Revenge of the 5th! ~ Vet Assistant Vignettes

Like most geeks/nerds know, yesterday was Star Wars Day!!! I heard lots of "May the Fourth Be With You", but I found a meme that made me chuckle. Here it is:

Hence the title of this post! ;)

BUT...Today is also popular because it's Cinco De Mayo! The day we all celebrate Mexican culture with food, song, dance, and drink! It'll make you want to take a loooong siesta the next day! ;)

Here's how I celebrate: making guacamole!

Nothing screams "Ole!" more than a big bowl of freshly-made guac and tortilla chips to dip in!

I decided to mimic the way my favorite foodie (The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond!) shares her recipes and how to make them: with pictures!

Ingredients:

4-6 ripe avacodos

2 medium/large tomatoes

1 Lime

1 bundle of fresh cilantro

2 small/medium white or red onion or 1 medium white or red onion

salt & pepper

(optional: 1 jalapeno - if you want lots of heat, leave some of the seeds in, otherwise, take the seeds out before chopping it up.)

First off, get two big bowls, and put one aside. Next, grab a cutting board and dice up the tomatoes. Dice them however big you want it. If you like chunky guac, dice them bigger. Not a chunky fan? Dice smaller. Pretty simple :) Once you're done, throw the diced tomatoes into one of the bowls.

Then tackle the onion next by dicing it up as well. I've used both white and red onion in the past and both versions have been tasty, so just use whatever you've got. Scrape off the onions into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Next, take your cilantro bundle and cut off around half of the leafy part and mince that up. It's okay if there are some big leafy pieces :) You don't have to do as much as I do. Just add the ingredients based on your taste preference. Add the cilantro in the bowl with the tomatoes and onions.

Before you cut your lime in half, roll it around on a flat surface. This helps the juices come out better when you squeeze.

Now squeeze the lime juice of one of the halves over the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together.

Now you could just eat it like this! Plus it's got a fancy name too: Pico De Gallo (pronounced guy-o) It's a nice light alternative that perfect for summertime!

But NO, we're not stopping here! Onward we go to the most essential ingredient: avocado!

It's important to pick an avocado that's not too ripe.

"To determine if your avocado is ripe, gently press on the bottom with your finger; ripe avocados will feel slightly soft. If you need avocados to use right away, look for fruit whose skin has turned dark green or black. The avocado should yield to gentle pressure from a thumb." (source)

I figured it'd be easier for you to watch a video of how to cut an avocado than me trying to explain it to you. Don't want anyone's fingers getting sliced accidentally!

So after you cut it in half and take out the pit, use a paring knife and cut in a criss-cross pattern in the flesh. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and put it in the other bowl.