jalapeno, cutting out the seeds and membrane and knocking out any remaining seeds. Do this carefully so that you don't pierce the walls of the pepper - you can leave some membrane/seeds in, but watch out: if you're peppers are as hot as mine, you'll want to be conservative. The heat is in those seeds and membrane - so use your judgement and leave as little or as much in as you want to risk. Stuff each pepper with the filling with a skinny spoon, filling the cavity.



Now that your peppers are filled, preheat your oven (i again used the toaster oven on the convection setting) to 375 (convection) or 400 (regular). Now take a strip of turkey bacon per pepper, sometimes you can use only a half strip depending on the girth of your peppers. Wrap the bacon around the pepper and secure the ends by piercing a toothpick through.
Note: you can also prepare these on a grill, it's super delicious - just keep an eye on them and turn as needed.

Alternative wrapping - holds the filling in better.

Set your peppers out on a cookie sheet and heat til bacon is cooked to your liking and peppers are softening. It's okay if the peppers blister in places. I also flipped the peppers once every 5 or so minutes to get good crispness on all sides, about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy! And keep a glass of water (or some dairy product) handy!

Short little posting for the Girls.

The chicken girls were so well behaved this morning. We had salad last night and they got the lettuce butt and ugly leaves. They so love pecking and playing with lettuce and spinach - I think I'll plant a row just for them this fall in the veggie garden.
I planted lettuce last year, but I wasn't overly attentive at watering it, so it turned bitter and gross. It was a lovely ground cover, however. So this year I'll plant again - but have a purpose for it: happy chicken bellies!

Grey Wednesday morning. Perfect time for leisurely planting and checking up on the growing seedlings and ripening bells and jalapenos. The multiplying onions are bunching out, garlics are peaking out their little green heads, and the volunteer tomatoes are starting to figure out they're in the wrong season.

Coolness may have finally come to Austin - but if really cool temps could hold off just a few more weeks for my big ole' bell peppers to turn red, I'd really appreciate it.

Easy, Yummy Chicken Marinade

I don't cook chicken too often, but this is one of my favorite marinades for on the grill or stove.
I bought some 'reduced for quick sale' organic chicken this week (only way i can really afford to buy the chicken my morals prefer) and am cooking it all up tonight for a few meals throughout the week.

• Chicken, preferably organic or free range
• brown mustard (spicey brown, or sweet brown)
• cumin
• cardamom
• turmeric (optional)
• garlic powder
• freshly ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper
• white wine
  

Lay the chicken out and ladel mustard to coat one side. Coat the same side with cumin and cardamom.
Flip over and sprinkle remaining spices, i grate the cinnamon directly onto the chicken with a cheese grater. Heat pan with some nonstick spray to medium high. Put on the chicken and cover with lid for about 3 minutes.
Throw in a dash of white wine and cover back up for another 5 or so minutes.
Flip pieces over (i'm using those little tenderloin piece things, but works the same for a breast, just longer cooking time probably) and re-cover for another 5 or so minutes. (keep an eye so you don't burn, but some searing is good.)
Uncover and slice one open to check for doneness - if looks good turn off heat and recover with lid to keep moisture in til it cools to put away, or serve now. Makes for very flavorful and super moist chicken - the key is keeping the moisture in by covering with a lid for most of the cooking - but you still get a nice sear if you want it. Also very tasty done on the grill.
All told with slathering the ingredients and cooking completely - i think this took me 15 minutes.

I plan on making baked squash again tuesday with this chicken and eating some with salad tomorrow. it is quite tasty!! smells good too.

Marinated chicken put into med/hot pan.

Covered with lid.

Flip and do it again.

Ta Da! All done and delicious.

First Attempt at Kombucha Tea and Continuous Brewing!

** View the Update on how my KT is doing today**

To start off this posting I am going to list various websites that offer suggestions, definitions, instructions, and knowledge about Kombucha, since many of you may not have heard of it and its reported 'miraculous' properties.

