Roasted Jalapeno Gaucamole

"Monster In-Law," "Father of the Bride," "Meet the Fockers"...the list is endless when it comes to movies showing the merging of two families and the full range of possible miseries that can ensue.

Saturday night was the first official meeting of MM's parents and my own. We know each set of parents, we love each set of parents, we were pretty sure the two sets would get along well, but there's always that moment of panic that's been fueled by years of romantic comedies issuing an undercurrent of warning.

I'm happy to say, we were right! Take that, Hollywood. The meet-the-in-laws cookout went beyond smoothly. In fact, MM and I probably could have skipped the event completely and the evening wouldn't have been much different! Even a last-minute addition of my grandparents thanks to a power outage in triple-digit weather, didn't faze anyone--it actually added to the festivities! End result: a sigh of relief, a full belly, and a happy heart. Makes me very excited for what's to come!

Enough of the mushy stuff, let's get down to business. The food. With a menu consisting of beef, shrimp, and chicken kebabs accompanied with roasted asparagus, rice, and salad, our household's contribution was small in size but big in taste.

MM is famous for his guacamole, and his batch this weekend lived up to snuff. We ate most of it before I could manage to snap a picture, but you get the idea!

Roasted Jalapeno Guacamole

Ingredients:
1 jalapeno pepper
1 tsp olive oil
4 avocados
1/3 yellow onion, diced finely
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 tsp Cholula hot sauce
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the jalapeno pepper on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes until pepper is charred. Let cool, and then mince.

In a large bowl, mash avocados until they have a consistency that is relatively creamy but includes several chunks. Add in all other ingredients and mix until ingredients are just combined. For extra heat, add a second jalapeno, diced raw. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

If needed, you can add the pit of one of the avocados in the bowl to help keep the guacamole green a bit longer. But I recommend digging in as soon as possible!