Kitchen Sink Guacamole

My friends.

 

This past weekend straight wore.me.out.  We took a short trip to Dallas to celebrate Weston’s first birthday with our family and friends, and while I can definitely say that we were blessed beyond belief to see them all it was quite the doozy for mom, dad and baby.

 

I mean toddler.  YIKES!

The drive down on Friday was fine for the most part, with Wes only getting fussy the last little bit of the trip.  Soon we were there and surrounded by people who love us all and he totally forgot all about the dang car seat and his frustration with not being able to move.

 

Saturday was his party and, while I could go into detail, suffice to say it was a blast.  We saw old friends, all of our family, and got to watch my little dude smear chocolate cake all over the place.  The weather was great and it all went super smoothly.  Sunday we went to our church in Dallas and heard an amazing message from a good friend.  I really miss being at that church, even though we know we’re exactly where we should be right now.

Being Texas just makes me feel like I’m HOME.  Even in all the crazy Dallas traffic, the heat and humidity, it just feels different when I cross that state line.  Texas – it’s home to me.  I love it and miss it and get so crazy emotionally excited to go back.  I love the dusty plains of West Texas where I grew up; the sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful and pure uninterrupted.  The people are incredible, the weather is great, and even though it’s not my FAVORITE thing, I have to admit I enjoy the dust storms every now and then.  You have to be from there to appreciate it 🙂

 

I miss the Hill Country, the bluebonnets, the sunny and warm Thanksgivings we used to spend down in Leakey, Texas – population 425.  We used to stay at my grandparents’ house and then at my wonderful aunt Mary’s cabin – we used to think it was so amazing to see all of the deer and the hummingbirds everywhere!  We could float the Frio River, and I remember thinking it was fun to see nothing but the hills everywhere.  Whenever we drive the roads through the Hill Country I can’t listen to anything but Texas Country; it just feels wrong.

 

I miss Dallas too.  How in the midst of all the grey concrete you can still see those beautiful sunsets.  How you happen upon these pockets of beautiful nature in the midst of the grey.  How the memories of the start of our marriage coincide with the memories of the start of our relationship in general.  I miss the shopping (even though I’m really not a shopper), I miss Central Market, I miss the parks we used to frequent.  I didn’t live in Dallas very long compared to our other homes, but it feels natural to be there.  And like I said before, I really miss our church.  It just feels like a homecoming when we get to go – God is at work there, and it makes my heart happy.

 

So all that to say it was an amazing weekend.  It fed our hearts and our souls as well as our bellies.  The ride back was hard on Wes because he was so tired from all the love and activity; it was hard on mom and dad for the same reasons, and because we hate saying “see ya later” to our wonderful family and friends.  But it was yet another reminder that we are so extremely blessed, and so very thankful.

KITCHEN SINK GUACAMOLE

For aesthetic purposes I chopped the avocado, although if you want a smoother texture you’ll want to mash it up (which I did after taking these photos)!

• 2 corn cobs with the kernels cut off
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 ripe avocados, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper to taste

While you can certainly just mix everything together and call it good (which it is), I like to roast my corn, pepper and onion in a cast iron skillet beforehand – the extra roasty flavor is great with all the other ingredients!  To do this I mix the corn, the pepper and the onion with the olive oil and gently brown it all in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently.  This takes about 10 minutes.  If you choose to do this you’ll want to let it all cool completely before mixing with the other ingredients.  When the corn mixture is cooled, mix it with the garlic, avocado, tomato, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Serve cold or at room temperature with cut-up carrots or tortilla chips – or both!