Super Bowl Sunday or Eight Million Pounds of Guacamole

Somewhere along the way Super Bowl Sunday has practically turned into a National Holiday.  It's a great day to eat and drink with friends and family, watch the new television commercials and half-time entertainment, all the while rooting for your favorite football team--The New Jersey York Giants in this case. In fact, it is said to be the second-largest food consumption day in the U.S. after Thanksgiving.

So it is no surprise to learn, according to the Hass Avocado Board, that 69.6 million pounds of avocados are sold to produce the 8 million pounds of guacamole consumed on Superbowl Sunday.

My task is to make the guacamole to take to a friend's home for the Super Bowl. And I am very particular about my guacamole.  Some is too chunky, deconstructed guacamole if you please.  Some is too smooth with no texture whatsoever.  But mine is just right, well for me anyway.

I learned to make guacamole when I lived in Guadalajara in the early 1970's, and continue to make it this way. The above ingredients are my constants, Hass avocado, yellow onion, tomato and salt.  Depending on my audience, I will add cilantro and chile peppers, but no lime.  I will put the avocados in a bowl and coarsely mash to my preferred consistency then mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Of course, you can make this with a mortar and pestle with great results. Great served with small warm tortillas and, of course, tortilla chips.

Since today is World Nutella Day, I just had to bring these amaretti cookies sandwiched together with Nutella.

World Nutella Day 2011

Did you know that today is the fifth anniversary of World Nutella Day?

Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso, declare Saturday, February 5 "World Nutella Day  2011."  This is the day to celebrate Nutella--that wonderful concoction of chocolaty-hazel nutty goodness. 

Bake something using Nutella, eat it with a spoon right out of the jar, or write an ode to this sugary treat.

Whatever you choose to do today, do it with Nutella.

This recipe for Nutella Scones, from the book "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, came to me through Susan at Spoon and Shutter. What a great way to start the day!

Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but they were still good.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to make scones, try sandwiching two amarettini cookies together with a smear of Nutella.  They will do just fine.