• a wonderful forum of helpful people to ask questions, get insite from, and share troubleshooting tips: Original Kombucha Yahoo Group
• Order supplies, learn about Kombucha, learn brewing techniques from The Happy Herbalist
• Direct link to a very descriptve brewing guide
• Link to information specific to the continuous brewing method

So, What IS Kombucha Tea??

Although frequently referred to as a mushroom, which it resembles, Kombucha is not a mushroom — it's a colony of bacteria and yeast. Kombucha tea is made by adding the colony to sugar and black or green tea and allowing the mix to ferment. The resulting liquid contains vinegar, B vitamins and a number of other chemical compounds. Kombucha tea is commonly prepared by taking a starter sample from an existing culture and growing a new colony in a fresh jar. Health benefits attributed to Kombucha tea include stimulating the immune system, preventing cancer, and improving digestion and liver function. -citation i just lost.

Basically, Kombucha 'supposedly' does all sorts of great stuff: turns gray hair colored, makes you feel better, can cure cancer. There are thousands of supporters, and most likely as many cynics. Just like any 'health food' there are claims and there are suggestions, but when it comes down to it I think Kombucha is what you want it to be. It is a detoxifier, it is a tasty drink, it gives you energy, it makes you feel connected to something you grow yourself and drink on a daily basis. That is the one thing that matters: to get health benefits from KT (Kombucha Tea) you must drink it daily or you lose ground on the benefits.

From personal experience thus far (from store purchased KT) I can report this: KT made me feel less hungry. It made me crave alcohol a little less. It gave me a general mild feeling of 'nice'. I returned from my honeymoon with daily boughts of diarrhea that wouldn't go away regardless of various medicines I tried - I drank KT for a few days and was all better.
I will report again after my first week of drinking my homemade KT.

So this is a lot of text. If you're interested in KT do some research on the sites I listed above, join the forum to connect with real live people willing to help, and proceed with caution. You must be sanitary, treat the process with respect, start drinking a little at a time, and see how you feel. If you like it - great! I may even have a 'scoby' to share soon.

My Adventure with KT

I started my 'scoby' with the yeasty sludge at the bottom of GT's Raw Kombucha. (woops, that was wrong: i actually started mine from Buddha's Brew, a local product) You can purchase scobies or be given one already formed (check craigslist or the Happy Herbalist). I ordered a great receptacle from Bed Bath and Beyond, that was shipped to me broken and reshipped finally in one piece. After nursing the thin little scoby that developed for a few weeks, it's thickened up to almost one inch, i think it's a mother and a baby, and it's ready for its new home. And i'm ready to drink some kt!

The recipe I'm following:

• 2 gallons distilled water
• 20 tea bags, earl grey and darjeeling, organic
• 3 cups sugar, preferably organic
• 2 cups reserved kt starter, 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, or a couple bottles store bought KT (i'm using about half to one cup starter tea and about a half cup white vinegar)
  

Clean the receptacle very well with hot water and vinegar, NOT soap. Remove rings and clean hands well, also with vinegar.
Bring one gallon water to near boil, add sugar and stir til dissolved. Add tea bags (or loose tea) and steep to your preference. I'm steeping about 45-50 minutes.
After water has cooled and tea hast steeped, fish out the bags and pour the warm tea into the receptacle. Add the other gallon of water - preferable at an icey cold temperature. Wait until the total water in the receptacle is at room temperature. Next add the vinegar or starter, mix via pouring in.
Now carefully add your scoby. It can float, sink, halfway float. Doesn't matter. Cover receptacle lid area with a very clean fine cloth (i'm using a napkin, cheesecloth isn't fine enough - you'll get fruit flies) and secure with a rubber band.
Now keep it in a quiet, warmish (comfy to you temperature) spot out of direct sunlight.
Wait about a week. Taste. KT should be tangy tart and sometimes fizzy. I plan on testing the PH my first time to be sure i'm not killing us. After you get used to it you figure out the tang to your preference.
Since i'm doing the continuous brewing method all i have to do is replace what i siphon off with about equal amounts prepared sweet tea that i'll brew and have on hand (but not in the fridge as that would be too cold for the scoby).

