For a tamale party, you’re going to need lots of snacks and drinks, so Guacamole is a must. It’s a serious crowd pleaser and you get to eat avocados. My favorite. Make sure you read to the bottom of my Guacamole recipe, the real prize to this recipe is the “notes” at the bottom: what to do to make it special or how to hurry the party along.

five ripe avocados
½ cup red onion; minced
1 jalapeño; minced
1-2 cloves garlic; minced
½ cup cilantro chopped
½ cup chopped tomatoes (if it’s winter and you can’t find any you’re happy with, canned diced work)
juice of 2 limes
1 ½ teaspoons salt
black pepper

Juice one lime into a glass bowl (the citrus will keep the avocado from browning too quickly). Halve the avocados. Remove the pits and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mash the avocado. Mince the onion, garlic and jalapeño – seed if you like it less spicy, keep the seeds in if you like it spicier. Chop the cilantro and tomatoes. Add in to the avocados. Taste. Add the salt gradually, bearing in mind that guac should be salty and limey, but it’s served with tortilla chips, which are also salty. Add more lime juice, salt and black pepper to taste. This makes a goodly amount. Keep the pits (again, they help slow down the oxidation) and stick them in the extra guac. Place plastic wrap directly against the guac and store in the fridge until you need to refill the bowl. Oh, and if you have Trader Joe’s access, seek out these sweet potato tortillas, they’re amazing. And a little cilantro garnish never hurt anyone either.

$pendy/Thrifty Alterations:
Make things fancy with ½ cup of pomegranate kernals, chopped mango or pineapple. Speed things along by buying good quality pico de gallo. Just mash of the five avocados and add about a cup of pico de gallo and the fresh cilantro. Then add lime juice and salt to your taste and you get to skip through all the chopping.