Guacamole

Menu Roasted Fish With Guacamole, couscous scented with saffron, pan-fried zucchini with garlic, plum sundaes My husband, a college professor who loves to entertain, is always suggesting we invite people over for dinner. "Just keep it simple," he advises. Recently, he unexpectedly proposed that we ask two students for a meal. I was hesitant, but then it came to me: I could anchor the meal with an easy fish dish I had made several times before. It takes only a few minutes to assemble and needs a short time in a hot oven.

Nikki McGowan is no stranger to half-pints in the kitchen. The Howard County chef teaches kid-centric cooking classes in schools all over the region, making her a perfect fit to help us kick off Maryland Family's brand new Kids' Cooking Club. Each week during June, check the Maryland Family website for a new kid-friendly recipe designed by a local chef. Make the recipes with your child, and tell us about it (see the next page for how to join). Once you've completed all four, we'll mail your budding chef a congratulatory certificate.

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Aug. 23 with parties at its Cleveland and Annapolis locations. There will be free guacamole for everybody -- one serving for every two customers -- half-off mojitos and free branded rum snifters with rum orders, neat and on the rocks, while supplies last. It all started in Cleveland five years ago. In 2010, the second Paladar opened in Annapolis. And Paladars three and four will be opening within the next eight months in Hallandale Beach, Fla. and North Bethesda.

Willow manages to be a lot of things all at once. The Fells Point restaurant, opened in July by the team behind RYE and Stuggy's, shares its name with the graceful weeping willow tree. With gray walls, hanging lanterns and gauzy curtains, Willow's interior is in sync with the moody look of its namesake. The space - like the staff - is casual but stylish. Willow's menu, on the other hand, is full of fresh takes on Tex-Mex and bar-friendly pizzas and burgers. Flavors occasionally veer into sophisticated territory, but overall, the food is straightforward, fun and approachable.

Have a favorite avocado recipe -- besides guacamole? You could win up to $5,000 in McCall's California Recipe Contest.Recipes may be submitted in the following categories: appetizer, salad, main course, side dish, dessert or sandwich -- anything but guacamole -- and must use California avocados. Dishes will be judged on originality, taste, appearance, ease of preparation, general appeal and creativity.Last year's grand-prize winner was Salad with Fluffy Avocado Dressing, a dish that combines asparagus, pears, green beans and avocados topped with a Dijon dressing.

With two peak seasons a year -- January and June through August -- avocados offer twice as many chances for fans to enjoy guacamole, served in Mexican cuisine as a salad or side dish, or as a garnish for tacos, burritos, enchiladas or fajitas. Don't attempt to make authentic Mexican guacamole without fully ripe avocados. If they're still firm when you buy them, put them with a ripe apple or banana into a plastic bag, twist it closed, and leave in a warm place for two or three days. The avocados are ready for mashing when they feel butter-soft but not mushy.

Poncho N Pepe's is a party place. Even on a Wednesday evening, the bar is packed and tables are filled, often with large, laughing groups. Everybody, from the hostess to the waiter, is friendly. It's bright, festive, and most of all, fun. The Crofton restaurant opened in April in the space that housed Jasper's for more than two decades. Land and Sea Group, which owns Poncho N Pepe's along with several other area restaurants (including Buddy's on Main Street in Annapolis and Yellowfin Steak & Fish House)

avocado.org This site from the California Avocado Commission has ideas for Cinco de Mayo entertaining, including a "Guacamole Central" page with plenty of recipes for the holiday's ubiquitous dip. Kate Shatzkin

Willow manages to be a lot of things all at once. The Fells Point restaurant, opened in July by the team behind RYE and Stuggy's, shares its name with the graceful weeping willow tree. With gray walls, hanging lanterns and gauzy curtains, Willow's interior is in sync with the moody look of its namesake. The space - like the staff - is casual but stylish. Willow's menu, on the other hand, is full of fresh takes on Tex-Mex and bar-friendly pizzas and burgers. Flavors occasionally veer into sophisticated territory, but overall, the food is straightforward, fun and approachable.

Mari Luna Mexican Grill Lista's Southwestern Grill 2412 Mountain Road, Pasadena -- 410-437-8999 Hours --4 p.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays In and out in --6 minutes At $9.35, this was the most expensive order, but it had more chips and twice as much guacamole as Blue Agave's version. The guacamole was smooth and on the thicker side, but could have used a little more punch. Know of a good carryout place? Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.com.

