For the past 8 years my four best friends and I have gone to Palm Springs for spring break. Two out of five of us are teachers, which gives us an excuse to go on spring break even though we are no longer students. My move to New York threw a wrench in our yearly trip. Being the best friends they are, they gave up a week of lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun in Palm Springs for a week in New York with me. It was so great to have them here. We walked a lot, went to the Statue of Liberty, walked some more, ate at good restaurants, and shopped. It was so great to have them here. I am incredibly fortunate to have them in my life. Insert sappy music here

The first night they were here we met up with Jenny, our friend from college, and her boyfriend. We ate at Agua Dulce, a swanky Pan-Latin restaurant in Hells Kitchen. We started the meal off with a trio of homemade guacamole. One was a mango/habanero, one a bacon/tomato, and the last a jalapeno/red onion. The mango/habanero won my vote and is what I scooped onto a majority of my chips. The bacon guacamole I could have passed on. The best part of homemade guacamole is the buttery, nutty, and richness of the avocado. The bacon over powered all three of these elements. Besides the bacon guacamole, the entire meal tasted fresh right down to the tortilla chips. There is a huge difference in homemade tortilla chips to store bought tortilla chips. I am unable to resist either, but I find homemade to be more flavorsome.

Below is a basic guacamole recipe. Get creative and add mango, onions, peaches, pineapple, peppers... anything you desire ( or need to use). Making your own chips eliminates the unnecessary hydrogenated oils and preservatives that are added to mass produced chips. Plus they taste better.

BASIC GUACAMOLE

INGREDIENTS:
-3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
-1 1/2 Tablespoon lime juice
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
-1/2 medium onion, diced
-2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
-1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
-1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:
-Place the peeled and pitted avocado in a large bowl add lime juice, toss to coat.
-Using a fork add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash.
-Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.

CHILI-LIME TORTILLA CHIPS

-12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
- Position oven racks in the middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 375°F.
- Coat both sides of each tortilla with olive oil and cut into quarters. Place tortilla wedges in an even layer on 2 large baking sheets. Combine lime juice and chili powder in a small bowl. Brush the mixture on each tortilla wedge and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake the tortillas, switching the baking sheets halfway through, until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.