One of the greatest things about living in Southern California is that nearly every single day is a cookout day. No one has 9-5 jobs, it’s always sunny and gorgeous, so why not have a random cookout at 4pm on Wednesday afternoon?
Well, that’s what I did this past Wednesday. My friends Kristen and Joseph live in a lovely house in Culver City with a back porch and grill to accompany their lemon-tree-filled backyard. And of course being on the westside closer to the water, the weather is even better. I showed up at 2 in the afternoon. We took a walk to the grocery store to find some things to accompany the chicken breast Joe was marinating in the fridge. Kristen already had asparagus and zucchini to grill, but we all decided we needed corn on the cob….mmmm….. fresh corn with butter and salt…. I decided I needed to make some guacamole, and Kristen decided we needed dessert, which led her to a Duncan Hines box mix, which I of course gave her shit for, but ended up being really tasty. I also turned Joseph on to the idea of smoked sausage. I love love Kielbasa on the grill, but for some reason Ralph’s only had turkey kielbasa, which was just not happening. Instead we went for a straight up smoked sausage. And for almost no money at all, we had ourselves quite the feast.
I have to say, the batch of guac I made was really epic. Avocados were on sale for 97 cents each – totally unheard of. So I bought 6 of them, one shallot for like 30 cents, and one bundle of fresh cilantro for 50 cents. With a potato masher, a few spices from Kristen’s rack (ha… rack…), and a lemon from their tree, I had one of the best batches of guac I’d ever put together. If you’re a loyal reader of this blog, you might remember my ludicrous guacamole post from May. I’ve decided to update and reattach the recipe below. Aren’t I just so accommodating? All for you, readers, all for you.
In other news, Joe’s chicken was amazing – super moist and flavorful, marinated in Italian dressing. Kristen sliced up the veggies and I coated them in some herb-infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then on the grill they went until soft and a bit charred. Perfect. And of course we killed half of Kristen’s tray of cookie brownies without even flinching. The rest of the afternoon was spent talking, relaxing, and enjoying our friendship. Not too bad for a Wednesday. 😉
Ludicrous Guacamole – Updated (Recipe PDF)