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Aug. 23 with parties at its Cleveland and Annapolis locations. There will be free guacamole for everybody -- one serving for every two customers -- half-off mojitos and free branded rum snifters with rum orders, neat and on the rocks, while supplies last. It all started in Cleveland five years ago. In 2010, the second Paladar opened in Annapolis. And Paladars three and four will be opening within the next eight months in Hallandale Beach, Fla. and North Bethesda.

Poncho N Pepe's is a party place. Even on a Wednesday evening, the bar is packed and tables are filled, often with large, laughing groups. Everybody, from the hostess to the waiter, is friendly. It's bright, festive, and most of all, fun. The Crofton restaurant opened in April in the space that housed Jasper's for more than two decades. Land and Sea Group, which owns Poncho N Pepe's along with several other area restaurants (including Buddy's on Main Street in Annapolis and Yellowfin Steak & Fish House)

This is the kind of salsa I’m used to having at home in Arizona. It uses fresh ingredients and none of it’s pureed or cooked. I used to get into arguments with my Texas boyfriend about what made the perfect salsa. (He would secretly cook and puree my salsa when I wasn’t around.) Well, I think my  version is better than his. Of course.   Salsa Fresca About 1lb fresh tomatoes 1/4 C cilantro 1/4 C red onion 1 medium jalapeno (remove the seeds or start with half if you like milder salsa)

Parkton's many charms include gentle hills, the Gunpowder River, and the NCR trail. On the other hand, it's not an easy reach for distant diners with only an hour to spare. With light traffic, you might be able to pull off a round trip, with 30 or so minutes to spare for actual lunch. What kind of motivation would you need to risk going overtime? Soup 'R Natural may have your answer. 12:29 The restaurant's name encompasses three passions. First, the chef/owner, Nell Heneghan, considers herself foremost a soupmaker; second, she and her husband, Dan, strive to use sustainable, natural, local ingredients; third, it proclaims a faith evident in easily overlooked Bible verses affixed to the lower edges of the dining room tables.

Hank's Tavern & Eats is the fun beer-drinking cousin in the Chef Geoff family of restaurants, a group of white-tablecloth establishments in D.C. and northern Virginia. It opened in 2008 in University Town Center, one of those walkable developments that combine residences, movie theaters, retail shops and restaurants without feeling like a movie-set Main Street. A large bar dominates the cavernous space, and plenty of televisions along the walls are tuned in to sporting events, but Hank's isn't one of those sports bars serving nothing but gloppy dips and deep-fried everything.

The dual restaurant space at 1300 Bank St. near Little Italy always struck me as odd. When it opened, it had a Thai restaurant, Lemongrass, and a pan-Asian restaurant, Tsunami, so close together that they shared a kitchen. Lemongrass took off, but its sister restaurant didn't - probably because it was perceived as simply a more expensive version of the first place. The new owners of the restaurants (who also own Red Star in Fells Point) have taken a different approach. They have turned the pan-Asian restaurant into Diablita Cantina, a casual Mexican place that's a step up from the usual tacos-and-fajitas factory.

What it is -- A subscription-based club that sends avocado to your home every month. How it works -- Sign up for either 4- or 6-pound avocado box subscriptions for three, six, eight or 12 months. Each month, the club will ship an avocado box to your door. The packages include six-to-eight avocados, a recipe booklet, ripening instructions and optional gift card. What it costs -- $69.95-$245.95. Optional accessories -- Items available without subscription such as the guacamole party kit, avocado picnic pack, guacamole masher, avocado slicer, serving bowl, avocado oils and various holiday packages.

The dual restaurant space at 1300 Bank St. near Little Italy always struck me as odd. When it opened, it had a Thai restaurant, Lemongrass, and a pan-Asian restaurant, Tsunami, so close together that they shared a kitchen. Lemongrass took off, but its sister restaurant didn't - probably because it was perceived as simply a more expensive version of the first place. The new owners of the restaurants (who also own Red Star in Fells Point) have taken a different approach. They have turned the pan-Asian restaurant into Diablita Cantina, a casual Mexican place that's a step up from the usual tacos-and-fajitas factory.

Howard County has other places where you can get Mexican food, but a $100 margarita? I don't think so. Azul 17, Columbia's new Mexican restaurant and tequila lounge, offers more than 100 tequilas and 17 signature margaritas. It doesn't give those margaritas away, but none of them costs over $17. However, those who are feeling flush can order one of two other margaritas, which are assembled tableside: the Ultimate Margarita made with Tequila Patron Platinum for $40 or the Rockefeller Margarita made with Tequila Don Julio Real for $100.