So that's my take on it. Read the links i posted, they're more thorough. Here's to long health!
I also plan on feeding the old scobies to the chickens, using some KT on my scalp to see if i can clear up my dermatitis, and have some fun flavoring a few batches in mason jars over night with herbs and fruits etc.

Afternoon Applesauce

I live in Texas. I no longer live in the land of appley opulence of Oregon or upstate New York. I am at a disadvantage.

I won't let it stop me though. When it is fall, it is time to make applesauce. Even if you have to buy the stinkin' apples from the market. I want to make some baked goods this winter, and i'd like to use my own applesauce for the sweetener. So here i go.

Appley sauce.

• Apples, peeled and cut up. A lot. As many as fit in your pot. Try different varieties to see which you like. Add at least one Granny Smith for the tang, though. (you can give the peels to your chickens but they'll look at you with disdain, so just throw them into the compost)
• some lemon juice. I used 3 ice cubes of meyer lemon juice.
• cup or so apple cider that you really like. this adds some spices and liquid. I unfortunately had no cider so i just added a little water.
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• dashes cloves, ginger
• sprinkle of salt.

Cover the pot and bring to about medium heat. Stir occasionally so that you don't burn anything. Once the apples are more liquidy and turning to mush, reduce heat to low. Cook until it's a pile of mush with some chunks instead of a pile of chunks with some mush. You can add some sugar if you really HAVE to. I don't. You can also add some more seasonings if you'd like.

My plan is to maybe eat a little of this for dessert, but most will go into ziplocks into the freezer to be used in quick breads and muffins.... maybe even pancakes if i'm feeling real decadent this Winter!

Apples chunked with spices added.

Mush is being achieved, heat turned to low and covered back up.

Yum. Tastes good, and smells amazing!

Leek and Potato Soup

The Autumnal feeling is not quite as noticeable on this 70+ degree sunny day. That will not stop me from cooking some yummy soup, however. The Leek Sauce that I made to go with last week's baked squash was soo tasty that I ended up slurping it up cold, straight from the fridge, throughout the next day. So I figure if it's good enough to drink like cold soup, skip the cornstarch and make proper warm soup out of it!
Yeeha:

Leek and Potato Soup

• 1 Big Leek
• 1 red potato
  
• as much garlic as you want: think i'll use about 5 cloves. I really like garlic.
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• carton of veggie stock plus some frozen, homemade chx stock
  
• large pinches dried oregano, sage, cumin

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for as long as you want. I like to simmer for at least an hour to really release all the flavors of the veggies. When you're done simmering, fish out the bay leaves then blend smooth with an immersion blender.
(note, if you're sad and have no immersion blender you can also allow the soup to cool some and blend it in batches in a regular blender. But this is messy, involves various bowls and dirty blenders and is difficult to avoid burning yourself. So do yourself a favor and go buy an immersion blender. It will be an investment you will make you jump for joy every time you use it, which will be often.)

Serve with a little more salt, and maybe some bacon bits if you're feeling decadent. I again forgot to take a picture of the final product, much to my post yummy meal chagrin, but here's what i got:

Big Leek.

Ingredients all added.

Simmering for an hour + pre blended.

The final product is a nice, creamy looking soup. The potato thickens it a bit. I might add an onion next time to add a little more bite/sweetness.

Fall in the air, Squash in the Oven.

After a day of driving back and forth to Fredricksberg TX, the weather turned from hot and muggy to cool, breezy, and quite fallish! It is most welcome.
And along with the cooler weather comes cool weather cooking: ovens and the like are no longer abhorred, winter squash are in abundance, and tummies are looking to be warmed. Last year I had a beautiful crop of Butternut Squash, but decided to skip that garden filling crop this year. I think I'll try Acorns next year, as these little gems from the market were just delightful.



