
Mark your calendars, because Friday, September 16 is National Guacamole Day. We never need an excuse to devour our favorite dip (sorry, hummus!), but we’ll take it. You’ve already memorized the guacamole recipes you know and love, but in honor of this sacred holiday, let’s try something a little more unique. We found 16 outrageous guacamole recipes with unique ingredients, epic toppings and out-of-the-ordinary mix-ins. Keep reading to discover how to make the most of your ripe avocados.
1. Charred Jalapeño and Peach Guacamole With Chili-Lime Tortilla Chips: Fresh diced peaches add a sweet crispness to this absolutely mouth-watering guac. Scoop it up with homemade baked chili-lime tortilla chips and you’ll be winning at life. (via Whole Bite Blog)
2. Cheesy Guacamole: Why haven’t we thought of adding cheese to our guacamole before? This rich, Chrissy Teigen-inspired dip is perfect for those midnight cravings. (via Little Broken)
3. Sun-Dried Tomato and Bacon Guacamole: Shake up a salty grapefruit margarita to go with this recipe and you’re in for a good night. Sun-dried tomatoes are its (not-so) secret ingredient, and you’ll want to put them in your guacamole from now on. (via The Adventure Bite)
4. Grilled Avocado Guacamole: If you’ve never tried grilling your avocados, now’s the time to start. It makes the guacamole texture even creamier, and coupled with smoked paprika, the taste is *outstanding.* (via Dad With a Pan)
5. Grilled Veggie Guacamole: Throw your chilis and onions on the grill before mashing your guacamole and you won’t be sorry. Doing so adds a smokey charred flavor and lessens the harshness of their bite. (via Eat Style Create)
6. Limiest Guacamole Recipe That Ever Existed: Fans of citrus, listen up. This recipe uses two whole limes to take its tang to a whole new level. Time to pucker up and get to dipping. (via Sophisticated Gourmet)
7. Kale and Artichoke Guacamole: Guacamole is already a pretty healthy snack. But when you add kale and artichoke to the mix, things get even more nutritious — and delicious. (via Iowa Girl Eats)
8. Mango Madness Guacamole: Few things are tastier than a ripe mango. Thankfully, they’re just as wonderful mixed into guacamole as they are eaten raw. Trying adding extra jalapeño if you find it’s too sweet for you. (via Get Inspired Everyday)
9. Mexican Street Corn Guacamole: Fire roasted corn, cotija cheese and sour cream up the ante in this guacamole recipe. You seriously have to try this if you’re a fan of Mexican street food (who isn’t?!). (via Celebrating Sweets)
10. Toasted Pepita Guacamole: The crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds on top of this guacamole is incredibly satisfying. Try adding a spoonful of tomatillo salsa for a bit of extra heat and acidity. (via Kale and Caramel)
11. Pineapple Guacamole: Pineapple and jalapeño are already a perfectly sweet and hot pairing. Include them both in your guacamole and your taste buds might just throw a fiesta. (via Gimme Some Oven)
12. Roasted Tomato and Charred Lime Guacamole: Putting a little time and effort into your guacamole has big payoffs. For example, roasting your tomatoes before adding them to your avocados sweetens and deepens the flavor like you wouldn’t believe. (via How Sweet It Is)
13. Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Guacamole: You might want to forgo chips and opt for a spoon to eat this guac. Sweet roasted corn and tangy goat cheese take it to a level that calls for eating straight from the bowl. (via Bests and Bites)
14. Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole: We can’t think of anything better to eat alongside cheesy enchiladas than this roasted tomatillo guacamole. It’s tangy and only slightly spicy, which is perfect for pairing with other dishes. (via Fox Valley Foodie)
15. Spicy Caramelized Pineapple Bacon Guacamole: If there’s anything on this planet that isn’t made better by bacon, we haven’t tried it yet. This guacamole is piled high with the stuff, and we’re certainly not mad at it. (via Shared Appetite)
16. Strawberry Balsamic Guacamole: Strawberries and balsamic vinegar might sound like an odd combination for guacamole, but it’s actually super delicious. Try it for yourself and you’ll understand. (via Diary of an Ex-Sloth)
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Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures