A big bowl of guacamole sat on the table for less than an hour before it was nearly gone—scooped clean by family gathered around a sun-soaked Pioneer Day pool party, the kind where chips keep crunching, kids keep laughing, and someone always says, “Wait, who finished it already?”
In Utah, July 24 isn’t just another day on the calendar. It’s Pioneer Day—a holiday that many Utah families grow up celebrating with the same excitement and traditions as the Fourth of July.
For me, Pioneer Day always felt like a second Fourth of July. There were fireworks, family gatherings, bike parades (like the one pictured above from 1986-ish--I'm the one with red hair and the awesome banana seat bike) and of course plenty of food.
This year, I brought a big bowl of homemade guacamole to our celebration. We had about 20 people, and everyone got some—which is always the sign of a successful party recipe. By the end of the gathering, the bowl was nearly empty.
And of course, I meant to take a photo… but it didn’t last long enough.
So instead, picture this: a thick, chunky scoop of guacamole resting on a crisp tortilla chip—bright green avocado, flecks of red onion, little bits of jalapeño, and a squeeze of lime catching the light. The kind of bite that disappears the second it hits the table.
Disappearing Guacamole
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, carefully stemmed, de-ribbed, and de-seeded, then finely diced
- Juice from 3 fresh limes
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste if needed)
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½–⅔ cup sour cream
- 6 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
Instructions
Add the diced red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, salt, pepper, and sour cream to a large bowl.
Add the avocados and use a large fork to gently mash everything together. Don’t make it completely smooth—leave some medium-sized chunks of avocado throughout. That texture is what makes homemade guacamole so good.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and share with people you love.
A Few Notes
This recipe is easy to adjust based on how many ripe avocados you have. If you’re feeding a crowd, simply add more avocados and increase the other ingredients as needed.
Whether it’s Pioneer Day, the Fourth of July, a backyard barbecue, or just a Tuesday night dinner, good food has a way of turning an ordinary gathering into a memory.
