And for my next trick

When it comes to parties, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. Ok, two... I have two tricks up my sleeve. One is Kathy Frontino's Amazing Potato Salad, which probably shouldn't count as my trick, given it's name. The other trick is guacamole. It's not very tricky, I know. It's only got a few things in it. It's easy enough to buy vacuum packed guac at Trader Joe's or wherever you find yourself, but if you make it from scratch you can keep it chunky, which I love, and impresses people with your kitchen prowess. Or something.

I made some on Monday when we hosted an impromptu Roof Deck Appreciation/Labor Day Party. There are many many recipes and techniques out there, but this is how I do it. You need two avocados, a tomato, half an onion, cilantro, a lime, salt and garlic powder. Sometimes I mince fresh garlic instead of using powder, and sometimes I add diced jalapeno, but I didn't have one today so we had mild, cool, creamy guacamole as a foil to spicy salsa. It worked.


Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. My favorite way to remove the fruit, at least for this application (in which I will be mashing it all together) is to cut it into a grid:

Then you just squeeeeze and the meat comes smooshing out. (Isn't cooking fun?) I usually squeeze some lime juice onto the avocado to inhibit browning while I construct the rest of the dip. Now add at least half (sometimes I use a whole tomato) of a diced tomato, half a diced onion, and half a bunch of cilantro (well rinsed, dried, chopped to your preferred level of fine-ness), salt, the juice of half a lime, and a few shakes of garlic powder.

Then proceed to mash the whole mess with a fork. Taste. Probably needs more lime juice? Yeah, mine did.

Eat with tortilla chips, after taking blurry photos to post on your blog.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, preferably Hass
one tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced (any kind will do, red also looks pretty)
1/2 - 1 lime, juice only
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste

Cut the avocados in half, remove pit, cut with crosshatch pattern and squeeze out fruit. In a bowl combine all ingredients and mash to your desired consistency. Taste. Enjoy.