Guacamole

Oh, people. Guacamole has got to be one of my favorite foods on the planet. Avocado, lime, onion... You just can't go wrong. When I make it for a crowd, I use six or more avocados. When I make it for myself, I use at least two. Heh. For me, guacamole is a meal. And I'm proud to say that my son also loves it, and will eat it by the spoonful.


Last night our church had our annual meeting. My husband and I took some time and laid out our philosophy of missions and our vision for the future. It was so exciting to see the number of people interested in missions and interested in doing missions the right way. After a couple weeks preparing for the meeting, a lot of time in prayer, and some mad-dash last-minute stapling, it was so edifying to see it come to fruition and hopefully make a real difference. We are blessed with a pastor who fully supports missions and really desires to be intentional about it.

The last two times I made a big bowl of guacamole, it was for a group of people who had come alongside me to do life together. One was my small group and the other was the group of women in my Bible study. Sharing a meal I think is so symbolic of sharing life. I wish Americans would just learn to slow down, eat together, and get into each other's lives. I'm so grateful for the people who have gotten into mine. That one-on-one or small group intentional relationship is so valuable. Mature people willing to pour into you with their life experience and spiritual wisdom is what discipleship is all about. And truly, "missions" is just discipleship in another culture. It's not going and doing but going and being.


I'm grateful for these people who have been vulnerable enough to make a difference in my life. And for them, I made guacamole. I guess I use guacamole to show love.

Guacamole
This recipe is for a crowd. Adapt the measurements to meet your needs. Also, I've never measured anything for this recipe before, because it's really about your own personal tastes. But since several people have asked me for my guacamole recipe, here you go.

~6 hass avocados
~1/2 yellow onion
~about 5 ounces of grape tomatoes, or other sweet, ripe tomatoes (I use grape tomatoes because they are the only ones I like from the grocery store. If you have access to fresh tomatoes or a farmer's market, that would be great, too.)
~2-3 juicy limes
~1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro
~1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste

Slice the avocados down to the pit, longways, all the way around. Then twist the two halves away from each other and it should look like this:

Remove the pit, then use a large spoon to scoop the meat out of the avocado into a bowl. (Be careful not scoop any of the skin.)

Mash your avocados with a large fork or, my favorite method, with a potato masher. Chop the onion and tomatoes into small chunks, to your preference. Chop the cilantro, and stir it all in.


Add the juice of both limes, plus the zest of one, then the salt to taste. Keep adjusting seasonings until you like it. Sometimes I feel like I keep dumping the lime and salt! Don't hold back.

Jeremy couldn't wait for me to finish my picture before he took a bite.