Beef Bulgogi

I went plunging the depths of my sister-in-law Tamara's blog today to find this recipe. I just liked it that much the first time I made it, I guess, so I'll just poach it and put it here where I can quickly find it next time!

2 lb beef top sirloin, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ Asian pear or ¼ kiwi—peeled, cored and minced (not optional. This acts as a meat tenderizer.)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

4 Tbsp rice wine or Korean cooking wine

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp minced fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large Ziploc bag, combine beef with all other ingredients. Seal and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat grill pan over medium heat. Brush oil over grill pan, and add beef. Cook, turning to brown evenly, until done.

Serve with rice, wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves (much like a taco shell).

Spicy Cheese Ball

4 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
cracked black pepper

Combine ingredients and roll in cracked pepper. Chill.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

16 oz. cream cheese
3 tsp finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
or in place of onion and bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and roll in chopped nuts. Best if chilled overnight.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-6 Tbs lime juice
1 cup water
2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can diced chilies (4 oz)

Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred the chicken at about the halfway point so it can soak up all the juice.
Serve over rice.

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

My new favorite salad of all time! Big thanks to Rebecca Garrison for introducing me to it. I'd never had Kale before, unless it's the green stuff in Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana... but I think that's escarole. I guess I'm not all that familiar with my green leafy vegetables! I liked this so well though, I think I'll even grow it in my next garden!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes 6 servings

1 bunch kale (9-10 good sized leaves)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 c diced red onion
1/3 c currants
3/4 c diced apple (about 1/2 apple)
1/3 sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 c olive oil
2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/3 c gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Destem kale by pulling leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves. Spin/pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up, and cut in thin ribbons. Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, & massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes.

Stir onion, currants, apple, and sunflower seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary. When at desired flavor, toss in cheese, This salad will keep for several days and still be great!

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

1 recipe double-crust pie dough

2 1/2 pounds (about 5) firm tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 1/2 pounds (about 5) firm, sweet apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 egg white, beaten lightly

Roll one disk of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edge. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the other disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes also.

Toss the apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar, brown sugar, zest, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Transfer the apples to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover, cooking over medium heat and stirring frequently, until the apples are tender when poked with a fork but are not mushy (don’t over cook because the apples will finish cooking and softening up in the oven!), about 10 minutes.

Transfer the apples and their juice to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drain the cooled apples thoroughly in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved 1/4 cup of apple juice.

Spread the apples into the dough-lined pie plate, mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with the lemon juice mixture. Loosely roll the second piece of dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over the pie. Crimp the edges together. Cut 4 vent gashes in the top of the pie. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon sugar.

Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, about 25-30 minutes longer. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Easy No-Fail Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup Crisco shortening (butter-flavored or regular, I prefer regular)

Mix the above ingredients with your hands to form a uniform mixture.

Add 1/3 cup ice water.

Dip your hands in flour so they won’t get too sticky (although it will still be messy). Mix the ice water in to the shortening/flour mixture with your hands. Roll into a round ball (the dough will resemble a sugar cookie dough). Divide in half and on a lightly floured surface roll into two circles. Bake according to pie directions. Recommended: chill dough before rolling out.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe, adapted from America's Test Kitchen.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pound spaghetti
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, well beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano combined with 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
3/4 cup of boiling pasta water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it ripples. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until crisp. Slide the pan off the heat and set aside.

2. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the salt and the spaghetti, stirring often to prevent the pasta from clumping, and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving the 3/4 cup of pasta water, and return the spaghetti while it’s very hot to the pan. Set over very low heat. Immediately add the eggs, half of the cheese, the reserved pancetta, and any rendered fat, and toss well. Add just enough of the pasta water to make the mixture lusciously creamy. Sprinkle generously with pepper and serve at once. Pass the remaining cheese at the table.

*We prefer linguini to spaghetti in this recipe. It's Beau's specialty--I've never had to make it myself!

From David Leite at www.leitesculinaria.com.

Fresh Salsa

8-10 large fresh tomatoes
4-6 fresh serrano peppers, or a few jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
1 large bell pepper
1 lime, juiced
1 can El Pato salsa
1 can chopped green chilies
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste

Yummy!

Recipe from Mom!

Salsa (for bottling)

2 gallons tomatoes, peeled and quartered
4-6 large green peppers
4-6 large red/yellow peppers
4-6 large onions
1 bunch cilantro
2 cups white vinegar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup canning salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
3-5 chopped jalapenos (take out the seeds for less heat)


Place the cut and peeled tomatoes into a colander (or a couple of them), layering with the salt. Place the colander inside of a large bowl, on top of a small inverted dish, to let the liquid drain from the tomatoes as it's pulled out by the salt. Let drain for 2-4 hours.

In a large stock pot, cook everything together until thickened (2 hours), stirring periodically. Skim off liquid--can save and bottle it for soup base. For a smoother salsa, put it through the blender (carefully, it's hot!) in batches. Process in water bath 15-20 minutes for pints, 20-25 minutes for quarts.



Recipe adapted from Katie Christensen

Creamy Chicken with Biscuits

3/4 lb carrots, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/4 cup flour
2 lbs chicken
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 dry white wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, toss together the carrots, celery, onion and flour. Place the chicken on top and season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. (depending on the cut of chicken you're using, you may want to cut it up or plan to debone it once it has cooked.)

Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, on low for 5-6 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, prepare biscuits (recipe below).

Ten minutes before serving, add the peas, cream, and salt to taste. Cover and cook until heated through. (if the cream doesn't thicken it as much as I like, I thicken it with a little more flour and cold water)

To serve, place the bottom halves of the biscuits in shallow bowls, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining biscuit halves.

For Drop Biscuits:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk (2% worked fine)

Heat oven to 400*. In a food processor, combine first four ingredients; pulse until pea-sized clumps form. Add the milk and pulse just until moistened.

Drop 6 large mounds of the dough onto a baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

From "Real Simple" magazine

Brigham City Peach Cobbler: From The Essential Mormon Cookbook

¾ C packed brown sugar

1 ½ T cornstarch

½ C water

1 tsp almond extract

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches (or combination of peaches and raspberries)

1 T lemon juice

1 T butter

1 C flour

2 T sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ C milk

Ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

For filling, in a saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add almond extract. Stir in peaches, lemon juice, and the 1 T butter; heat through and keep warm while preparing topping.

For topping, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the ¼ C butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl combine eggs and milk; add all at once to flour mixture, stirring just to moisten. Turn hot filling into a greased 2-quart casserole. Immediately spoon on topping in 6 mounds. Bake at 400* for 20-24 minutes. Makes six servings.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

4 eggs

2 C sugar

16 oz can pumpkin

1 ½ C canola oil

3 C flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 C semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture, mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ¾ full. 400* 16-20 minutes. Yields 24.

*1 ½ cups is a lot of oil! I've reduced it to 1 cup with pretty good results. I've also tried substituting apple sauce in different amounts, but they are really best with at least ¾ cup oil.

Bethanie's Best Cookies EVER!

1 c softened butter
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 c flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 c chocolate chips / white chocolate chips / peanut butter chips / nuts / whatever you want!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add butter and sugars together.
3. Add eggs and vanilla after that.
4. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to mix.
5. Add salt and flour.
6. Add chips.
7. Put little balls on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes!

*I like with a little more salt, and my favorite chip combo (so far) is 1 cup white chocolate, 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, and 1/2 cup butterscotch. Bake for more like 14 minutes in my oven.

Bulgarian Tarator

*1 large english cucumber, or 2 small, finely diced (I like a little of the peel in mine for the green color, but take it all off if you prefer!)
*4 cups plain yogurt (quality counts, we like Stoneybrook brand, but anything with bulgaricus cultures is usually good)
*2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
*1 TBSP olive oil
*1/4 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp dried dill (or a couple TBSP of fresh)
*1/2 cup (or so) cold water
*chopped walnuts

Remove the seeds from the cucumbers before dicing. Also remove any liquid on top of the yogurt. Combine with garlic, oil, salt and dill. Add cold water until it reaches a creamy, but not thick consistency. 1/2 cup is usually enough. Best if chilled for a couple of hours. Sprinkle lightly with chopped walnuts before serving.

Chocolate Souffle Cakes

Room-temperature butter and unsweetened cocoa powder for the ramekins
1/2 cup butter
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (use only the GOOD stuff!)
4 eggs, at room temperature (important to get the right consistency)
1/3 cup sugar
3 T flour
confectioners sugar for sprinkling

Brush six 5-6 ounce ramekins with room-temp butter. Sift cocoa powder over a sheet of parchment paper, pour the powder into one of the ramekins, and turn it until the inside is coated. Pour the excess cocoa powder into the next ramekin and repeat until all have been coated.
Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a whisk or spatula until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Combine eggs and sugar and beat on high speed with a stand mixer for about 5 minutes or with a hand mixer for about 25 minutes, or until the ribbon stage: when the beater is lifted, the mixture falls in a wide band onto the surface, forming a figure eight that stays for 5 seconds before dissolving.
Pour egg mixture over the chocolate mixture and fold with a rubber spatula while sifting the flour over the mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Fold until the flour is no longer visible.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared ramekins and smooth the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 425*. Bake the souffle cakes for 17-20 minutes, until risen by almost half. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve. If you want to unmold the cakes, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekins. Turn the cakes over onto plates, lift off the ramekins, and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve warm.

