For the July 4 holiday i didn't BBQ, instead i planned to have a couple of friends over at my mother's condo to watch the fireworks. I ended up putting off the grocery shopping until the morning of and then having a young woman I mentor over to help and join us at mom's. One of the items on the menu was guacamole. I wished i had bought the avocados sooner so that they could ripen properly but there was nothing i could do about that now. While 'opening' the avocados i realized how long it took me to understand how to do it properly. I didn't eve learn this while attending The Restaurant School. So, if you want to get these suckers open with ease here is what you do... slice in half so that you have two equal parts. Cup the fruit with both hands and twist in opposite directions - it should magically come apart. Next while cupping the half with the pit still in it take your french chef's knife and chop into the pit and twist. Sometimes the pit starts to crack so i remove my knife and take another whack at it. When you twist the pit should pop out. Next you can take a tablespoon and literally scoop the while fruit away from the skin in one motion. Truly amazing.

I had to make the guacamole smooth by blending it in my food processor as there was no way i was going to be able to mash it with a potato masher. It was still wonderful. I found the recipe at recipes.com. I don't use recipe books all that often as I enjoy trying so many different cuisines and simply don't have room for all of them. Then there is the matter of finding the one that i want - easier online then in a book. I save favorite recipes by copying them into MS word and putting them in my recipe file. Saves on clutter, and i don't have to worry about getting a book dirty and the pages sticking together as my banana bread recipe often does.

If you ever find that you need an extra set of hands preparing food for a gathering or understanding how to open an avocado - give me a call.

I hope that you had a wonderful 4th despite the rain.