How to...

I was not born with an aptitude in the kitchen. My mother didn't cook when I was growing up (although she made a mean cinnamon toast). My husband will tell you a now infamous story of the first dinner I made him back when we were dating. It was so bad we had to order takeout.

So how did I get here? Practice, experimenting, a short stint co-owning a catering company, and more practice.

I am a firm believer that anyone can cook for themselves and enjoy the process. However, you need some basics.

I have had this conversation so many times:

Kitchen Newbie: How do you (insert basic kitchen skill here)?

SJM: Um... you just open it/cut it/peel it/slice it?

Instead of giving the above snarky answer I decided to film a series of Clean, Pure and Simple How To videos. These videos will show you tips and tricks about how to engage with some of my favorite things to eat.

The first video is available here. Happy avocado opening!