I’m happy to announce the random winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway is…

ALICE, who said: “Oh my, the odds are not in my favor! But I would love a dress and thank you for introducing me to Shabby Apple; I’d never heard of them.”

Bad odds didn’t get in the way this time! Congratulations, Alice! Please email info@thisweekfordinner.com to claim your prize!

For the rest of you…don’t forget the 15% discount discount code when you go shopping! Enter coupon code SAMarketing15forJane by August 24, 2008 to redeem. (I’ve been wanting a dress for so long now…think I’ll head over now!)

BIG THANKS to Shabby Apple for a great giveaway!

Time to make some guacamole, the perfect 4th of July dip! Okay, maybe more appropriate for Cinco de Mayo, but whatever. I have a few tips I’d like to share that will cut down on prep time and pump up the flavor.

Guacamole

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• Avocado (let's base this recipe on 4 avocados)
• Chunky Salsa (to taste, not too much, ~1/4 cup)
• Dollop of sour cream (very optional, I hardly ever add it but once in a while I throw in a spoonful)
• Garlic powder, to taste (yes powder, put that garlic press away! but if you DO have fresh garlic, use the garlic press to keep it simple and go with 1 clove)
• Dried minced onion or onion powder, to taste (yes, dried, put your knife away!)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Cayenne Pepper, Hot Sauce or Red Pepper flakes (if you want it spicier)
• Lime juice (I just use my little squeezie lime juice from the fridge - a few squirts should do it - if you have a fresh lime, go for it)
• Fresh cilantro (if you have it), chopped

Instructions

1. Mix all together!

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• Click here for a great way to cut open avocados and remove the pits safely and quickly. 
• Use a pastry blender to mix it up. It’s perfect for mashing up the avocado, but keeps you from overmixing. You don’t want to overmix – chunkier is better. Pasty, not so good.
• Salsa is my “secret” ingredient – you get hunks of tomato, onion and pepper, but you don’t have to do any chopping. And it adds nice flavor.
• About the cilantro – I almost never have fresh cilantro on hand. The guac is delicious without it, I promise. But if you DO have it, it adds a nice fresh flavor.
• Make sure you salt the guac enough. This is important. Add a little bit at a time so you don’t oversalt.
• You can tell when an avocado is ready because it’s soft to the touch (not too soft!), often darker in color, and when you pop the little stem thingy off the end, it will be green in the hole.

MYTHS DEBUNKED:

• Lemon and lime juice do NOT keep your guacamole from going brown. I use lime juice just because it tastes good.
• Putting the pit in the guacamole will NOT keep it from going brown. The reason avocados go brown is from contact with oxygen. The best way to keep it green is to put plastic wrap directly on the guac when you store it. It’s still going to go a little brown on you. There’s just no getting around that. The brown is a-okay to eat, but you can always skim it off the top if you don’t like how it looks.

I’m telling you, my guacamole is GOOD. It’s EASY. You can make it with whatever you have in the cupboard and fridge. I always have lime juice & salsa in the fridge and spices in the cupboard. All I need is the avocados and I’m set!

Hi TWFD friends! A couple of months ago I mentioned that I’m now also writing for Silicon Valley Moms Blog. I’m really enjoying it and Nate made the comment that I should let you guys know when I post over there. None of it is food-related, but you may enjoy my ramblings nonetheless. If you want even more of me (who doesn’t? um, that was sarcastic, btw), click here. And from now on I’ll link to my latest post under the SVMoms button in the right column. 🙂

Don’t forget to enter the Shabby Apple dress giveaway by Midnight PT tonight, Weds. July 2!

Click over to this link and post a comment to get in the running…Good Luck!

Remember my friend Natalee’s crazy zucchini? She seriously has zucchini coming out of her ears, which means I now have zucchini coming out of MY ears.

Natalee is out of town and I’m in charge of watering her garden. Which means I get to eat as much zucchini as I want. Here’s where you come into the picture…what shall I do with all this zucchini?!?!

Please share your favorite zucchini recipes! I definitely want a good bread recipe, but anything else you have is of course welcome!

(PS – How pretty is that zucchini plant? I never knew! I should mention…it’s also huge. If you’ve never planted zucchini and you plan to at some point, it gets HUGE. You’ve been warned.)