A spoon and a fresh, ripe avocado make me a very happy girl

The fact that a box of California avocados showed up on my doorstep yesterday made me (and a few neighbors) very, very happy.

I can literally sit with a spoon and an avocado and be in heaven.

A fresh, ripe avocado is a blank slate for my imagination and gets my creative juices flowing.

There are so very many ways to enjoy avocados: with a spoon, grilled with lime and a little seasoning, in guacamole, in grilled cheese, as a garnish,  in a salad …. there’s pretty much no way to go wrong with avocados.

California Avocados are creamy, buttery, smooth, rich, and delicious.  They can be the main character, a supporting cast member, the chorus, the dessert…

They are one of my favorite foods and with May and Cinco de Mayo coming up, and the fact that they’re in their peak…. oh my goodness, y’all… the temptation to devour avocados and to make dishes that complement avocados is almost overwhelming.

Fajitas and quesadillas are the obvious dishes, seafood ceviche, margaritas, and cheesecake are a bit less obvious, but no less delicious…

Oh wait.

I’m sharing too much.

I’m giving too much away.

It’s not time for that yet…

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, and since more California avocados are consumed around Cinco de Mayo than any other time of year, it’s the perfect time for y’all to start testing recipes, and planning your Cinco de Mayo Fiestas.

Just in case you need a little  extra incentive to make something out of this world delicioso with those avocados, let me let you in on a little secret.

Shawn, from I Wash… You Dry,  and I are hosting the first ever California Avocado Cinco De Mayo Recipe Fiesta as part of our ambassadorship with the California Avocado Commission.

That’s right, it’s a FIESTA! and as with all good Fiestas.. there are some goodies that are muy, muy caliente.

Want to come to the Fiesta and have a chance at winning some great prizes?? Here are the guidelines to enter:

1. Get busy in the kitchen with California Avocados and create a Cinco de Mayo-ish recipe, then post it on your blog. You can enter up to 3 recipes, including ones that have previously been posted (as long as it has the information from #3 in it).

If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry! You can leave your recipe in the comments section for a chance to win as well. 

2. During the week of the Link-Up Fiesta (April 24th – May 8th) come back to either I Wash You Dry  or A Southern Fairytale to submit your link in the widget of the Cinco de Mayo Recipe Fiesta Contest post.

3. Somewhere in your post, please include the following, “Join I Wash… You Dry and Southern Fairytale for the California Avocado Cinco de Mayo Recipe Fiesta, sponsored by theCalifornia Avocado Commission.”   This must be included in your post for you to be eligible for the giveaway prizes, and it must link back to I Wash…You Dry, Southern Fairytale and California Avocado Commission.

4.  One of the ingredients MUST be fresh California Avocados!

The lovely folks at the California Avocado Commission are giving the Fiesta participants the chance to win over $1600 worth of prizes!

The prizes include two $500 American Express gift cards, two $250 American Express gift cards, and two California Avocado gift baskets (worth $75 each)!

Sounds like a FIESTA to me!!

Want to help us spread the word?? {cause what’s a party without friends?}

*Try tweeting something like this: “Join @iwashyoudry and @sthrnfairytale for #CaAvoCincoFiesta! Share your @Ca_Avocado recipes. $1600 in prizes. Plz RT! http://bit.ly/170DcAQ“

We’d love to see your tasty avocado creations on Instagram with the hashtag #CaAvoCincoFiesta.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!! 

The giveaway will be open to US Residents only, and all winners will be chosen using a random number generator.