Pantry Tips How to open a Pomegranate

While of course, there are many ways to open a pomegranate, as a connoisseur of the gorgeous fruit, I feel compelled to share with you what I think it the best method in Pantry Tips How to open a Pomegranate. After all, I’ve open hundreds of them lots and lots of ways over the years and while there are many ways and they each have their merits, for me, this way combines stain prevention for your fingers, speed, preserving the most fruit, and minimizing mess. Once you master Pantry Tips How to open a Pomegranate you’ll find yourself buying the fruits more often and hastening to add it to salads (like my cous cous with pomegranates), drinks (like my pomegranate martini punch, which is perfect for New Year’s by the way) and desserts for garnish. And if you’re really like me, you’ll find yourself prepping a whole bowl full and eating the tiny red jewels with a spoon. First, with a pairing knife, cut the top and bottom off of the fruit. Then, cut along the five dents in the outer skin. You should be in the troughs, rather than the ridges. Cut all the way to the top and … Continue reading

Pantry Tips: How to Cut a Pineapple

Do some fruits intimidate you? Perhaps the fierce looking pineapple? Since we’re about to make a Hawaiian Pizza with leftover Easter Ham, we’re going to make sure we’re confident in our pineapple butchering skills. A few simple secrets make it fast and easy. Aside from a pineapple, you’ll need a cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife. Grasp the top of the pineapple as your handle. Cut off the SIDES, first. Then cut off the base. Rest the pineapple on its side and cut in in half, keeping the top as your handle. Make three more slices so that the pineapple is now divided into 8 fairly even sections.  Finally, make thin slices across across the pineapple. Now you’re slicing eight pieces at a time! This is the ticket to minimal waste and quick results. … Continue reading

Coffee Ice Cubes

My dear friend Susan was stuck in the Philly airport overnight, I knew I could save her day with something special like these Coffee Ice Cubes with Baileys for a night cap. Grr! August thunderstorms. Rather than allowing her to stay at the hotel airport, I encouraged her to head on over to our house/b&b. She was tired, it was late and she was fairly sure her day was firmly planted in the “no good” category. Imagine her surprise when I handed her an Irish Cream with coffee ice cubes and forced her to stay up all night giggling. It’s so easy to really “wow!” even an unexpected guest with minimal planning. Coffee ice cubes are a great start. Just brew extra strong coffee, I usually make decaf so that no one has a problem with these at night, and freeze them in silicone trays. I recommend the silicone because these don’t pop out quite as well as traditional ice cubes. You will have to do some peeling back the edges and the silicone won’t break since it’s flexible. I pop them out as soon as they’re frozen and store them in freezer bag so they’re ready to go at … Continue reading