Taco dip

I like this recipe because a) it is delicious, delicious deliciousness, and b) it means people’s eagerness to see me is always genuine. It’s also the easiest thing in the world to make, and involves mashing things with forks. (See also: banana bread.)

Ingredients

• 2-3 ripe avocados
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso)
• about half a cup sour cream*
• about 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 tomatoes
• shredded cheddar cheese, or, if you’re feeling fancy, cheddar jack
• cilantro and/or scallions to taste (optional; I do not care for scallions but usually use cilantro)

Peel the avocados, remove the pits, and mash up with a fork. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise and mix. Spread this in the bottom of your serving dish (I use a pottery pie pan, or, if I’m feeling anti-fancy, round tupperware of a similar size).

Mix the rest of the mayonnaise and the sour cream in a separate container. You want more sour cream than mayonnaise, or it’ll taste mayonnaise-y. Add the taco seasoning and mix pretty thoroughly, until it turns nice and pink. Spread this on top of the avocado-mayo mix in the serving dish.

Chop the tomatoes into small bits and scatter them on top of the dip. Do likewise with the cheese. Chop the cilantro (my favorite part!) and/or scallions, if you’re using either, and add them to the stack of scattered stuff.

Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour, or the dip may get all soupy on you. Serve with corn chips, preferably Hint of Lime Tostitos. Try not to eat all of it yourself. (This is the hardest part.)

* I subscribe to the “measuring is for sissies” school of cooking, as you can probably tell from these instructions, and much to my mother’s dismay. But really, with this recipe, it’s hard to go wrong with the measurements. The worst version I’ve ever made had way too much mayo, which is why I caution you about that, but it was still more than edible.