Classic Hummus Recipe

The hummus you buy at the market will never be as good as the hummus you make at home—so why do dat?

No-Frills Hummus Recipe

1 15oz can CHICK PEAS (Garbanzo Beans)
2 cloves GARLIC
2 Tbsp EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
2 Tbsp TAHINI
2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
SALT (to taste…I use about ¼ tsp)
WATER (as needed)

directions:
Drain and rinse one 15oz can of chick peas (also called Garbanzo Beans—they’re the same thing) and place in a food processor. I use canned beans because it’s easy and—to my mind—taste the same (maybe even better). Add 2 cloves of garlic or perhaps even 3 if you’re a garlic freak, but start with only 2 cloves because your friends and family will appreciate it. Add oil, tahini, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Water can be added and the amount really depends on the consistency of the hummus you’re trying to make. Start with a ¼ cup and add more water if needed. Blend ingredients until desired chunkiness or smoothness is attained.

Garnish with extra olive oil, paprika, parsley or cilantro, etc.

There’s no end to the types of hummus you can create. All manner of ingredients can be added to the basic recipe above. ROASTED RED PEPPERS make a tasty addition, especially those from a jar as they blend readily, but forego adding water since the peppers will have plenty.
Also try adding cucumber, hot peppers, cumin, dill, curry, green onions, etc.
The subtle flavor of the chick peas will pair nicely with most ingredients.

Serve hummus with warm pita bread, pita chips, crackers, or raw fruit and vegetables. It’s great in wraps and sandwiches. Hummus on a hamburger? Why not. It’s inexpensive, easy to make, delicious, and a healthy dining choice…so it’s a no-brainer, too.

Bon appétit!

Awesome Seafood Pancake

A pancake for dinner is a good idea as long as it's a cool pancake.

ingredients:
6 oz SEAFOOD (shrimp, scallops, squid, etc.)
5-6 GREEN ONIONS (cut into 1” lengths)
1 tsp HOT PEPPER (finely chopped)
½ cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
½ cup cold WATER
1 EGG (beaten)
2-3 Tbsp cooking OIL

sauce:
2 Tbsp SOY SAUCE
1 Tbsp RICE VINEGAR
1 tsp SESAME SEEDS
--optional1 tsp HOT SAUCE (chili garlic, pepper sauce, etc.)

directions:
Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish and set aside.

Cut GREEN ONIONS in half and then lengthwise, then cut into 1” pieces. Finely chop 1 tsp of HOT RED PEPPER—a hot green pepper will do—but a red pepper makes the dish look yummier (also, add a little red bell pepper for color, if desired.)

Chop SEAFOOD (seafood is ideal for this dish because it cooks quickly—use shrimp, squid, scallops, clams, etc.)

In a bowl, mix ½ cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR with ½ cup COLD WATER. Mix well until a thin batter is formed (add a drop more water if needed—the batter should be thin enough to coat the veggies and seafood thoroughly and spread evenly when poured into the skillet)

Add onions, peppers, and seafood to the batter and mix well.

Heat a skillet on MEDIUM HIGH heat and add OIL. When oil is heated, add batter and spread evenly. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the edges of the cake begin to brown—but before the edges brown, add 1 well-beaten egg to the top of the cake (tip: shake the skillet to spread the egg evenly over the cake). When the cake has cooked to a light brown on one side, turn and cook approx. 2 minutes on the other side (it won’t take long—be mindful to not burn the egg, but a light crispness makes this dish delicious)

Remove and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Bon appétit!

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

This is a tasty linguine dish for those times when you feel like rewatching The Sopranos.

ingredients:
1 pkg LINGUINE (about 13oz)
3 cans chopped CLAMS (drain and reserve liquid)
½ stick BUTTER
½ cup OLIVE OIL
½ cup chopped ONIONS
4-6 cloves finely chopped GARLIC
1 cup dry WHITE WINE
½ qt CHICKEN BROTH
RED PEPPER FLAKES to taste (2-3 tsp is what I use)
1 tsp dried OREGANO
1 tsp BLACK PEPPER
1 Tbsp PARSLEY (fresh chopped or dried)
¾ to 1 cup PARMESAN CHEESE (grated)

directions:
Open canned clams (approx. 20 oz) and separate liquid from clams. Heat a large skillet on medium and begin melting butter, add olive oil. When all is melted, add onion and garlic. Cook until garlic begins to color, mind cooking temperature to avoid burning (lower temp if needed).
Add white wine (dry, not sweet) and simmer 5-10 minutes to reduce. Add chicken broth, clam juice reserved from cans (an additional 8oz bottle of clam juice can also be added, if extra clamminess is desired). Add red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, prepare linguine according to package directions.

After sauce has cooked for 20 minutes, stir in clams and turn off heat. Add linguine noodles to sauce (don’t drain and rinse noodles, just take them right from the pot and mix them with the sauce). Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and serve (if desired, top with fresh parsley to add a little color).

And toast up some garlic bread, too.

Bon appétit!

Chicken-Pecan Quiche Recipe

Camera Girl is cooking up my favorite quiche; it's super easy and super delicious. Definitely take the time to make this crust, because it’s not much time at all, and well worth the effort! This is a great way to use leftover chicken (for best results, avoid canned chicken with this recipe—why would you want to do that to yourself?))

ingredients

Quiche crust:

1 cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
1 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE (shredded)
3/4 cup PECANS (chopped)
1/2 tsp SALT
1/4 tsp PAPRIKA
1/3 cup OIL

Make the crust first. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. Press into a 9” pie tin and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely. While the crust takes its sweet time, whip up the quiche filling.

