WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS... MAKE GUACAMOLE!

Nothing makes me happier than getting gifts like these delivered to my door step straight from our neighbor's lemon tree!

Most of you probably don't think of using lemon juice for guacamole, but a chef  in New Orleans told me a while back that he used lemons instead of limes. Ever since then that's what I've used.

I've been tweaking this recipe for years, and I have to say

 IT. IS. AMAZING. 

Whenever I bring this to a party it's gone within minutes. No lie.

I love fresh cilantro in my guacamole. For whatever reason, it's always hit or miss as to whether or not I can find it fresh in the grocery store. After not being able to find it a few years ago, I drove straight from the grocery to Charvet's garden center and bought a cilantro plant for my garden. Problem solved.

Try growing it yourself.... I promise you won't regret it.

  (I'm loving the fact that my rose vine in the background is slightly confused with the unusually warm winter weather. Kind of nice to have a splash of pink in the winter garden.)

I cut a few stems of the cilantro off for this recipe.

Here's what I used 

Let's start with the avocadoes. I like my guacamole to have a little texture. Here's a little trick I learned along the way.

To remove the pit, stick a sharp knife in it...

Twist the knife like this and pull up...

Now to get a chunkier texture dice the avocado with a butter knife while it's still in the shell, and then scoop it out with a spoon...

 In a bowl add the avocado, a handful of chopped fresh cilantro, half of a red onion (chopped), half of a jalapeno (diced), a few cloves of garlic (minced) or in my case I used already minced roasted garlic....

A pinch or two of salt and a squeeze from a half of a lemon. The acidity from citrus fruit keeps the avocado from turning brown.

Finally, I add a few tablespoons of my favorite salsa. (Good salsa is a must! I used to make fresh salsa until I discovered Mateo's medium salsa from Rouse's and Costco. It is seriously good!!)

So colorful!

Mix it all together.

Tastes even better with these chips from Rouse's...

There ya have it!

Guacamole 

2 avocados, chopped

Handful of chopped cilantro

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, diced

2-3 cloves minced garlic 

2-3 pinches of Kosher salt

Squeeze of half a lemon (or lime)

2-3 Tbs Mateo's medium salsa (or your favorite salsa)

Mix together. 

Veggie Garden...Makin' It Pretty!

 One of my most favorite things about our recent kitchen renovation is that we made our window above our sink larger. Not only does it allow more natural light in, but it grants us gorgeous views of our outdoor space. THIS makes me happy...it's the little things!

Made sure to plant this beauty right off the patio in perfect view from the
 kitchen window. Makes doing the dishes for a household of 6 not seem so bad ;)

STUNNING.

Living in the city we are obviously limited on outdoor space. With that being said, the only spot for my veggie garden is right off of my patio. It has it's perks...the biggest being that everything is easily accessible when I'm in the middle of cooking.  I've had it there for years. Over time, I would catch myself staring at the space brainstorming how I could make it prettier. As most of us know, vegetable gardens aren't the nicest things to look at. I, on the other hand, was determined to jazz it up.

Last year, I installed the white picket fence around it and an arbor over the entrance. This year I did something so simple that finally gave it the look I wanted. After planting my vegetable crops, I sprinkled "cut flower" seeds around the garden and let it be. (Cut flowers can be any type of flowers that last a long time when put in vases.) Zinnias are one of my all time favorites because they last a little over a week on the dinner table. This particular variety is the tallest species of zinnias. Be sure to check the back of the seed packet to see what size you are getting. These grew to be around 4 feet tall. 

Gomphrenas are a great filler in flower arrangements. Here they're mixed in with rosemary and basil. Love the contrast of bright green basil leaves and fuschia flowers...I may or may not have a slight obsession with this color combo!

Buttercrunch lettuce and kale plants with a rose vine draping in the background...

This small space allowed us to have fresh cut flowers every day of the summer...even had enough to give away to friends and family!

Will be posting my guacamole recipe soon...
IT IS TO DIE FOR!