Mexican night at my house is never complete without guacamole. The recipe is from my dad who grew up in Southern California, where Mexican food is a prominent genre of cuisine. He gave me vague directions the first time I made it, and I was left to improvise. It wasn’t until only about a year ago that I was given a cook- book put together by my late grandmother on my father’s side.
My grandma liked to take pictures and do arts and crafts, the way grandparents do, and so in the nineties, she put together one of those family recipe books. She got a hold of some close friends and family members, got some pictures together, and put all of the recipes and pictures into a binder. I believe she gave them out to a group of the family members.
My dad and his sisters were pretty busy people, and this sort of weird crafting wasn’t exactly their cup of tea. My Aunt Kim (the cookbook was orginally hers, and was given to me when she passed away), told my grandma that she’s “just too busy”, so my grandma put a lovely picture of Aunt Kim in the binder anyhow along with that quote, and wrote next to it “with those looks, who wouldn’t be busy?!”
The funny thing about this cookbook, is that it is a union of a bunch of family members who normally, would not be united in any other way. So it’s a tiny bit of normalcy that I like to look at from time to time.
Now, honestly, none of the recipes are spectacular. My dad grew up on pretty basic things like meatloaf and fish sticks, but being from Cali he also had taco night. In the binder, my dad actually offered a recipe and it is his guacamole! My dad always has critiques about my guacamole, so I thought I finally found the key to perfect guacamole.
Well, the story ends with the fact that I will never make the “perfect” guacamole for my dad, but he loves it all the same. I never said I was a perfect cook anyhow. I prefer the word “rugged”.
My guacamole is many of my friend’s favorite guacamole, and it is so flavorful and perfect on top of tacos, chips, or even in your favorite sandwiches! Make this and I promise that you will impress anyone who tastes it, even if it’s only you!
What you’ll need:
3 avocados
¼ finely chopped red onion
½ finely chopped tomato
½ finely chopped green pepper
A bunch of chopped cilantro
½ lime
A scoop of your favorite salsa
This is the easiest recipe because all of the ingredients go into a bowl, and get mashed together. Don’t mash too much, because a nice chunky guac is the best kind of quac. Finish with a sprinkle of salt and a nice bit of freshly ground pepper, and there you have it: a delicious bowl of guacamole!