There are few things better than a bowl of great guacamole. It seems like an unwritten rule of life that almost everyone loves guacamole. We love it so much that we're willing to pay $2 to add a tiny dollop of it to a burrito bowl at Chipotle. I've also never seen anyone complain when someone orders it as an appetizer. Since it turns brown if not eaten, we justify eating ridiculous quantities because "it will go bad if it's not eaten now."  I personally judge Mexican restaurants based on two things: 1) margaritas 2) guacamole. If they pass with both of those, I really couldn't care less about the rest of the food. I'm a happy camper.

Guacamole is easy to make, but it's also easy to add too much of one ingredient and accidentally ruin the entire batch. It then becomes a desperate attempt to even out the flavors, and this almost always backfires because unless you have spare avocados you're probably out of luck (and the avocados from the store are never ripe right away). This is my go-to guacamole recipe. It's based on Alton Brown's guacamole, which has a five star rating and 634 reviews. Let's take a second to think about that. More than 630 people of all culinary backgrounds have made this guacamole and it still has a five star rating?! That's rare. It makes perfect sense when you try it, though, because it's amazing. It has the perfect amount of everything, and then a few random additions like cayenne pepper.

I always adapt his recipe slightly, omitting the cumin, using an entire jalapeno (be sure to completely seed it), and bumping the cilantro up to two tablespoons. If I have an extra lime or a lemon I also squeeze a bit more lemon or lime juice on top before serving. Alton Brown also recommends leaving it out for an hour before serving. While I'm sure this does help the flavor, if you're in a pinch for time I guarantee no one will complain about eating it before an hour has passed.

Enjoy!

Go-To Guacamole
Recipe based on Alton Brown's Guacamole

Ingredients

3 Ripe Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and almost all of the lime juice, leaving about one tablespoon for use later in the recipe. Mash together gently with a fork until lime juice is integrated into the avocados. Next, add the salt and cayenne pepper, mash together until mixed. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add the rest of the lime juice*. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve. If you run out of time, go ahead and eat it before the hour. It'll still be delicious!

*A lot of people may know this, but a really great way to juice a lime if you don't have a citrus juicer is to use a fork. Simply press the fork inside the center of a lime half and squeeze while moving the fork from side to side. Easy peasy. 

I went through a phase recently where I was trying out a new sandwich for lunch every day. You really never run out of options with sandwiches. It was easy because I had a month before I started my job, so I usually was just hanging around the house during lunchtime. The bf would drive over on his lunch break, I'd fix us sandwiches and he'd go back to work. How domestic of me.

Now that I'm in the working world myself it'd be pretty odd for me to grill up my favorite paninis in the office kitchen. My sandwich making obsession has thus become confined to weekends if I want to take any pictures. I live on a busy street, so taking pictures is a hilarious task from the start. Weekend snapshots are the most awkward. I've never received more strange looks than when I'm crouched down in my tiny entrance patio taking pictures of a plate of food. I just carry on and try to get it over with...that might explain any decrease in quality of pictures in these next few months.

This sandwich was actually one I made back at home. I only took a few pictures because it's honestly such an easy sandwich I wasn't planning on posting. However, my recent panini-less days have made me crave this more than ever. The key is the chipotle ranch as a spread. I couldn't find name brand chipotle ranch, so I grabbed Harris Teeter brand and it's still fantastic. It gives any sandwich a little kick and it complements turkey wonderfully. Ah, to have this sandwich sitting in front of me right now. Make it. I'm living vicariously through all of you on this one!

Chipotle Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich (this name should probably be shortened)
Makes two sandwiches

Ingredients
4 slices good quality bread*
2 slices pepperjack or havarti cheese (depending on whether you want the heat)
1 tomato, sliced (you probably will not use the whole thing)
4 pieces of cooked bacon
3 tbs Chipotle Ranch Dressing
1 Haas avocado, sliced
4oz thinly sliced turkey breast

Softened butter for bread

*You need a thicker slice to hold all of the ingredients well. The pre-sliced bakery selections are ideal, but any brand with substantial sized slices is fine. Just don't try to go for the 45 calorie slice on this one.

Cook bacon to your liking, being sure to make it on the crispy side so it gives a good crunch to the sandwich. I personally like to make bacon lattices for sandwiches, but I realize a bacon lattice is the epitome of the American obesity issue. Just go for a jog beforehand. Or make your boring bacon. Good bacon is good bacon.

Slather one side of each piece of bread with butter. Spread two of the pieces with the Chipotle Ranch Dressing on the other side. You can spread this on generously since you are not adding mayo or any other condiments. Next, add a few avocado slices to each sandwich. Continue to layer on the ingredients, moving on to the cheese, turkey, tomatoes and finally the prepared bacon. Top each sandwich "tower" with the other slice of bread, butter side up.

Place in a pan over medium heat, flipping once brown for each side. Press down lightly with spatula to make the sandwich ingredients come together while you are cooking. Slice and enjoy!