party guacamole.

/

my favorite thing.

i had posted a super lame-o, vague recipe for my signature guacamole several years ago, but i realized it was not very helpful at at all!

so even though i don’t usually measure the ingredients when i make guacamole, i got out all the measuring tools this time and wrote it all down - for the sake of consistency and for the sake of the folks whom are strict recipe followers. 😉

these avocados were seriously the creamiest and most perfect ones of my life. i do not take primo avo texture or ripeness perfection for granted! bless the avo gods for this most excellent batch.

i say that when you mince your red onion and jalapeño for this purpose or for fresh salsas - if you think you’re done chopping, chop it up again. and then one more time. you just want these components to be like flavor crystals within the creamy guacamole nebula, not distinct chunks to chomp into.

i do like to leave some chunkier bits of avocado left behind, however. more texture, please!

i used to add a scoop of fresh salsa to my guacamole. sometimes i will if it seems like it needs a flavor boost. but the goal is to keep it avo pure. i know cumin is a key ingredient in traditional guacamole, but i don’t really enjoy that flavor. add some to yours if you want!

i’ve made this guac zillions of times for zillions of parties or bbqs and it is always a hit. i know its a pretty straightforward recipe with no surprises, but this is just how i always do it, and the people of my life have spoken. they want to eat it on all the things - and i’ve seen it first hand…. nacho cheese doritos, cheetos, fritos, burgers, sliders, hot dogs, tacos, with breakfast, with vegetables, with cheese, with the strangest of crackers or chips…..

it is a surefire crowd-pleaser.

Quinn’s Party Guacamole

Serves 6-10

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 extra large ripe avocados

  • 1 3/4 - 2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1 cup finely minced red onion

  • 2 medium jalapeños, seeded and finely minced

  • 2 large limes (juiced + some pulp)

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish

  • 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions-

Wash and dry all fresh ingredients. On a large cutting board, halve the avocados and score the flesh carefully with a knife. Use a spoon to scoop out all the avocado from the peel into a large bowl. Pour the juice of 1 lime over the avocado with a good pinch of salt and mash well with a fork (or even a potato masher if you’re making a large batch of guacamole).

Super finely mince the red onion and jalapeño. Add them to the large bowl and mash everything together well. Add the salt and pepper and fold in with a spatula. Add the juice of the other lime as well. Continue to mash the avocado mixture until it becomes quite smooth, leaving some chunkier bits as you desire.

Chop the cilantro. Gently fold the cilantro into the guacamole. Add larger sprigs on top if you wish.

Add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste!

Serve immediately. Store in the fridge in a sealed container with extra lime juice squeezed on top if you’ll be serving it later. Be sure to give it a good stir if any browning occurs on the top before serving. Enjoy within 1-2 days.

qp

cinco de mayo 2016.

/

holaaaaa mis amigos!

its cinco de mayo. i just love this day mucho.

i know its become a crazy americanized holiday these days, but i just like to think of it as a celebration of how wonderful mexican food is. haha. gooooooo mehicoooo.

i felt the need to do something else fun for my cinco de mayo spread again since i went a bit kooky for it last year, too.

i made homemade tortillas, chimichurri (not very mexican, but oh so good on tacos), mango grapefruit salsa, various taco combinations, black bean & white cheddar taquitos, guacamole, and grilled corn with white cheez, cilantro, lime & cayenne. OLÉ!!

the black bean and sharp white chedda taquitos are just simple little things that i don't feel require their own blog post... here's how i made them:

pro tip: use some smashed beans on the very edge as a sort of glue to hold the tortilla in rolled up position. slowly place each taquito in 1/2 inch of medium-high heated vegetable oil in a skillet. let brown, and flip once to fry and brown the other side. remove and let drain on paper towel covered cooling rack.

THEN you scarf.  aah the sandlot. how i love thee and all your nostalgia. and s'mores. summer is coming!!!!!!!!

ps. i had my first s'more of the year this week. thats how you really know summer is nigh. also have you ever made a s'more with the chocolate graham crackers?? scrumptious!

i filled the inside with just beans and cheese because i prefer toppings (like salsa, greek yogurt or sour cream, guac, etc.) to be cold on top. btw, we exclusively use plain greek yogurt as our sour cream agent anymore. i like the thick texture and tart creamyness. and plain greek yog is much more versatile to have around anyway.

i brought my mango grapefruit salsa to our cinco de mayo potluck at work today. here's some feedback that i got:

"this would be good on a pork chop!"

"your salsa is amazing!"

"this salsa is just the perfect refreshing summer salsa. and not too spicy!"

why thanks, people! i would agree with pete on the bitterness of the grapefruit now that i've eaten it on two separate occasions. be sure to get a nice ripe SWEET pink grapefruit for it.

grilled corn is a great thing to have around for tacos, in salads, with everyyyyythinggg during the summer :) we grill up a bunch of ears, cut it off the cob and store in the fridge to have on hand for all the eats.

normally i shy far far from taking any food photos in bright uneven sunlight like so ^^^ but for cinco i make exception! the sun is shining and the guac is flowing!

lalalala la bambaaa. livin la vida locaaaaaa. adios!

 

qp