EXTEND YOUR LETTUCE LIFE

When I was young and stupid, the first think I did was take my fingers and rip the heart of the lettuce out. It was easy. It came out in one quick pull. Then I could cut or rip what I want.

Man was I wrong. NEVER EVER remove the heart from the lettuce. Always keep it in tack. Your lettuce will last twice as long if that heart remains in tact.

If you don't believe me, try it out. Get two heads of lettuce and do the test.

By the way, has anyone ever proven that ripping lettuce with your hands is better than cutting lettuce. I never understood that tip. Maybe someone could explain that to me. If it makes sense, I will post the info right here so everyone can enjoy.

IS TOMATO A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?

I received an email today asking me whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. This is one of those facts you always forget the answer to. After referring to AskOxford.com, their answer is as follows:

The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks.

Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nuts.

Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example.

As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking. The tomato, though technically a fruit, is often used as a vegetable, and a bean pod is also technically a fruit.

The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come.

Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for example.

So a tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant, but can be used as a vegetable in cooking.

COOKING FRESH ASPARAGUS IS A SNAP

I used to just hack off the ends of asparagus and then steam them. I would find that certain parts of the asparagus were tough or never really cooked right. It was almost like I should have cut more off the bottom or the veggie wasn't all ripe for the cooking.

My Sister-in-Law showed me a trick to preparing asparagus correctly everytime.

Take each end of the asparagus and slowly bend the ends together. The spear will snap somewhere. Sometimes it's in the middle and sometimes it's toward the end of the spear. The key is that once it snaps you keep the part with the tip of the spear and dispose of the other part.

This is a sure fire method of finding the sweet spot. No more guessing where to cut the spear. Just bend, snap, then steam. Perfect every time.

DIPS THAT YOU CAN MAKE IN MINUTES

I am not big on long recipes or lots of prep work. So let me show you two of my favorite dips that take two ingredients and taste amazing.

1. Bean Dip: I call this my wife's bean dip. Take two cans of Hormel Chili and one block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Microwave until Cheese melts down and stir completely. Oh my God! This is the best. It's not like anything I have had before and takes under 5 minutes. Love it!

2. Fruit Dip: My brother came up with this one. Kinda scary because he can't make cereal. Take two jars of Marshmallow Cream and a block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Mix them until creamy. wow. You will write me to say thanks.

Quick and Easy recipes are the best. Less time cooking means more time eating!