How to Upgrade Store Bought Guacamole

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Store bought is always fine! But sometimes, we can make it a little better. Guacamole is definitely one of those, especially when you can’t get your hands on enough ripe avocados to make it all from scratch yourself.

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First, you’ll start with your store bought base; then you’ll mash up some just ripe avocados (also fully ripe, totally fine). To that, you add salt, chopped tomatoes, red onion, cilantro (if you like it, if you don’t just skip it), and lime juice. Stir it all together and then add that to your store bought guac. Mix it all together!

And then we dress it up! I added some chopped onion, pickled onion, cilantro, charred corn and cojita to the top. It was SUCH a hit!

How to Dress Up Store Bought Guacamole

Course Appetizer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 just ripe or ripe avocados
  • 1/4 c chopped tomatoes
  • 1/8 c chopped red onion
  • 1/8 c chopped cilantro leave it out if you don't like it!
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 container of store bought guacamole
  • for optional garnish: chopped tomatoes, cilantro, pickled onions, cojita, charred corn, more salt

Instructions
 

  • Combine all your ingredients in a medium bowl with your store bought guacamole. Adjust for salt and lime juice.
  • Add optional garnishes and serve!

Pan Con Tomate for a Quick and Easy Appetizer Idea

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Of all the things I put together for our little cinco de mayo dinner party this weekend, the pan con tomate was one of the favorites! For good reason – the bread is perfectly crunchy without hurting your mouth, the tomatoes are bringing in tomato season, and salty, savory, the olive oil is velvety. Highly recommend. We may or may not have had these two days in a row!

It’s pretty simple to make. I recommend making the tomato mixture ahead and letting it hang out in the fridge for a few hours. Bring it to room temp before serving. You can also make it and enjoy right away, but those flavors really do develop after a bit of time.

I always laugh when Ina says “use the good olive oil!” – like, why are we contemplating anything other than good olive oil? But truly in a simple dish like this, a good quality olive oil is important. I’m a big fan of Graza Drizzle finishing oil – the price is solid and the quality is really wonderful – very flavorful. I get mine at Whole Foods!

Pan con Tomate

Perfect idea for a quick and easy appetizer or side dish.
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 12 toasts

Ingredients
  

Toasts

  • 12 slices ciabatta bread, about 1" thick
  • 6 tbsp butter (or more based on your preference)
  • salt, to taste

Tomato Mixture

  • 1 large beefsteak tomato
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 1-2 tbsp salt, or more, to taste
  • 1 pinch pepper, or more, to taste
  • 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish (optional)
  • finishing salt, like maldon, for garnish, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and oil spray.
  • Slice ciabatta and spread 1/2 tbsp of butter on each side (or more. to be honest, I just eyeballed it all).
  • Pop bread into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until bread reaches desired color (I wanted to get that rich, golden color throughout the whole toast).
  • While the bread is in the oven, slice the bottom of your tomato and grate it against a box grater into a bowl.
  • Once done, microplane one large garlic clove into the mixture.
  • Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and stir well to combine. Taste for salt and pepper.
  • Top each piece of bread with about a tbsp of the tomato mixture, top with some crunchy salt and a little more olive oil for garnish.
  • See notes about making this ahead.

Notes

If you want to make this ahead, assemble the tomato mixture the day or a few hours before and cover and place in the fridge. The tomato mixture gets more flavorful the longer it sits. 
You’ll want your tomato mixture to be room temperature, so remove from the fridge when you start heating up the bread. Once the bread is done, top with your now room-temp tomato mixture and a dash more olive oil. Enjoy! 

Peach & Burrata Salads with Rosé Vinaigrette

Now that summer is in full swing – heat and crazy storms and all – I can’t get enough of peaches, watermelon and grilling. So I guess expect a whole lot of that? The whole house – myself, hubby and Harper – were all loving this peach and burrata salad with rosé vinaigrette I made this week.

The peaches were so juicy and bursting with flavor. Harper kept running around with peaches in her hand, asking for more. Hubby and I topped some toasted sourdough with ours while we waited for dinner to come off the grill – it was the perfect appetizer.

Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce & Goat Cheese Crostini Appetizer Recipe

Can I even just tell you guys how much I love appetizers? It’s just my favorite. A cocktail party is my dream. Tapas is so much fun. I just love having lots of little dishes, especially for entertaining. My favorite gatherings I’ve hosted have been ones where we just serve picky food.

So, here’s a new idea for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table – goat cheese crostini topped with apple cider cranberry sauce!

These crostini are toasted in a pan with butter, giving them a gentle crunch with a soft middle. The creaminess of the goat cheese balances the tang in the cranberry sauce. And then, there’s the cranberry sauce. Sweet. Tangy. A little warm, with a hint of cinnamon.

Baked Camembert with Balsamic Vinegar Caramelized Figs

We’re continuing Friendsgiving week with the PERFECT and EASY fall appetizer you have to make this year, holiday or not. This appetizer is warm, and creamy, and a little sweet – but a lot good. I mean. Really good.

I love an easy appetizer that feels special but doesn’t require a crazy amount of effort (honestly, there’s only a few recipes I’m willing to make that do). But the flavors in this are perfectly balanced, with that tangy, creamy, sweetness. And literally you can put this together in 30 minutes with barely any hands on effort.

Cincinnati Chili-Inspired Meatballs

If you guys have been following for a while, you know I love me a meatball! I made a batch of Cincinnati Chili a few weeks ago – had a random craving, thanks #pregnancy, and then thought, hey maybe this would be a good meatball. I was right. And if this is sacrilegious to you, I’m very sorry.

In my defense, I’m not from Ohio, though I went to college there. Skyline Chili isn’t part of my religion, so these meatballs were super exciting for me. If it makes you mad, look away! ha!

These definitely have the essence of Cincy Chili – in fact, they have all the same spices, cinnamon and cocoa powder included. You spice up the meatballs and the sauce and I gotta tell you, they really hit the spot!

Quick and Easy Fall Grazing Board

You know how I love a good grazing board, right?! It’s the perfect easy appetizer to have when guests arrive – they’re so pretty and inviting. It’s perfect when your focus is on a meal and not a full blown dinner menu! Just grab a big platter and start filling it up!

Herlongwayhome Fall Grazing Board

Beyond pumpkins, because really, what’s more fall than plopping a few pumpkins on a plate? But beyond that, think about the colors and flavors of the season. 100% why I always go to Trader Joe’s when I’m putting together a grazing board – they have the best seasonal options!

Fall Grazing Board Details Upclose

Cumin Lime Shrimp on Avocado Toasts

Holy southwestern kick, eh? I’ve really been in a put-cumin-and-lime-on-everything. Sorry….? Not really. This is real life what we’ve been eating around here.

I’ve been cooking so much more than usual, which has been a ton of fun for me. I’ve been overflowing with creativity and recipes are just coming to me, so I can’t really complain. I’m just living for quick and easy recipes that pack a lot of flavor. I keep saying this, but come lunch time, I want something to look forward to, but I also really want it to be quick.

Oven Baked Crispy Southwestern Won Tons with Spicy Cilantro Ranch Dressing

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Have you guys been ordering your groceries since we’ve been quarantined? Or just, in general ordering groceries? Then you know the whole, put this in my cart and pray this is what actually comes, right? So, these southwestern won tons were really supposed to be southwestern egg rolls. I ordered the egg roll wrappers, but the won tons are what came.

So, before we even really get into this recipe – just know, it will work with egg roll wrappers. And clearly it works with wonton wrappers. And it’s really all just a vehicle to get that spicy ranch dressing in your mouth. You’re welcome.

Burrata and Tomato Chutney Appetizer

Now that our front porch is extra liveable space (reveal coming next week!), we’ve really taken to enjoying a cocktail and appetizer outside on Fridays and Saturdays. Trying to embrace the whole date night at home thing, which is so easy in our new outdoor space.

Last week, I made a batch of tomato chutney (which I want to put on everything right now), and toasted up some bread, served it with burrata and a glass of wine on our little porch. It was a nice change of scenery, and a fun appetizer that felt a little more elegant for a Friday night.