Hummus wannabe
Is it really hummus if it doesn’t have chickpeas/garbanzo beans?
I vote yes! Especially when you’re subbing them out for good reason, such as, for LUCK!
This is the second appetizer and the second recipe using black-eyed peas for the Friday the 13th Dinner Party. As a reminder, 1-pound of dried black-eyed peas makes enough cooked peas for both this hummus and the salsa.
May 18, 2016 1 Comment
super hummus
Before I post the final recipe from our Spring Reunion Dinner, I want to acknowledge that today would have been my mom’s 81st birthday. She passed away this past August after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. I wasn’t posting at the time, taking a break while preparing for Marissa’s wedding, but I remember her today. Happy Birthday, Mom. xoxo
Along with the Fresh Fruit – Smoked Salmon Spread, I served this “super hummus” as an appetizer to go with Lori and Jonathan’s super cocktails.
You can use store-bought hummus or any hummus recipe you like and then “pump it up” with these toppings. I’m linking you with what I made, which is my favorite hummus recipe, it begins with dried chickpeas.
We enjoyed the appetizers and cocktails on the front porch. I’ll share more about the “Spring Shutter” sign later in the week. Photo credit goes to Lori Vento for the two photos above.
March 8, 2016 1 Comment
more TJ’s
I am quite sure you really do not need a recipe for a sandwich…but all of us get into ruts with what we eat. Next time you walk through the aisles of your Trader Joe’s, mix it up and think of new things to use to make a quick simple meal. Start with the bread; pick out something new, something other than the standard baguette or French bread. Look around, there is ciabatta, focaccia, brioche, and all sorts of things to try!
Then go to the produce area and pick out a bag of greens you haven’t tried before. While in produce; snag a couple of heirloom tomatoes, an avocado, a cucumber, or an Asian pear. Go down that lovely long aisle that is full of olives, sun-dried tomatoes, tapenade, mustards, olives, pickled this and that, and various flavored mayo jars, and grab a few things new to you.
Then head over to the coolers and pick out one of the dozens of cheeses you haven’t tried or had in a while; Fontina, smoked Gouda, Manchego, mozzarella-prosciutto cheese roll, TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar, goat cheese, or just a nice sharp cheddar. Next to the cheeses are all sorts of sliced meats, although, with all the flavors you have in your basket by now, you don’t really need meat for a great sandwich!
Be sure and grab a nice bottle of wine or two and a package of pasta (you’re going to need that to make a second meal with all the odds and end you are sure to have left, after making sandwiches!). And stroll down the freezer section, pick up a package of those handy cubes of frozen minced garlic and other convenient cooked and frozen items (such as the chicken strips used for this particular sandwich). Once you are finished filling your cart, go stand in the long lines of other satisfied shoppers and be ready to pull out your reusable bags to help the cashier bag up your groceries. It brings me to the brink of insanity when I watch the guy or gal in front of me just standing there – uselessly!!!
The quantities for the sandwich below are not the amounts needed for the sandwich, but instead the quantity as it is sold at Trader Joe’s. Tomorrow, we will use the extra stuff to make pasta… if you want to be prepared to make it be sure you have on hand – or pick up – a package of spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, a mozzarella-prosciutto cheese roll, and a fresh head of garlic along with your sandwich fixings.
February 3, 2010 1 Comment
jamaican me crazy!
Finally, the last of the Jamaican appetizer recipes! I saved the best for last, this was my favorite. Caramelized onions are such an amazing thing – the transformation of the pungent and sharp flavor of a raw onion into something similar to candy – wow! The leek jam is just another form of caramelized onion, with a twist. The Jamaican sauce called Pickapeppa was found along with other condiments near the Tabasco sauce at my neighborhood Safeway grocery store. It was the first time I purchased or used it, yummy! The rest of the ingredients, from the ciabatta to the Parmesan, hummus, and rock shrimp were all found at Trader Joe’s.
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February 1, 2010 No Comments
edamame hummus with monotone crudités
Hummus is a dip or spread that is popular throughout the Middle East and more recently very popular in the United States with new flavors such as red pepper, cilantro, and sun-dried tomato, popping up every day. So popular in fact, that you can find a wide variety of flavors in even the most common of grocery stores. The original hummus is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) that are blended with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Another food that has gained much popularity in recent years in the States is edamame. These two foods are some of my favorites, so why not combine them for Edamame Hummus? Another common item on any buffet or appetizer table is a crudités spread, and while it is beautiful with all the different colors of vegetables, sometimes it’s nice to see something a little different, as with this version that has a monotone color scheme of green.
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September 21, 2009 2 Comments