My quest for creamy hummus is over!

I have been searching for a creamy hummus. I sometimes forget how simple a search can be..............using an incredible little search engine called Google!! So, I decided to google creamy hummus, and found one for roasted garlic hummus. I decided to make my own hummus using a combination of these two recipes, one from allrecipes.com and one from recipezaar.com. You can find the original recipes by clinking on the links below. Here is what I came up with from the above sources! It is creamy and tasty. I have found that the key to making it creamy is the addition of the warm water. Enjoy!


Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
(source: www.recipezaar.com and www.allrecipes.com)

4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon (juice juice of 1 lemon)
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup olive oil (plain olive oil, NOT extra-virgin olive oil. In my opinion, the flavor of EVOO is not meant for this dip)
1/4 cup warm water1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil ( I did not have fresh, so I used 1 1/2 Tbsp of dried Basil)


Place garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Pour in the garbanzo beans and 1/2 cup olive oil; process until smooth again, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add water to hummus through the opening in the top of the processor. Once smooth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, and pulse until they are incorporated into the hummus. Finally, add the basil.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour, to allow flavors to blend. Serve with vegetables, pita chips and/or pretzels.
I am so excited that my quest for a great, creamy hummus has come to an end. I was not expecting it to be so soon. Now, on to another challenge in the kitchen..............

Our favorite banana bread/muffins!

This is just a very basic recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. It is sooooooo good. I usually make a banana bread, but now that I am really trying to cut back on my total calories, I thought muffins would be a better idea.


Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar (I used Splenda instead, to make it a bit more healthy)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) (I did not use nuts)

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups, and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, bananas, Splenda, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in nuts, if desired.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 10-12 muffins.

We love Hummus!!

My husband and I are from New England..........most recently Boston. We love hummus and anything really! Hummus and carrots, hummus and pretzels, etc. Our favorite hummus is a brand called Joseph's, and more specifically, their Sun-Dried Tomato Basil hummus. We have tried a lot of different brands of hummus, and Joseph's is our favorite because it is so creamy.

Well, since we have moved to NC almost 2 years ago, we have been Joseph's- less because we cannot find anyone down here that sells it. We have tried other brands down here, and no luck in finding one close :-(

So, I figured I would take on the challenge of trying to make a hummus like Joseph's. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. My first attempt was not successful :-( The taste of this hummus is excellent, but it is very pasty and definitely not creamy.

So, my quest continues...........


Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus


4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Place garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Pour in the garbanzo beans and 1/2 cup olive oil; process until smooth again, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once smooth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, and pulse until they have been chopped to very small pieces and are incorporated into the hummus. Finally, add the basil, and pulse a few times until mixed in.

Spread the hummus into a shallow serving dish, and make a few decorative grooves on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Mmmmmmm, Pork Chops!

I love pork chops! It was my staple meal in college......pork chop, apple sauce (can;t have pork without applesauce )green beans and a baked potato! Yum! So, I was whipping up a last minute pork dinner, and realized...........no applesauce :-( So, I fished around on allrecipes.com and came up with this. It was sooooooo good. This will be in our semi-regular rotation! I may add actual pineapple next time, but wanted to try making it exactly as the recipe directed, just to see what it was like!



Pineapple Pork Chops

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless pork chops
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup pineapple juice

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and brown the pork chops about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chops from the skillet, and set aside.

Mix the chicken broth, soy sauce and vinegar into the skillet, and bring to a boil. Return the pork chops to the skillet, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F . Remove chops from the skillet, reserving broth mixture, and set aside.

In a bowl, blend the brown sugar, cornstarch, and pineapple juice. Mix into the skillet with the chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil. Serve with the cooked pork chops.

Holy Chocolate Batman : - )

I have been wanting to try the oreo truffles! Wow- were they chocolatey! They were good, but a bit rich and chocolately for me. I did like the texture of them better the next day. However, they wen over very well and everyone loved them! I will try them again, but I will attempt to make them with more cream cheese, or even the condensed milk version.


Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, finely crushed (3 cups)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 1-inch balls.
Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
Refridgerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

My first Rachel Ray recipe!

So, I was catching up on a lot DVR'd cooking shows on our Christmas vacation, and came across this Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup". I am not huge fan of RR (I actually find her quite annoying, with the whole evoo and "stoup") but she has some great recipes! So, when I saw the episode with this recipe, I immediately had a craving for it!

It is as good as it looked on the show! I did modify it quite a bit, because of DH's dairy allergy. Instead of meatballs, I just sauteed the ground turkey in a pan, and added it to the pot. I also added stewed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. My version is a bit thick, like a stew. I would probably eliminate the carrots next time...........we are not fans of cooked carrots. The original recipe can be found on foodnetwork.com; click on the link below. I am posting my lactose free version.

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup"


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil. Then bring to a simmer.
While soup simmers, saute ground turkey in a pan; scramble. When fully cooked, add scrambled turkey to pot. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender. Stir in basil and parsley
Remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve with bread, if desired.

The best cookies EVER!!!

I am part of a cooking board on Thenest.com, and this recipe is all the rave on this board! I have heard a lot about these cookies since I have been visiting this board, and they definitely live up to all the hype!

There is nothing healthy about these cookies, but they are work every bite!! I followed the recipe exactly. I did find that the bigger the cookie, the chewier the cookie was. From my experience, the larger size definitely contributes to the cookie being, and staying, chewy!!


Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Little Pieces of Chocolate Heaven!

