Beachy Good

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get away for a few days with my family to the Oregon Coast.  For those who may not be familiar with Oregon coast weather in the springtime, I can sum things up in one word:  wet.  We did get down on the beach for a quick rainy walk and then again to snap some pictures before the sun set, but other than that our trip focused on what we really came to do - namely drink, eat and be merry!

We decided ahead of time to divide our meals amongst the three families.  My parents took breakfasts, Mr. Veen and I took one dinner, and my brother Mark and his wife Nancy took the other dinner.  And here's where I have to explain that while my family might not be considered official food snobs, we do take our food/cooking pretty seriously.  I consider myself somewhat of a novice/ learner/ dabbler in gourmet-type cooking.  My mom has always been an awesome cook, but Mark and Nancy are in a whole entire league of their own!  It was a lot of fun to watch them make their magic in the kitchen together Saturday night.  The end results were:  the most amazing guacamole I've ever had, incredible crab salads, and delicious salmon chowder.  And to finish it all off Nancy baked not one but two wonderful pies - lemon and apple.  I don't know if I've ever seen my dad eat so much!

Nancy has promised me her official guacamole recipe - but I have a sneaking suspicion it's more of an art form than a recipe.  Here's what I picked up about how to make this heaven in a bowl:

Avocados (she used 8 for our large bowl)
Tomatoes (only the outside portion - take seeds and innards out!)
Jalapeno (adjust to taste - I think she used 2)
Onion (not much was used for ours - maybe just 1 or 1/2 - but this can be adjusted depending)
Lime (fresh!)
Sea salt to taste

One of the things about this guac. that I loved is that it was chunky not soupy.  Also - it had a bit of a kick to it but not too spicy.  I will for sure be trying this version out next time I make guacamole!