guacamole~ how to enjoy avocados

1st things 1st,pick a nice ripe avocado.  i prefer haas avocados, the nice dark smaller wrinkled kind usually we think of as californian, i've found most come from mexico or south america in my local markets.  easiest way to chose one is to gently press on the skin and feel some give. if you press too hard, it will bruise the fruit ala apples,bananas.
when your ready get yourself a sharper knife(no butter knives here!) a spoon,fork,and bowl.  take the knife and slice into the pointed end til you hit the pit,then rotate the avocado as you cut around its longitude (like Greenwich Mean Date line instead of the equator).  you should have 2 halves,one containing the pit,so its pit time.  they are slippery,so theres 2 ways i remove it. if its a very ripe fruit,just squeeze and sometimes the pit will roll right off.  or hold the pit bearing side firmly and take your knife,nicking it into the pit so you can pull it out and pinch it off the knife.  then use youe knife and score the flesh,taking care not to go through the skin into your hand of course. think a checkerboard pattern,nice squares,nothing exact.  take the spoon and scoop out the avocado into your bowl,if you have some brownish areas just avoid them,they just got overripe like bananas brown spots.
next take your choice of citrus(lemon or lime) and squeeze some juice onto your avocado,  i use 1 lime per 2 avocados.  you could leave it out if your immediately going to eat the entire bowl, i've heard leaving the pit in your bowl  keeps it from browning but it hasn't worked for me. commercial factory preperation uses powdered ascorbic acid to keep the packaged guac from turning brown.
sprinkle 2 shakes of salt on your chunks unless ur reducing your salt intake, use your fork and mash them up. if you prefer chunky just mash about half of it.  seasoning and additives are up to taste,i usually add a healthy tablespoonful of store bought pico de gallo i always have around from my local produce section at Weis(diced tomato,serrano,onions,celery) to mine along with a few dashes of hot sauce, some like onions,jalapenos,garlic, sundried tomato or a small spoonful of sour cream to make it creamier.

a little background

Welcome to our online kitchen home.  i was a 22 yr old who actually roasted a chicken w/ the bag and the stuff inside of it once,thanks to Food Network,recipes,trial and error i no longer feel like a amateur.  now i'm passing on some knowledge to you,as well as my daughter who loves cooking.  i will try to post good instructions,pics when i remember,and eventually video when i figure out how to get my kodak zi8 camcorder to work..lol.  im also a frugal one,love sales and saving $,so you will not see extravagant ingredients or $100 apiece cookware. i have a few fave brands,gadgets which i will get more into on another post. no gourmet kitchen,i downgraded to a smaller apt so no luxurious island,Viking range or granite countertops here.