Quiche filling:

1 cup SOUR CREAM
1/2 cup CHICKEN BROTH
1/4 cup MAYONNAISE
3 Lg EGGS (lightly beaten)
2 cups CHICKEN (cooked, chopped)
1/2 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE (shredded)
1/4 cup ONION (minced)
1/4 tsp DILLWEED (dried)
HOT SAUCE (to taste)
1/4 cup PECANS (chopped)


In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chicken broth, and eggs and mix together until smooth. Add the chicken (already cooked and chopped well); this is a great way to use leftover chicken, or simply cook up and chop 3-4 thighs, which is what we usually do. Add shredded cheese, dried dill weed, minced onion, and hot sauce to taste. Mix well and pour into cooled pie crust. Top with chopped pecans and bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. The pie will set and be golden brown when finished. Remove from heat and allow to rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Bon appétit!

Quick Chocolate Treats

Need to provide a dish for a party, but don’t have the time? Need it to look homemade even though you don’t want to actually make anything? This is a quick chocolate treat idea for lazy hosts and lazier guests. If you're going to a party or having a party, this is an easy dish to whip together with almost zero effort (the most annoying part is unwrapping the candies).

Quick Chocolate Treats

You’ll need:
MINI PRETZELS
MINI PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
CHOCOLATE CARAMELS (we use Rolos)
PECAN HALVES

directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arrange pretzels on a baking sheet (putting wax paper underneath will make cleanup a breeze). Top each pretzel with a peanut butter cup or chocolate caramel (if it was just me, I’d use only peanut butter cups, but Camera Girl likes the caramels, and it makes for a better variety if you’re making the dish for guests). Place baking sheet in oven for 4 minutes to soften chocolates. Remove baking sheet from oven and top softened chocolates with pecan halves. For variety, top some of the chocolates with pretzels. Allow chocolate to cool before removing treats from baking sheet.

That’s it! Pretzels, chocolate, and nuts…who doesn’t like that? It’s easy peezey and a great treat to serve when you don’t feel like making a great treat.

Bon appétit!

(I like pretzels on the bottom and top with a peanut butter cup in between. Camera girl likes the pretzel on the bottom with pecan half on top and a chocolate caramel in between; she says it's like one of those "turtle" candies. Pecans are okay, but they're too expensive...pretzels and peanut butter cups are all you really need, but get the rest if you're tryin' to be fancy pants.)

Spicy Fried Shrimp

I love fried shrimp, and “tempura” is just a fancy pants word for “fried”. This dish is a knock-off of a dish I love to order at a Chinese restaurant when I’m down in Tampa, but since I don’t live in Tampa, I had to figure out how to make the recipe for myself—and I’ve done it! The key is cilantro, and lots of it—also lots of garlic and a little hot pepper, too! Be sure to use a non-stick pan to cook up the spicy pepper mix, otherwise you’ll be setting yourself up for a headache and burned garlic!

ingredients:
1 lb SHRIMP (peeled and deveined, tail on)
1 bunch CILANTRO (1 to 2 cups chopped)
10-12 cloves GARLIC (chopped)
1 or 2 hot PEPPERS (chopped)
1/2 cup GREEN ONION (chopped)
1 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES (or two tsp!---optional)
1 cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
1 EGG
1 cup ice-cold WATER
frying OIL
SALT (to taste)

directions:
Chop up 1 bunch of cilantro, stems AND leaves. Chop 2 green onions. Dice peppers, I like to use 2 green chili peppers, but use whatever peppers you like depending on how much heat you want in the dish. Finely chop 10-12 cloves of garlic. Heat a non-stick skillet with 2 Tbsp of oil—definitely use a non-stick skillet!!
Add peppers to skillet and allow to cook 1 minute, then add garlic and red pepper flakes (adjust pepper flakes to taste). Cook for 1 minute and then add green onions. Be sure to keep ingredients stirring, reduce heat as necessary to prevent garlic from burning. As garlic browns, add the cilantro and continue to stir ingredients, cooking out the moisture. It’s okay if the garlic browns well, as long as it’s not burned; the dryer the ingredients get the better. Cook the ingredients down and then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Heat up the oil for the shrimp. While the oil heats, prepare the tempura batter. It’s best not to prepare the batter ahead of time. In a bowl, beat 1 egg, add 1 cup of ice-cold water, then add 1 cup of all purpose flour. Mix together into a thin batter, but don’t over mix—it’s okay if there are some lumps. Test the batter in the frying oil; the batter will sizzle and float if it is ready.
Use peeled and deveined shrimp with the tail still attached—the tail makes a perfect handle. Dip shrimp in batter and then shake off the excess. Lay shrimp in the hot oil and cook 3-4 minutes, turning once. DO NOT cook too many shrimp at the same time because they will stick together and not crisp and brown evenly. When the shrimp are golden, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel (the 1st batch I put into the pepper mix to drain).
When all the shrimp are fried, add them to the pepper mix and return the skillet to the burner on low heat. Salt to taste and toss the shrimp GENTLY and thoroughly with the spice mix. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

I like to serve this dish with sticky rice and a sautéed green, something like cabbage or bok choy. Give it a try a let me know what you think, and bon appétit!