Cool Guacamole

4 ripe avocados
lemon juice
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
dash or so of Tabasco (as desired)
salt to taste.

Peel avocados and remove from seed.  Save one seed back for garnish.  Mash avocados with a fork until they are fairly smooth.  Mix in a squirt of lemon juice (just enough to keep the avocados from turning brown.) Mix in the salsa and most of the sour cream (reserve a spoonful for garnish.)  Add Tabasco and salt to taste.  Pour the guacamole into a bowl.  Put a spoonful of sour cream in the center, and lay one of the seeds in the sour cream in the center of the bowl. 

Fruit Salsa

1 cup of regular, mild salsa
1 apple
1 mango
1 orange
1/4 celery stalk
salt, if desired, to taste

Choose salsa that is more chunky... less saucey (or make  your own).  Peel and core all the fruit.  Dice each piece of fruit into fine, tiny pieces. Remove the spines from the celery and dice the celery as tiny as is possible using a knife.  (This recipe is not done well in a food processor - it's best done by hand.)  Mix everything together and store, covered, in the refrigerator.  This goes nicely beside grilled chicken or pork chops.  It makes a lot, and should be used quickly.

California Garlic Chicken Pizza

Pizza dough or shell (Boboli works just fine - easy way out)

cream sauce (any thick white-sauce will work.  You CAN use prepared Alfredo sauce)

Monterey Jack cheese  and Swiss cheese  (about a total of 1 cup shredded cheese)

Minced garlic

1 jar artichoke hearts (not marinated)

1 - 2 avocados (peeled and thinly sliced (may want to toss them with a few drops of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown

Large mushrooms, sliced thin (portabella mushrooms are best, but button mushrooms will work)

about 1 cup cooked chicken meat, cut into chunks.

Spread the white sauce (or Alfredo sauce) over the pizza crust.  Mix the garlic with the cheese, and then sprinkle the garlic/cheese over top of the sauce.  Top with avocados, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and chicken.

Cook about 15 minutes in a hot oven (or until the cheese bubbles)  Serve with a large green salad.

Asparagachos

8 - 10 asparagus stalks
Mexican flavored Velveeta cheese
bacon bits
1 green onion, finely sliced

Steam several stalks of asparagus.  Cut into one inch lengths.  Melt the Mexican Velveeta until smooth.  Pour over asparagrus. Top with bacon bits and sliced green onions (you can say shallots if you like).