Avocados go soft


 

 

The Cupboard Tip Board

Don’t let those sneaky avocados go soft on you!

There is almost nothing I hate more than grabbing an avocado out of my fruit bowl to find that it is supper mushy and sure to be stringy, brown and over-ripe the minute I cut into it.

Thankfully, I realized that I don’t have to be at the mercy of my avocados’ ripening timeline anymore! Make sure to buy avocados BEFORE they are super soft, and as soon as your avocados reach the perfect point of firmly soft, put them right into the fridge to slow the ripening process and extend your avocados’ lifetime for days.

Evening Primrose Oil


I began taking Evening Primrose Oil about a year ago, and while it was in conjunction with a lot of other new vitamins and supplements, I’m pretty sure it is at least responsible by half for the regrowth and doubly healthy/shiny appearance of my hair!!

EPO is very high in Linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid) which cannot be synthesized in our bodies. What does that mean? It means that we have to consume it in order to provide it to our bodies’ systems for various biological processes. To put it simply: our body needs it; we don’t make it; we need to eat it!!

While some people may say that it is virtually impossible to be deficient in linoleic acid (it is found in MANY other oils and foods), I can only speak to my own personal experience, and the fact that EPO was used in ancient times in remedies and poultices. I’ll put my money on the “wise women” of the middle ages and keep on taking my capsule of EPO every day….

Cupboard Tip Board: Coconut Flour


Coconut flour is a great gluten and starch-free alternative to grain flours. It has a light fragrant nutty flavor and is very hearty. There is one caveat when using coconut flour, however. It can be a moisture vacuum. I would use this unique flour at a ratio of 1:4 versus regular grain-based flours, as it will suck up the moisture of any batter mixture at a rate you will not believe….

Tip Board Corn Flour


The Cupboard Tip Board

Gluten-Free Breading

Lots of really delicious recipes call for a coating of flour on chicken or beef or fish before it is cooked. The purpose of this coating is often to maintain the tenderness of the protein while simultaneously thickening the pan sauce or gravy that will come from this dish (i.e. pot roast, chicken marsala, etc). After a good amount of experimentation, I have found that the best substitute for regular flour is a mixture of 3 parts corn flour (super fine so it looks like a powder) and 1 part corn starch. I always recommend that you season your coating for an extra flavor boost.

If you are frying something, like fried chicken, I recommend a different coating: 3 parts corn flour and 1 part corn meal for texture. You will not need the corn starch, as its primary purpose is as a thickener.

Tip Board Evoo


The Cupboard Tip Board

 

When to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin, and even most virgin olive oils are best used in salads and as finishing oils over steamed veggies and the like.

Never use extra virgin olive oil for high heat frying or even oven roasting above 375 degrees. The smoking temperature (when it begins to break down to glycerol and free fatty acids and release noxious blue smoke) is too low to handle high heat cooking. Always use a light oil like, safflower, peanut  or grapeseed for high heat cooking.

My Very First Post


SO beyond the fact that I am not the world’s most technologically-able gadget girl, I have finally taken the advice of friends and family to start a blog about my one true love: FOOD. Don’t tell my husband that he has been demoted, please.

I don’t promise to write every day. I don’t promise to write only once a day, but I do promise that you will enjoy the culinary creations that will grace this site should you feel so inclined to recreate them yourself.

With love and virtual hugs and salty sweet bites from me to you…..I’m signing off of this Very First Post

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