Mozart meets guacamole...

Back from St. Louis and back in the swing of things, this week has definitely been a busy one. Thursday night I saw, "Midlife, The Crisis Musical" at the Boulder Dinner Theater with Dan, his sister Lisa and his friend, Paul. It's a humorous, musical look at all the things that happen to our bodies, our memory, our parents, our relationships, etc as we head into middle age. (It's a good thing I have quite a while before I get there.....uh hmm!) On Friday, I had a little "mishap" at work, diagnosed as "bicep tendinitis and forearm strain", all I know is that it really, really hurt! I spent Saturday nursing my arm and learning how to do common everyday things like brushing my teeth with my left hand! At any rate, by Saturday night, it was feeling better thanks to ice and Aleve. I went to the symphony with Dan for a performance of Mozart's symphony no. 39. It was excellent as usual. As Sunday came around I looked forward to what is quickly becoming a weekly appointment. Brunch at LOLA. We discovered LOLA one Saturday afternoon in late summer. We sat on the patio where you can get a pretty good view of the city. Several visits later, we have managed to sample several things from their brunch menu, as well as their happy hour menu which they have every weekend from 2-5pm. While our selection may vary from week to week, the constant has become the guacamole, which they make right at your table. Here's my "nontraditional" take on guacamole. Serve it with a bowl of chip and an ice cold Corona or margarita on the rocks...the perfect Sunday afternoon.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

1 - 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

zest of one lime

juice of two limes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

cilantro (optional)

Place the chopped avocado in a bowl and lightly mash. Add remaining ingredients and continue to stir until mixture is combined and there are no longer any large chunks of avocado. Serve with chips.