How to Cut an Avocado

Ever wondered how to efficiently cut an avocado? Here's your simple "how to cut an avocado" guide!

How to Chiffonade

A short tutorial on how to chiffonade.

How to Cut a Pineapple

Did you know each pineapple is actually composed of many flowers with their fruitlets fused together around a central core? Each flower leaves behind an "eye." So now you know why there's so many of those spots on a pineapple!

Anyway, back to cutting pineapples. You'll want to cut off the top and bottom first since it'll make cutting the skin off simpler. You can also grow another pineapple by planting the top if you want! Then cut away the skin from the sides of your pineapple. There's two basic ways to go about removing the skin from the sides - cutting in far enough to remove all the eyes or removing as little skin as possible so you get to eat more of your pineapple. If you've removed all the eyes with the skin, you're ready to cut the pineapple for eating. You can also use the stuff you removed to make pineapple vinegar! I will usually still discard/plant/compost the top and bottom and just use the sides and core for making pineapple vinegar. If you decided to keep as much yumminess as possible, you'll want to remove the eyes. Fortunately, the eyes are organized into lines, so it's not too hard to cut them out. Simply take your knife and cut a few out at a time. You can also cut out each eye individually. Just work your way around the pineapple, and before you know it, you're finished! I like cutting them out on the diagonal since it looks prettier and doesn't take as long. :) I first realized you didn't have to just slice off large portions of the skin, losing all that yummy fruit in Thailand when I saw pineapples cut with the spiral pattern. Plus, doesn't it look fancier? More pineapple and prettier appearance sounds good to me!

What's a fruit you're not sure how to prepare?

How to Cut a Pineapple

by CJ Huang

Find out how to easily and efficiently cut a pineapple.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			1	pineapple

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Slice off top and bottom of pineapple.
	3. Cut off the skin from the sides. You can cut deeply enough to remove the eyes, or just the skin.
	4. If you've already removed the eyes, you can skip this step. If not, cut out the eyes. You can either remove each eye individually or on the diagonal. I think removing the eyes in a line balances removing as little flesh as possible without spending too much time. You're now ready to cut your pineapple into slices!

How to Cut a Watermelon

Watermelon's something it's taken me a while to get the hang of. It always just seems a bit unwieldy and awkward to cut neatly in an easy to eat manner. Maybe it's just me, but I've always found the rind getting in the way with slices. However, it's one of the fruits of summer, and with the unofficial start of summer coming up, I thought I'd write a quick tutorial with two ways to easily cut a watermelon into easy to eat pieces. Plus, last summer, we found the best watermelon we'd ever had at a farm almost across the street from where we live. These watermelons certainly are not the largest I've ever seen, but they most certainly are the densest! Full of yummy juiciness!

What's your preferred method of cutting a watermelon?

How to Cut a Watermelon

by CJ Huang

Try these two easy ways to efficiently cut a watermelon!

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				watermelon

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cut watermelon in half.

Method 1 (sticks)

	3. Place watermelon cut side down, and cut slices. We like to make the slices about an inch or two apart.
	4. Turn watermelon a quarter turn, and cut again. If you're smarter than me, you'll have your watermelon on a serving dish. Once you've made the cuts, just grab a piece and eat! :)

Method 2 (cubes):

	3. Place watermelon cut side down, and cut in half again.
	4. Flip each watermelon quarter over and slice. Again, if you're smarter than me, you won't make the slices too close together.
	5. Make slices in the other direction.
	6. Turn watermelon and slice in the remaining direction. Once you start cutting, the watermelon cubes should start separating.

How to Cut a Mango

Find out how to cut a mango easily using this simple slicing method.

December's Top 5

It's a new month, so it's time to do a roundup of last month's favorite recipes! For us, December was full of transitions, from moving to starting a new job and unpacking, plus all the usual holiday travel. In the middle of all that, I decided to change up the linky for Five Friday Finds. Instead of only favorite recipe lists, I'm opening it up to all recipes. :) It's not too late to link up here! I'm hoping January will be a bit calmer!

Without further ado, here's the Top 5 roundup for December!

	5. Sweet and Tangy Cucumber Salad Pin It A simple and refreshingly tangy cucumber salad with rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame, and lots of flavor.
	4. How to Chiffonade Pin It Ever wondered what chiffonade means? It's a lot easier than it sounds!
	3. Steak Pin It Want to eat steak without paying steakhouse prices? Try this recipe, and enjoy tasty steak in the comfort of your own home!
	2. Guacamole Version 4.0 Pin It My personal favorite guacamole in the series, now updated. Try it and see how you like it!
	1. DIY Vanilla Extract Pin It Really easy and much more flavorful! Try making your own vanilla extract. :)

Leave a comment telling us your favorite recipe of the month!

November's Top 5

November just went by in a blur! Between all the transitions and Thanksgiving, November's just flown by. Now, all I have to do is drive down to NC, find a place to live, unpack, and hopefully life will return to some sort of normal. :P I have to say, I'm looking forward to sleeping on a real bed after a month of sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.

Without further ado, here's the Top 5 roundup for November!

	5. Jambalaya Pin It A quick and easy jambalaya with sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Perfect served on top of rice.
	4. How to Cut an Avocado Pin It Always mangling your avocados? Try this simple method for cutting avocado!
	3. Pesto Stuffed Chicken Pin It Cheesy basil pesto surrounded by tender chicken with a crispy Parmesan coating. Don't be fooled - this recipe's simple and fancy. :) Also, my personal favorite.
	2. Sweet Potato Sausage and Kale Casserole Pin It Not really a casserole, but still a one pot meal! Try this savory sausage cooked up with sweet potatoes and tomatoes, then combined with kale!
	1. Corn Fritters Pin It Quick and simple corn fritters! You know they've got to be good since they're number 1 this month. :)

Leave a comment telling us your favorite recipe of the month!