Guacamole

At the risk of sounding like one of those tom-boys who would rather toss a football on a beach than sunbathe reading US Weekly, I’m going to admit something: I actually like to watch football. I mean, of course I’d rather be watching something girlie like ice skating or Friends. But growing up with five brothers didn’t really allow for a lot of girlie time on our family’s one n’ only television set. Especially on Sundays.

So, I grew to like the sport. More specifically, I grew to like the ritual. The couch, the beer, and most importantly, the guacamole. Football gives you the excuse to sit around all day and eat. It’s genius really. And “watching football” (READ: shoveling guac into your mouth) totally distracts you from the fact that the weekend is over and you have Monday on the horizon (wah wahnn).

My Patriot’s Loving Brothers inform me that tonight’s Monday Night Game is a biggie. So I decided to make my mom’s famous guacamole for the occasion. It’s quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. The trick is plenty of crunchy sea salt and freshly squeezed lime juice.

If you’re making a small batch you can just cut up the ingredients by hand. My mom makes monster batches in the Cuisinart, which saves her the time of finely dicing a lot of ingredients. Either way works!

Basically, finely dice your red onion, tomato, and avocado, either by hand or in the food processor (you’ll have a chunkier consistency if you do it by hand). Stir in freshly squeezed lime juice, regular salt, and chopped cilantro (you can leave out cilantro if you’re against it!). Finally, hit it with some crunchy sea salt like Maldon or La Baleine.

One tip: If you’re making this ahead of time, stir in the avocado pits with the guacamole. For some strange natural reason, the pits keep the dip from oxidizing and turning brown! Also, cover it with cling wrap.