Baked Acorn Squash with Grilled Chicken and Leek Sauce.

1 Large chicken breast, boneless skinless, fat removed
2 Acorn Squashes
1 Large Leek
~2 cups veg or chicken stock
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
salt, pepper, cumin, sage, bay, oregano, basil
White wine
corn starch

Halve the squashes, scoop out the innards to compost. Light spray with nonstick oil an sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place the squash halves upside down in a pan with about 1/4 inch of standing water into a preheated oven at 375. I used our handy dandy toaster oven on the convection setting since it was already about 6:45 and tummies were rumbling. On the convection setting at 375 these babies were completely done in 1/2 an hour. I left them setting there while i finished - but supposedly in a regular oven 1/2 hour is good upside down with a half hour needed right side up. So keep that in mind, my directions include a convection oven.

While the squashes are cooking, clean peel and chop a big ole' leek and put in a small pot with veg stock, diced garlic, one bay leaf, crumbled herbs of your liking (sage, oregano, basil, whatever) and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, then adding a small handful of pecorino cheese and dash white wine. Add more salt to taste. Remove bay leaf and blend with immersion blender until smoother and add one shot glass of corn starch/cold water (fill glass about 1/4 to 1/2 full of starch, add cold water to mix, add to hot sauce). Keep this sauce at a simmer until you need it.

While sauce is simmering and Squashes are baking, near their upside down completion, grill/saute a chicken breast in a hot, covered pan. Season on each side with generous cumin and seasoning salt. Sear each side, adding dashes of white wine to cause a good steam under the covered lid and caramelizing the flavors onto the chicken breast. Remove breast from pan, cut in half. Place one half into the simmering sauce(you can cut some up tonight for seconds, or save this for another tasty meal), the other half cut into smaller strips and add back to pan to be sure that it's cooked through, turn to sear all sides.

Finally, the squashes are done upside down after about 1/2 hour. Keep oven on, but remove squashes and flip rightside up to make little dishes. Remove chicken from searing pan and cut into cubes. Place chicken cubes into Squashes, sprinkle a little more pecorino and return to oven. On convection setting about 10 minutes did it.

When everything is cooked to your liking remove the squashes and plate with a side of peas and ladled with delicious leek sauce over squash and peas.

Yum Yum Yum. We ate it all, so no pictures, sorry.

All in all a pretty easy recipe to tend to and ignore while watching Bones, all at the same time. You can scoop the flesh out of the squash, or eat the skin - your preference. I usually do a little bit of both. Unwanted skin can be composted. I think this is a really nice alternative to the old 'sugar, honey, cinnamon' version of baked acorn squash. And much healthier!

Why I'm in love with my compost heap.

It's fall here in Austin and the temps are cooling down a bit. Not in my compost heap, though! Temps in there are climbing with all this good moisture and the addition of chicken manure, so the pile is really breaking down and finally truly "composting."

I love my compost heap. It started out as that inevitable "Pile Of Leaves" in the backyard that began composting itself 2 springs ago much to my joy and surprise. A huge pile of leaves condensed down to a rich, smaller pile of organic matter? Awesome. And with no help from me!
But eventually i decided I'd step in, lend a hand, and make my compost heap "legit."
After several incarnations of heapdom, the compost has finally found it's personality.
Surrounded on three sides: one side fence, two sides hay bales. It's insulated by the hay, but aerated by the porous fence and my weekly stabbings and turnings with my pitchfork. I add any kitchen scraps the chickens cannot eat, the chickens' dirty bedding, and weeds, leaves and grass from the yards and gardens.
The chickens love the compost heap too: it's a great source of bugs, from roaches to pillbugs, and they just love playing Queen of the mountain.

So, here's to you, heap of compost! You're a source of joy and pride to myself, a place of entertainment and snacks for my girls, and a luscious source of organic matter for my grateful gardens.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Dead veggies and weeds, to fertilized veggies and seeds.