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. 

Sometimes I sit around and analyze food. I know it's weird. I can't help it. I'll be eating a really great bowl of cereal and think, "Man, whoever came up with the concept of cereal was brilliant. This is the best thing EVER." And then of course I will think the exact same thing about a million other foods. It probably gets obnoxious for my friends because if anyone is around me chances are I'll say it out loud. I'd imagine it's hard to be friends with me if you don't like food (I'd like to think I don't have any friends like that, but you never know with college girls).

That being said, sandwiches are another creation that I constantly sit there eating and think about how much gratitude I have for whoever invented them back in the day. I make myself sandwiches all the time, but they're pretty standard. The thing is, it is SO easy to take a sandwich up a notch. All you have to do is go heavy on the cheese and butter, and buy better bread. The fresh sourdough bakery bread is going to beat Sara Lee 45 calorie slices every time. There's just no getting around it. Life's too short to count calories.

Kevin at Closet Cooking always has the most amazing recipes and absolutely perfect food photography. I'd be jealous if I didn't love gawking at his page so much. I work three days a week, have class the other two, and am rarely around my house during lunchtime on the weekends. So, I decided that a Saturday at home over Easter weekend was the perfect time to try one of the sandwich recipes I'd been drooling over. I've been hooked on guacamole (not just avocado) in sandwiches for quite some time. Guacamole and cheese quesadillas are easily one of my top three favorite late night food choices. Adding bacon to the combo was brilliant. It was the best sandwich I've had in a good long while.

It's not all that time consuming, it's just about allowing yourself to break away from the same old sandwiches. Switching from provolone to sharp white cheddar is not breaking away. Making a delicious grilled guacamole bacon cheese sandwich is so much better.

Enjoy!

Bacon Guacamole and Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Recipe from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon
• 2 slices sour dough bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons guacamole, room temperature ***
• 1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread followed by the guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up.
3. Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

* I had some extra Wholly Guacamole in the fridge, so I took the shortcut and just combined that with a little lime juice, fresh diced tomatoes and garlic. It was homemade enough for me! If you have time, I bet his is delicious, too.