Question for Mom

Why are some kiwi green and others gold?  -- Margaret H. 

Despite the difference in color, these kiwi are cousins and are quite similar in taste.  SunGold™ Kiwifruit, which are grown in New Zealand, are golden and slightly sweeter than the more available green kiwi.  Both are used as snacks or are cut up in salads.  Green kiwi have fuzzy brown skins, while the golden version is smooth and slightly lighter in color.  Instead of peeling them, cut a kiwi in half and scoop out the fruit with a spoon.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 108

Every week grocery stores have sales on select items like these: whole chickens for 99 cents per pound, 8 ears corn for $2, 3 8-ounce cans tomato sauce for $1, cherries for 99 cents per pound. Shopping these sales can save you considerable money over time. Some stores may quietly offer daily sales of perishables—meat and fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and bakery items—if you know where to look. They’re usually hidden in some obscure corner at the back of the store. If the expiration date is close at hand, you can pick up items at half-price or less, although you will need to cook or freeze them within 24 hours.

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Cara Cara Oranges: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

I am always excited when Cara Cara oranges appear in my grocery store in November.  Every morning I like to drink some fresh orange juice, which means finding a juicy orange to squeeze.

Mom Cooking Tip 166

Cherries are now in season.  If you don't have a cherry pitter to get rid of the pits, try using the tip of your potato peeler.  The pit will slide right out.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 104

Grocery stores often have an out-of-the-way corner full of net bags containing fruit or vegetables a little past their prime.  My local supermarket likes to sell its excess apples or oranges this way for 99 cents per bag.  The other day I found a 2-pound bag of fresh okra as well as a 2-pound bag of fresh yellow squash, each at 99 cents.  There were a few blemishes, but I overlooked them.

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Mom Cooking Tip 162

Bake a fruit pie on a rimmed baking sheet.  That way if the juices overflow, they won’t get on the floor of the oven.

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Mom Cooking Tip 157

Normally I serve fresh strawberries whole,with stems attached.  If I cover them with chocolate, I take the stems off first.  Never have I thought to serve them cut until I saw a caterer turn a bowl of strawberries into a work of art by simply slicing them in half.  They're faster to prepare because you can leave the stems in place.

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Are You an Old-Fashioned Cook?

I am an old-fashioned cook.  Many of us are when holiday dining is involved.  I’ve eaten turkey on Christmas all my life, and even though it’s a big, messy meal I would feel terrible eating anything else.

If I want to add something new to the holiday menu, I might choose a new side dish—maybe Honeyed Sweet Potatoes along with the mashed potatoes.

Tangelos: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Tangelos are a citrus fruit—half tangerine and half grapefruit.  They have a funny knob at the stem end, which sets them apart from an orange.  They are easy to peel and make a wonderful snack.  If you’re into fresh orange juice, try squeezing tangelos.  They produce a lot of juice. 

The Perfect Fruit Salad

It’s long been a family tradition to serve a tossed salad with dinner.  It’s easy to make, and you can get away with lettuce and tomatoes if need be.  I can’t count how many iceberg lettuces I cut up over the years before bagged greens came along. 

In my mind fruit salad is entirely different.  It requires planning.  If you don’t have at least five kinds of fruit, it looks anemic.  And it can’t really be just some cut-up apples, bananas and oranges.  Well, it can but no one eating at my table thrills to that selection.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 93

If you love fresh cherries but are shocked at the price, look for twinned cherries. Some stores refuse to sell this odd-looking fruit.  But those that do, sell them cheaper.  There is nothing wrong with twinned cherries. Twinning occurs when the weather is too hot when the cherries are in the process of budding.  Twinned cherries are a double-barreled eating pleasure.

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Question for Mom

Foods That Cannot Be Frozen Successfully

What foods cannot be frozen successfully? – Oliver K.

A few foods are totally ruined if you freeze them:

* Raw eggs in their shells might explode because liquids expand when frozen.

* Lettuce, whole avocados and vegetables or fruits made up of a lot of water (celery, cucumbers, radishes, raw potatoes, melons) are virtually inedible after freezing.

* Any salad that includes mayonnaise

Foods That Can Be Frozen 

Foods you can freeze but in order to enjoy eating them, they must be cooked after they defrost:

Question for Mom

How much juice can I squeeze out of an orange?  --Ashley A.

A large orange can yield from 1/2 to 2/3 cup juice.  A very large orange might yield as much as 1 cup juice.  Valencia oranges seem to provide more juice than navels, although a lot depends on how thick the skin is.  The thicker the skin, the less juice there is.  Another clue: the heavier the orange, the more juice it has. 

Blood Oranges: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

The first time I saw the inside of a blood orange I was shocked. It really looked like the orange was bleeding. There was some normal orange flesh, but what was that big splotch of purple?

Then I tasted it and realized it was an orange with benefits.  Not only was it exotic to look at but also it had a sweeter, more intense flavor than orange oranges.  

You can treat a blood orange like any other orange—squeeze them for juice, eat them in sections or, for maximum effect, peel them and cut them and serve them in a bowl with some greens as a side salad.  Or serve them sliced as a dessert, by themselves or with sliced strawberries.  Guests will be impressed. 

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Question for Mom

I thought all mangoes were the same, but I just found a new kind at my grocery store.  What’s the difference between baseball-size mangoes that are green with large areas of red and smaller, yellow mangoes? – Gloria Z.

Taste, for one thing.  The yellow mangoes, called ‘Yellow Honey’ or ‘Honey’ mangoes, can be a little sweeter.

(Left) Honey Mango  (Right) Tommy Atkins Mango

After some investigation, I learned that the name of the bigger mango, which is the type I always see in Southern California, is called ‘Tommy Atkins.’  It’s named after the Florida farmer who first grew it on his property and recognized its commercial potential.  It travels well and therefore is commonly available in produce aisles.

Mom Cooking Tip 109

Chocolate makes just about everything taste better, especially chocolate cookies that aren’t quite as chocolaty as you’d hoped.  Start melting a cup of chocolate chips in a small, thick-bottomed pan over low heat and stir until the chips start to lose their shape.  Remove from the heat, stir until all the chocolate has melted and then dip fruit, cookies or marshmallows halfway into the chocolate.  Place on a wax paper-covered plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate has hardened.  Transfer to a serving dish.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 80

Did you know you can freeze grapes?  Buy some extra seedless ones when they’re on sale.  Wash and dry individual grapes and put them on a tray in the freezer.  Make sure they don’t touch each other.  When they're frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag, seal it tightly and store in the freezer.  They will last for several weeks.  Serve them frozen, if you like, but they taste like fresh grapes once they have defrosted..

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Mom Cooking Tip 99

Kiwi Slices

Use an egg slicer to slice hard-boiled eggs and other foods into slender slices.  The foods, which need to be semi-soft, could include bananas, kiwis, strawberries, avocados, pieces of ripe peach, apple or pear (skin side away from the blades), as well as nearly-cooked carrots, potatoes, beets and other root vegetables.

Hard-Boiled Egg Slices 

Banana Slices

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Question for Mom

Chocolate-Dipped Tangerines

I ate too much over the holidays.  What’s a cheap, easy, healthy dessert?” –Sara A.

Fruit dipped in chocolate.  Tangerines are easy to peel.  Chocolate chips aren’t too costly.  Combine them and you have a knock-out dessert with lots of vitamin C.  You can find a detailed recipe here. 

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Mom Cooking Tip 82

If a kiwi is too soft to peel, cut it in half and scoop out the insides with a spoon.

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