Simple Homemade Guacamole

In my everyday cooking I like to keep things as simple as possible to cut down on cost and keep all the preparation a little less involved (since cooking from scratch is already so involved!).  So if I can ax an ingredient and end up with a result that tastes just about as good, I do it!  That said, our guacamole is a very simplified version of what most entail.  It’s just avocados, jalapeño, and sea salt.  It may not be the fancy kind of guacamole you'd serve to guests, but we actually really love it.  It's our favorite quick-and-easy treat to throw together as an appetizer when we're cooking a late night dinner on the weekend :)

Simple Homemade Guacamole

INGREDIENTS:
3 avocados
1 jalapeño
½ tsp sea salt (use more or less to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice the avocados in half, remove core, scoop out the flesh and use a fork to mash it up.  
2. In a small food processor or blender, mince the jalapeño into tiny pieces.  If you decide to cut up the jalapeño by hand, be careful not to touch the seeds because they can leave behind a nasty burn.  Trust me, I learned the hard way!

3. Stir the minced jalapeño and sea salt into the mashed avocados.  I always have to taste test on a chip at the end or I'll get the salt ratio too high. 

4.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.  

NOTE:

Guacamole turns icky brown after it's been sitting out for a while, and it doesn't keep well in the fridge.  I recommend making only what you'll eat at one sitting.  For two of us wanting a dinner appetizer, I do 1 avocado and about 1/3 of the minced jalapeño.  For a hefty afternoon snack while we're watching a basketball game on TV, I'll do 2 avocados and about 1/2 or more of the jalapeño.