guacamole.

Hi! I'm Mary Beth and I blog over at Annapolis & Company about our life in the midwest with three schooners in tow {as we've dubbed our children}. I am a homeschooling mum by day and a freelance photographer/blogger by night. I love finding the creativity in the mundane of everyday life...and celebrating it.

Having a daughter who is cut from the same cloth is like a fairytale parenting experience. Me and E.C.? We're in sync. We get each other. We have the same needs. The same hurts. The same outlets. She knows me and I know her. What they don't tell you about parenting though, is that leading your clone through life is also a humbling experience. You cringe as you watch them struggle with the same kinds of things you wish you could get right with yourself. You go to tell them, "it'll be ok" when you realize you're still stumbling around as a 25-yr-old-grown-up girl with the same exact principles as a 4-yr-old...picking up pieces you wish weren't broken. And in a way it's like watching yourself grow up all over again. Bittersweet. But one of the biggest gifts of parenting. The gift of generations. The gift of do-overs. The gift of the full circle. Just beautiful.

It should come as no surprise that Emma Claire loves the kitchen. {And food. Just like her mum.} She can measure out ingredients and start up the mixer like nobodies business. She can pour bowls of cereal for the schooners and get them their water {precious extra minutes for me in the mornings}. She does it all with her trademark grin and a heart bursting with pride - reporting back to me that "breakfast has indeed been served".

We made this guacamole together in the kitchen the other day. It's about the thousandth time I've made it, but it was maybe her third? She carefully eyed the process. She concentrated. She taste tested. And it was in those doe-green eyes that I was reminded of the magic of creating. In the everyday.

This guacamole recipe is tried and true. It's gone to many a summer dinner party. It's played the appetizer role to many a mexican dinner. And it's been gobbled up by adults and children alike. I've been asked for the recipe so many times...and I'm happy to pass it on from my friend Jordan. Enjoy!

//Guacamole //ingredients 2 small avocados 1 clove garlic 1/4 cup chopped cilantro pinch of salt juice of half a lime scoop of fresh salsa //Process

Mash avocados with a fork.

Stir in garlic, chopped cilantro, pinch of salt, lime juice and salsa. Serve immediately with corn chips, pita chips, sweet potato chips...whichever suits your fancy.