Try-it Tuesday: Simple Homemade Guacamole

First of all, thank you all for your kind comments on my first ever vlog from yesterday’s Move-it Monday!

It’s really fun to see people that get my oddball sense of humor. (And, yes, every bit of that was intended to be funny…even the part about squatting being a useful life skill for camping, which produced…crickets).

It was also kind of funny to hear a couple of your reactions to how I sounded and came across.  Alina, one of my BFFs (Blogger Friends Forever), told me that my voice was lower than she expected, which threw her for a loop because it made me sound intimidating.

(Just remember that when I ask you next week whether you tackled our squat challenge : ))

So, what about you guys? Was I anything like you expected from reading? I’ve been told by people who know me in person first that I write exactly how I talk (they say it with a smile, but I’m never sure whether it’s a compliment : /).

And for those of you that were worried that I was being too hard on myself with all of my “blogger fail” exclamations and talking about wanting to send myself hate mail, please understand that mildly sarcastic, self-deprecating humor is my “bit,” if you will. 

I don’t like making fun of other people (or, when I do, I know I shouldn’t), but making fun of myself is actually quite entertaining.

If I had thought my video was as spastic as I claimed, I wouldn’t have posted it.

OKAY, moving on…

I’ve been seeing guacamole recipes floating around the blogosphere lately because several bloggers I read are participating in a contest called the:

Well, I wasn’t really planning on entering the contest, but it did remind me that I needed to a) make some guacamole and b) share my recipe.

So, I whipped up a batch last weekend, snapped, a few shots, and am, indeed, sharing with you lovely folks today.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Yup, that’s it:

• 4 avocados
• 1 1/2 medium limes  (yes, I know there are two on the chalkboard, but really, if this chalkboard accurately represented the proportions of ingredients that I add to only 4 avocados, you’d probably want to kiss your taste buds goodbye because they’d be seared for life!)
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (or Cayenne)

I’ve seen all kind of fancy ways to de-pit your avocados, but honestly, I like getting my hands dirty, so I usually just dig right in with the tine of the same fork I use to mash the avocado. then dig the pit out with my fingers.

Elegant? No. But it gets the job done…

…and is kind of like the grown-up equivalent of playing with Play-Doh.

So, what—if anything—makes my guacamole unique?

In four words: I don’t like avocados (gasp, I know).

So, how do I fix that?

In two words: lime juice.

My guac is super-simple. There nothing much to distract from the flavor of the avocados (which I’ve already said I don’t particularly love).

So, I combat that flavor with an explosion of citrus.

And you know what?

Strangely enough, instead of making the taste more acidic, all of that lime juice (about the equivalent of 3-4 TBSP per 4 avocados) mellows the slightly-too-earthy essence of avocado that I don’t care for and produces a wonderful balance of creamy goodness with just a hint of a bite to it.

As far as the actual prep, the process is as simple as the end product:

1) Open/de-pit avocados

2) Smoosh with fork

3) Douse with lime juice (I just squeeze it right on top…no measurements)

4) Keep smooshing

5) Sprinkle with seasonings, tasting as I go to make sure I don’t have too much of any one element

6) Beat the tar out of it with my fork until it’s smooth, yet textured (all of that lime makes the consistency considerably less chunky than most)

  Important to note: because there’s very little to distract from the avocados, it’s crucial to pick good ones.

An avocado is ripe when it is still very firm, but you can gently press with your thumb and feel a bit of give.

Rock-hard or lots of give = a no go. 

Also—and I have nothing other than my own experience to back this up because I’ve never read this anywhere else—in my opinion, avocados with smoother outer shells tend to be creamier and more buttery than their knobbly counterparts.

Bumpy = “greener” tasting to me.

**When I actually make my guac, I never measure…just squeeze, sprinkle, smoosh, and taste. So, take all of the measurements above as low-end guidelines (except for the time, which is probably about right or maybe even a bit high, depending on your tolerance for citrus), which should give you some wiggle room if you want to add more of something.

Oh, and I forgot Step 7.

7) Feed it to your family (including your 14-month-old) and watch their eyes light up.

Seriously, my kids will eat this goop by the spoonful, no chips required, and they have since they were old enough for solids, even with their mama’s avocado-averse genes factoring in.

It’s GOOD  stuff.

Oh, and since I wrote an entire post about guacamole, I figured I’d go ahead and enter the contest.

And you can too!

Here’re the deets:

From now until January 20th, you can submit your own guac recipe with a pic to the Guac-Off Recipe Contest sponsored by Avocados from Mexico for a chance to win:

• THREE Grand Prizes– iPad 2 and autographed cookbook signed by Celebrity Chef Roberto Santibañez
• SEVEN Runners Up– A $200 grocery gift card and autographed cookbook signed by Celebrity Chef Roberto Santibañez
• TEN separate winners– Just for entering will receive a $100 gift card

**I am in no way affiliated with Avocados from Mexico, nor did I receive any compensation for spreading the word about the contest. I just like free groceries and gadgets. : )

Happy Tuesday, and be sure to check back in for Wardrobe Wednesday tomorrow because I’ve got something really fun planned.

Linking up: It’s Overflowing

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