handy cooking tips:

buttermilk substitute:

Place 1 T white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Fill to 1 c line with milk. Allow to sit 5 minutes and then use in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.

to remove avocado flesh from skin:

Slip a large spoon between the skin and the flesh of the avocado. Carefully remove in one piece.

simple way to slice avocado:

Slice avocado right in the skin. Then use a large spoon as described above to remove slices.

the adaptable grapefruit spoon:

In addition to cutting up a grapefruit nice and ready to eat, the grapefruit spoon is also very useful for spooning out seeds in jalapenos, cucumbers, or other like vegetables. Also use the grapefruit spoon to remove tops from strawberries nice and neat.

softening butter:

Put still wrapped stick of butter into microwave for 10 seconds. It comes out nicely softened and ready for any recipe calling for softened butter.