Garlic Hummus

I've decided to add a few appetizers to this site.

I've been asked if I have any good appetizer recipes... and guess what?

I do!

I mean, we can always use a few appetizer recipes right?

I know you probably don't make appetizers every night

But, I seem to make them at least a few times a month for different things

So, I will assume you need appetizer recipes every once in a while too

This recipe is something I make just to keep around the house.

We love eating it at any given time for a snack

It's also great to bring to a friends house to share.

Do you have a tried and true appetizer that you always bring to parties?



Garlic Hummus

 Ingredients:
2 (15 oz) Cans Garbanzo beans (also called chick peas)
1/4 C Tahini
5 cloves garlic, crushed or diced (or more to taste)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 C Olive oil
1/2 C water (approx)
1/2 Tbs salt
1/4 tsp Cumin* optional


Tools you need:
Food Processor

Directions:
Drain beans and place in food processor

Add olive oil,garlic,salt, cumin, lemon juice & tahini

Turn on food processor

Slowly add water until you get a smooth consistency

You may need more or less water depending on how thick/thin you want it.

Scoop it out of the food processor into a bowl and serve!

***Review:

MMMMM!  I love hummus... kids love hummus.. hubs loves hummus!  This one is a winner in our house.  I make it often.  I love that I can tweak it just how I want it! 

**Tips:

If you want to use the liquid from one of the jars of beans, you can do that in place of some of the water.  Sometimes I do that, sometimes not.  It depends on if I remember before I drain the beans...lol   Add the water slowly.  You want your hummus to be sort of thick... like a paste almost.  If you add too much water it will be runny and you don't want that.

Also, feel free to add more or less garlic as well.  This recipe is basically a base... so you can add whatever you want.  Some people add pine nuts, roasted peppers, eggplant, peppers.... the list goes on.  You can also leave out the garlic if you don't like it... or lessen it if you want.  I like the bite the garlic gives it.

Also, if you're trying to save on calories, you can cut out the tahini.  I have never done this, but my sister does it this way and she says it's awesome and you can't tell.  I'm not sure if I believe her or not...lol   But I think I would try it to save on some calories... also, tahini is expensive... so that's another motivator!



make sure the consistency is thick enough



How do I eat this?

Hummus is great with pita bread, flat bread, tortilla chips or sea salt bagel chips.  You just break off some pieces and dip it in!
But it's also great on sandwiches.  Hubs loves to spread some on a warm tortilla and add scrambled eggs for a yummy breakfast wrap! I've tried it... it's awesome.  My 8yr old is proud to have come up with that one.
Another idea is to spread some hummus on a tortilla, add some shredded chicken and grill the wrap. That is my favorite! 

Printable directions:

Ingredients:
2 (15 oz) Cans Garbanzo beans (also called chick peas)
1/4 C Tahini
5 cloves garlic, crushed or diced (or more to taste)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 C Olive oil
1/2 C water (approx)
1/2 Tbs salt
1/4 tsp Cumin* optional


Tools you need:
Food Processor

Directions:
Drain beans and place in food processor
Add olive oil,garlic,salt, lemon juice & tahini
Turn on food processor
Slowly add water until you get a smooth consistency
You may need more or less water depending on how thick/thin you want it.

White Garden Pizza

So I'm still in this sort of blah phase.

I'm slowly coming out of it.... I must be getting used to the perpetual darkness of the sky.

I think I'm getting back into the cooking spirit (I hope)

Tomorrow I will be making an awesome Shrimp/Pasta dish.... so be sure to check back!

Yesterday I forgot to put something in the crockpot before I went to the dentist and ran errands

So I ended up making this yummy pizza because it's both easy and awesome! 

Also, I told the kids they could have whatever they wanted for dinner and they chose pizza.

This isn't exactly what they had in mind... but they liked it (thankfully)

I first tried this at a pampered chef party. 

It was so fun to make and even more fun to eat. 

I've made it a few times since then and always wonder why I don't make it more often

I've brought it to parties for an appetizer and it's always a hit!

I'm sure you will agree.  (unless you don't like garlic or veggies... then you might not)  :)

FYI:  It's called "White" pizza because it doesn't have the red sauce that most pizza has.

 Ingredients:

1 pkg refrigerated Pizza crust
1 Small onion, sliced into thin rings
1 Medium Zucchini,sliced
1-2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 C. Mushrooms, sliced
2-4 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 C Shredded Mozerella cheese
1 C Shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 Tbs Olive oil

Tools:
Cookie sheet (greased)
Garlic press
Basting/pastry brush (click the link to see what the heck a pastry brush is)
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Small bowl

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roll pizza crust onto a greased cookie sheet and press it to the edges

Poke the crust a few times with a fork to make small holes
Bake crust 7 minutes.
Remove from oven

Slice veggies and set aside

In a small bowl, add Olive oil and pressed garlic, stir

Using basting brush, brush oil-garlic mix onto the crust

Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly over crust
Top with onion, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over vegetables

 Sprinkle with Italian seasoning

 Bake 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown
Remove from oven and cut into wedges using a Pizza Cutter.

***Reviews:
Well, as I was making this, the kids were saying.."Maaaa---ahm"  I don't LIKE tomatoes... I don't LIKE zucchini"  And I told them they could just pick it off.  Well, they did pick it off... but otherwise they loved the pizza.  They asked for seconds.  I knew going in that they wouldn't eat the toppings.  (well the baby did... but he still likes veggies)  I LOVED it.. as always and hubs loved it as well.  There were no leftovers! This pizza has a very fresh taste to it... reminds me of summer.  I am a big fan of roasted veggies and this pizza has just the right mix.  The garlic definitely makes the veggies pop.   I would recommend adding the onions and mushrooms too... they make it even better.  But I knew my kiddos would not try it with either of those on there so none for us tonight.  Next time!

**Tips:
You can use your own crust for this if you want... I sometimes make my own.  But I find that store bought is easier in a pinch... and it tastes great. When rolling the crust out onto the cookie sheet, you can use a rolling pin.  Mine was too big and didn't fit, so I just started in the middle and pushed the dough outward (with my fingers) evenly until it reached the edges of the pan.
If you don't have a garlic press you can just dice it as finely as you can... that will work.
As for veggies, you can really use any kind you want... but I really enjoy this mix.  I would recommend that you use roma tomatoes (the oval shaped ones) because they are less watery than regular tomatoes... but if you don't have them, don't worry... just place your sliced tomatoes on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess liquid and then put them on your pizza.  also, don't even think about using that powdered parmesan cheese (the kind you put on your spaghetti) on this.... anytime I say use parmesan.. it will ALWAYS be grated fresh.. .not powdered.  Yuk!




Here is a printable photo free version of the recipe:
Tools:
Cookie sheet (greased)
Garlic press
Basting/pastry brush (click the link to see what the heck a pastry brush is)
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Small bowl



Ingredients:
1 pkg refrigerated Pizza crust (10 oz pkg)
1 Small onion, sliced into thin rings
1 Medium Zucchini,sliced
1-2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 C. Mushrooms, sliced
2-4 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 C Shredded Mozerella cheese
1 C Shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 Tbs Olive oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roll pizza crust onto a greased cookie sheet and press it to the edges
Poke the crust a few times with a fork to make small holes
Bake crust 7 minutes.
Remove from oven

Slice veggies and set aside

In a small bowl, add Olive oil and pressed garlic, stir
Using basting brush, brush oil-garlic mix onto the crust
Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly over crust
Top with onion, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over vegetables
 Sprinkle with Italian seasoning
 Bake 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown
Remove from oven and cut into wedges using a Pizza Cutter.

Dogs in a blanket. Dinner or Appetizer....with a holiday twist!

You may have made these little guys before.

This is only my second time. 

I did not know they existed a few years ago... so I'm posting this just in case there are others that have never seen them either.

My kids think this is a super fun food and I wonder why I don't make them more often.

This time we put a little twist on them. 

Not only did we make the dogs in a blanket..... we made mummies.

I have boys... boys like mummies. 

And... it is still close enough to Halloween for it to be a fun thing.

I wanted to make them ON Halloween, but ran out of time to cook at all. 

So here we are on Nov 1st eating Mummies.  

No one in this house seems to care.

These don't have to be dinner... they make a fun appetizer for a party too. 

OR even a good after school snack. 

Ingredients:

-1 pkg  cressent rolls or pillsbury cresent roll sheet (these are a new thing)
- 1 pkg mini hot dogs or sausages  or you could use full size hot dogs and adjust your dough

Directions for the mummies:

Take out two of the cressent triangles and make them into a rectangle by pressing the seams together like this

Cut strips of dough off the long side of the recgangle to wrap around the mummy body.  Start wrapping dough at the middle point of the dog to leave room for the face and a head wrap.

next wrap a piece of dough around the top leaving enough room for a face.
Once you have them all wrapped,place them on a baking sheet (or pizza stone in my case)

 bake them according to package directions (375 for 11-13 minutes)

When they come out, use a toothpick to "paint" the eyes, nose and mouth with mustard.

They are ready to eat!

Now, if you are totally not into the mummy thing you can always make regular ol' dogs in a blanket like this:

Ingredients:
- 1 pkg cressent rolls
- 1 pkg mini dogs or sausages OR regular hotdogs (adjust dough size for large dogs)

Directions for the dogs in a blanket:
Seperate dough into triangles. 
Cut each triangle in half or into 3rds.
Place dog on small triangle piece like this:

And just roll it up so it looks like this:

Place it on a baking sheet and bake according to package directions (375 for 11-13 minutes) and this is the yumminess that you should get!

Review:
We love these.  As a dinner they are more for the kids than for the adults although, our friends made them for our bible study last weekend (as an appetizer)and they were a big hit.  It's just a fun food to make every once in a while!  I'll be honest, it's a little bit of work to make the mummies... but I don't mind a little hard work every now and then.  The dogs, however, take no time at all.

Tips:
I think this is a pretty easy dish, so I don't have much in the way of tips.  If you do make them with full size hot dogs, you can cut them up into bite sized servings and serve them that way so that they aren't so big.  Or, you could add a little cheese under the dough for something different.