Everyone knows how to make a fruit smoothie, right? But do you know how to make the perfect fruit smoothie?

Here’s are my 5 tips for perfect smoothies:

1. Add the liquids first. This will help blend all the ingredients evenly. Milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut water, juice, tea and even kombucha or kefir are great base liquids.

2. Fat is your friend. As much as we want to save calories, using nonfat yogurt is NOT the way to go. It leaves the smoothie tasting like you’ve tried to pulverize sand and it’ll be grainy. Use low-fat yogurt instead.

3. Use frozen fruit. Frozen fruit thickens and adds flavor without diluting your smoothie. In the off-season, frozen fruit usually has more flavor than what you’ll find in the market. In season, put your fruit in the freezer for a few hours before popping it into the blender. Always pulse the blender a few times because the fruit can refreeze!

4. For a creamier (and healthier) smoothie, add ripe avocados or bananas. Those darker bananas will be sweeter so don’t worry about a few freckles! Honey, chia and flax seeds are also great thickeners.

5. Add the ice last. If you still want some icy-coldness, make this the last thing you put in the blender. Ice will thicken the smoothie without adding any additional calories.

Oh… and here’s one more important tip: always use the Hamilton Beach® Wave~Action Blender® for the creamiest smoothie!

My good friends at Hamilton Beach® sent me one of these good-looking babies to try out and, I’ve got to tell you, this blender is my go-to for smoothies. The Wave~Action blades continuously force the ingredients from the bottom to the top in a wave, so everything blends perfectly.

If you’ve got a big family, you’ll love the big 48-ounce glass jar (which is dishwasher-safe, by the way). The spout on the dispensing lid makes pouring super easy, with minimal drips. It also comes with a stir-spoon for thicker foods and mixtures.

Here’s the delicious Raspberries and Cream Smoothie I whipped up in the Wave~Action Blender!

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So… you’re in charge of making the Guacamole Dip for the big game? 

Well, if you plan on making fresh Guac (and not squeezing it from a little packet), you need to buy those avocados TODAY, so they’ll be ripe and ready on Sunday.

This is my basic recipe for Guacamole Dip. From here, you can get your freak on by adding anything you like: cilantro, tomatoes, pomegranates, shredded cheese, chopped bacon… even mayonnaise (although that always makes me shudder). If you need tips on how to pick out the perfect avocado, click here. Also, my good friends at Avocados From Mexico offer this step-by-step video guide on how to open an avocado without cutting off your finger.

Now, unless you want to serve some lame plastic-tasting guacamole, get to the store now! (You can also speed-ripen those avocados by placing them in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple).

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Here are some terrific Chocolate Dipping Tips (and an easy recipe) if you want to create Valentine’s Day enchantment!

What to Dip

Fresh Fruit:

• Make sure it’s fresh and ripe. Even the richest chocolate can’t hide the sour taste of an unripe, mid-winter strawberry.
• Remove the fruit from the fridge about 10 minutes before dipping in order to take the chill off and prevent the chocolate coating from cracking.
• The fruit needs to be absolutely dry and free of moisture before dipping.

Nuts:

• Whole or halved nuts work best, but sliced almonds, or pecan pieces are great, too. Put them in small clumps on a parchment  paper-lined baking sheet and spoon on the melted chocolate.
• If you’re buying a large bag of nuts from a big-box store, taste them as soon as you’ve purchased them. If they taste stale, take them back!

Other Dip-ables:

• Pretzels, potato chips and other salty junk food can bring a delicious balance to the sweetness of the chocolate. If you’re buying these in a super-sized quantity, make sure they are fresh!
• Bacon! Thick cut bacon works best. Fry it until very crispy. Cool completely before dipping.
• Marshmallows and cookies.
• Dried fruit. Apricots, pineapple and apples are addictive.
• Zucchini. I’m not kidding. Slice fresh zucchini sticks and dip them in powdered sugar… then into chocolate. Amazing.

Chocolate Dipping Tips:

• Water or moisture in your chocolate will cause it to “seize.” This means it will get hard, crumbly and grainy.
• Chocolate that gets too hot will also seize. That’s why you need to melt chocolate slowly and at the lowest possible heat until smooth.
• If chocolate seizes, blend in 1 tablespoon shortening for every 4-ounces of chocolate and stir constantly until the chocolate is smooth again.
• Chocolate bars and squares are best for melting. They put additives in chocolate chips so the chips will keep their shape. You want the best and purest chocolate you can afford with only these ingredients: cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanilla.
• Chocolate should be warm (not hot!) and have a thin consistency so it gently coats what you’re dipping. If it’s too cool it will be thick and ugly.
•  Use a potato masher to dip fruit, pretzels or cookies in hot melted chocolate.
• Don’t waste the last bit of chocolate in the pan! Spoon the remaining chocolate into a plastic re-sealable bag and seal. Snip off a tiny piece from the bottom corner and drizzle it over anything still left to dip!
• Cool your dipped items on a tray lined with parchment paper.
• After coating the goodies, tightly wrap the chocolate and store it in a cool, dry place. You can also refrigerate for up to 2-days.

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Ripe: A Cook In The Orchard
by Nigel Slater

Publisher: Ten Speed Press
ISBN 978-1-60774-332-3

“Growing your own is as addictive a drug as almost anything out there.”

What it’s about: Yes, it’s a cookbook with deliciously mouthwatering sweet and savory recipes, but Nigel Slater has also filled it with beautifully written prose about growing, caring and preparing the fruit from his 40-foot London garden. A follow up to his book “Tender: A Cook And His Vegetable Patch.”

Who Should Read This: Each of the 24 chapters is a carefully crafted paean to a single fruit… he even includes a few eclectic items that we rarely see. Heard of damsons? How about medlar? Me neither. Regardless, if you like to cook, most of the recipes are relatively easy (and incredibly informative). And if you just like to look and imagine cooking, you’ll be more than rewarded.

Crisp pork belly, sweet peach salsa
Image by Jonathan Lovekin

Why You’ll Like This: This cookbook truly transports you to the reality of cooking. The images are bold and beautiful. The prose, incredibly visual: “The sudden sight of a cherry orchard in flower, perhaps as you turn a corner on a twisting country lane, can take your breath away.” This is adventure reading!

Favorite Part: I like cookbooks that teach me something, beyond learning how to make a new dish. This book really gets into the nuances of fruit: when it’s at its peak, how to store it and offers up some delightfully interesting pairings. Pears with salty bacon… yes please!