When I saw these bars on the foodnetwork.com's list of top cookies in 2006, I knew I wanted to try them! They are super rick, but sooooo good. They really not as complicated as they sound. The most time involved is melting the chocolate. They were huge hit. When reading some of the reviews, I agree that I many try using some peppermint oil or extract in the top layer of chocolate, just for an extra little yum!

I couldn't find chocolate wafer cookies, so I used 1 package(19 full crackers) of chocolate graham crackers.


Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars

Crust:

20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans
1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (see Cooks Note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil. The foil is really important. I was reluctant, but it is really the only way to get the bars out of the dish without destroying them!!

For the crust: Process the chocolate graham crackers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more.

Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

(The picture below shows how the edge cooks nice and puffy, but the middle is still wobbly)

For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.

(After reading a lot of reviews, I decided to place my dish in the freezer 2-3 hours before cutting them and getting them ready for the party. A person mentioned they did this because when the glaze hardens, the center stays real soft. When this person went to cut the dish into bars, they had a problem with the center oozing out. If you freeze the dish and use a warm knife to cut through the bars, there is little problem with this. You still have to be real careful with the center oozing, and my glaze cracked a bit on top, even with my warm knife. After trying this, I would not recommend freezing the dish is the white streaks that formed on the glaze when I froze it. I will skip the freeing next time, and see how it goes, for aesthetic reasons :-) )

Lactose-Free Chocolate Chip Bars

My poor husband is severely lactose intolerant. He cannot have butter, milk, cheese, or anything related to any of those. He cannot even have milk derivatives without having symptoms :-( But, I have made it one of my missions in life to find him some yummy sweets he can eat!

I found this recipe on ThatSweetAng's website, and the original source is www.verybestbaking.com I took this recipe and made some changes. I usedOrganic Smart Balance whipped buttery spread instead of butter. Most chocolate chips have milk (or some form of milk) in them, so I used Bakers semi-sweet chocolate baking bars instead of chocolate chips. And I omitted the nuts. With the substitutions, they turned out ok. I still might try to play with it a bit.........seemed like it might be missing something. And I never thought I would say something had too much chocolate, but I could cut back on the amount in this. Not sure if there is a difference in using the squares............again, may need some tweeking. But DH loved them...........so, success!!

Here is my version of the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Organic Smart Balance buttery spread, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups Bakers semi-sweet baking chocolate squares, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Chop chocolate bars into bit size pieces. I used a large chef's knife and a cutting board......no problems!

Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl; Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat buttery spread, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chopped chocolates. Spread batter into a greased 13"x 9" baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 mins, or until the top is golden brown. Enjoy!!

Tourtiere

My husband is French-Canadian. His father was born in Canada and his grandparents only speak French. His grandmother makes real French meat pie, and my husband LOVES it. He is not close to this grandmother, but he does want to get her meat pie recipe at some point. Until then, I have been trying different recipes to see if we can get close something close to the taste of her pie. He said this was close. I was not a huge fan of the sound of a meat pie, and meat with cinnamon and nutmeg??????? But this is really good!


I used this meat pie recipes from allrecipes.com as a starting point, but made a lot of changes. Unfortunately, my husband does not like onion, so I had to omit the onion. I did use onion powder, which did do the job, but I may try a Lipton onion soup mix next time.

Tourtiere (Meat Pie)
3 medium potatoes
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground hamburger
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
(or, instead of individual teaspoons of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, you can use 3/4 teaspoon of allspice)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 box of Pillsbury pie crusts (2 crusts), room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the potatoes in preheated oven for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until softened. Allow about 30 mins for potatoes to cool. Then, peel potatoes and mash them in a bowl.

Place mashed potatoes, ground pork, ground hamburger, all spices, and chicken broth in a fry pan. Simmer all ingredients for about 1 hour.


Line the bottom of a pie dish with one of the pie crusts. Place meat filling in crust and cover with remaining pie crust. Place cuts in top crust to vent.




Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

The Infamous Crack Dip

Or, as I have renamed it........the O.M.G dip, because that is all I kept saying it at I shoveled this into my mouth! Soooo good. I had never poached chicken before this dish, and I was a bit skeptical about doing it. But, glad I tried it out, because it is definitely not what I thought it would be.

I frequent a chat room on www.thenest.com, called What's For Dinner. It is a bunch of newlywed ladies all over the world who love to cook, bake and talk about food. We love to share recipes, and I have found so many recipes I want to make, and this is one of them! This said chat room is probably not the best place for someone like me, with a food obsession and all, but I love it!

This dip was so good, and very popular! Everyone loved it and everyone asked for the recipe. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, before everyone started inhaling it. But I will definitely be making it again, so i will update this with a picture when I make it again!

I used the basics from this recipe, from allrecipes.com, making quite a few changes. I did not want it to be very spicy, so this recipe is perfect for those who do not need really hot wings. Just enough to be buffalo wing-like with a bit of a kick, but not too much that you cannot enjoy it!!


Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (see preparation below)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

I poached 2 chicken breasts (a 1 lb package of chicken breasts) in 1 1/2 cups of white wine, 1 1/2 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. I boiled the chicken in the above mixture for about 25 minutes. I set the chicken on a platter and let it cool. Then I shredded the chicken in a bowl.


Mix cream cheese and Frank's Red Hot until well blended. Then add the blue cheese dressing, chicken and 1/2 cup of the cheese to the mixture; mix well. Spread mixture on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top.

Place baking on a cookie sheet prior to placing in oven. (This is so the cookie sheet can catch any cheese that may bubble over the side of the dish). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with celery sticks and tortilla chips. Enjoy!!