birthday baby

Today is my 21st birthday! And naturally to celebrate, I've invited my closest friends over for a meal. And naturally there will be drinking involved, but I love cooking and I love eating, and there's no other way I'd rather celebrate than cooking and eating with the people I love.

Here's the menu:
gin and tonics
guacamole and peach salsa with blue corn tortilla chips
siracha coconut shrimp
sage and sea salt sweet potato fries
arugula salad with lime-spiked dressing
mushroom and black bean enchiladas with mole
strawberry pineapple fruit salad with mint
flourless chocolate cake

We sat on the floor because there isn't much room in my apartment. I don't think anyone minded.

My friends were mortified that I baked my own birthday cake, but I really wouldn't want it any other way. They fought me, but I won out on account of it was my birthday.

Chocolate cake and guacamole! Doesn't get any better than that.

I promise I'll post all the recipes soon. For now though, here is my standard guacamole recipe. You know how there are supposed to be no two snowflakes that are completely alike? I've found that the same thing applies to guacamole recipes. No one you ask will have exactly the same formula, and everyone you ask will tell you theirs is best, which is impossible, because mine is.

Best-ever guacamole

2 ripe haas avocados
1/2 a red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely
handful cilantro (about 15-20 sprigs), finely chopped
3-5 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
juice of half a lime
generous dash hot sauce, such as tabasco or siracha

Mash the avocados in a large bowl. Chop the other ingredients and add to the avocado with the lime juice. If you're not serving this right away, cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate.