It feels like time for a wee break around here!

Two blogs, big-time catering, cookbook proposals and summer guests keep a girl busy!

But Howard and I didn’t move to Pender to put our heads down and blindly forge through another work day…oh, we work hard, but we also know there are times when you just have to put away the keyboard and go enjoy the fading sun on the back deck.  And after a few days with little or no sign of the golden orb, today has just got to be one of those days.

Guacamole isn’t a dish that most of us need a recipe for.  Start with avocados, lemon and a little salt…and then go from there.  I’ve been making mine this way for years, and when I finally figured out that a small bit of cheddar was the secret ingredient in my favourite restaurant’s guacamole, the “recipe” was complete.

Here’s what I put in my guacamole:

• Avocados, mashed – 2
• Garlic, 1-2 cloves
• Lemon – zest & juice
• Green Onion, finely chopped – 2
• Tomato, finely chopped – 1 small
• Cilantro, chopped – small handful
• White Cheddar, finely shredded – 1″ cube
• Frank’s Red Hot Sauce – short glug
• Chili Flakes – pinch
• Cumin – pinch
• s+p

Serve it with chips, nachos, grilled meat or fish…or straight from the spoon.  On this sunny afternoon, we enjoyed it with some cream-cheese stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapenos and a nice cold beer sent to us by friends in Louisiana.  I don’t know if Abita Brewery sells anywhere in Canada, but I will tell you that this Andygator matched the richness of the guac and cream cheese perfectly.

Another great afternoon on the deck.