Pecan Fingers

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pecans, roasted
confectioners sugar for dusting

To roast the pecans, preheat oven to 350*. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast them for about 15 minutes, or until you can smell their aroma.

Sift together flour and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, with a heavy wooden spoon or mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Process the pecans in a food processor for about 30 seconds, or until finely ground but not oily. Mix the nuts into the butter mixture until evenly distributed. Add the flour mixture and beat just long enough to eliminate lumps. Refridgerate for at least 20 minutes.

Unless using a nonstick pan, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Form about 2 tablespoons of dough into a finger shape about 3 inches long and place it on the prepared pan. When you've formed all the cookies, refrigerate the them on the sheet pan for 1 hour to harden the butter.

Preheat oven to 275*. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until pale brown on the bottoms. Let cool until set, then transfer to cooling racks or let cool on the pans set on cooling racks. Roll the cookies in confectioners sugar. Store tightly sealed in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Pizza Dough

3 cups flour
3/4 cup barely warm water
1/2 tsp active dry yeast proofed in 1 T barely warm water
3/4 tsp salt
6 T extra virgin olive oil

Mix the flour, water and yeast. Add the salt and mix, then add oil. Knead the dough with a stand mixer fitted with dough hook on med speed for about 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and passes windowpane test. Turn the mixer to high speed if necessary to get the dough to slap the sides of the bowl. You may also, during this time, pull the dough off the hook a couple of times so that the dough is mixed evenly. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to double in volume, at room temp for 1 hour, then overnight in the fridge. As a general rule, the longer it takes dough to rise, the more flavorful it will be. However, it can also be left to rise at room temp for 3-4 hours and used the same day.

Chicken Skillet Stew

1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
chicken breasts (2-3) cubed
3 T butter
1 med. onion
3 celery ribs
2 potatoes
3 carrots
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1 T ketchup
1 T cornstarch

Coat chicken with salt & pepper in flour. Brown in skillet with melted butter. Add onion and celery. Cook for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots. Combine broth, thyme, ketchup and cornstarch, stir into skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Sirene po Shopske

• 8 oz feta
• 1 tomato
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 spicy chili
• 3 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Crumble the feta and dice up the tomato, pepper and chili. Divide the feta, tomato, bell pepper and chili into three small earthenware pots ("gyuveche" pots are the traditional Bulgarian pots). Leave the chili out of any you don't want spicy. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Crack an egg into each pot, season as desired, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the egg is cooked the way you like it.
Stir the cooked egg in and serve it with some crusty bread.

Kansas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Cream together sugars and butter; beat in eggs and oil. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to wet mixture. Stir in flavorings. Refrigerate overnight. Form into balls and roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet and stamp with cookie stamp or bottom of a glass. Dip glass or stamp in sugar before stamping each ball of dough. Bake at 350* for 12 minutes.

To make tasty jello flavored cookies: omit 1/2 cup of sugar and the vanilla. Reduce almond flavoring to 1/4 teaspoon and add a large envelope of jello powder. I recommend strawberry!

Recipe from my Grandma Billington!

Fiesta Salad

Ingredients

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 bunch cilantro
2 avocados

Dice and chop tomatoes, peppers, onion and cilantro. Combine with beans and corn. Pour dressing over the top and chill. Add diced avocado just before serving.

Dressing

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne
2 teaspoons cumin
salt to taste

This recipe comes from my Aunt Nancy. With the addition of avocado, we like to call it Cowboy Caviar and serve it with tortilla chips.

New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Ancho Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• Salt
• New Mexican Spice Rub, recipe follows
• Bourbon-Ancho Sauce, recipe follows
• Sweet Potato Tamale with Pecan Butter, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan, over high heat. Season pork with salt on both sides. Dredge pork in the spice rub and tap off any excess. Sear the pork on both sides until golden brown. Cook in the oven to medium doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 12 slices. Plate 3 slices per plate. Drizzle with the Bourbon-Ancho Sauce. Place a Sweet Potato Tamale, topped with Pecan Butter next to the slices of pork.

New Mexican Rub:

• 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
• 2 teaspoons chile de arbol
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons allspice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Bourbon-Ancho Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 3 ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, stems removed and pureed
• 6 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the bourbon and cook until completely reduced. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return mixture to the pan, and cook to sauce consistency, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bourbon and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Sweet Potato Tamales:

• 20 dried corn husks
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, preferable fresh
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed
• 2 cups chicken stock or water
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large or 2 medium sweet potato, roasted at 375 degrees for about 1 hour or until soft, then peeled and flesh mashed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Pecan Butter, recipe follows

About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.

Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.

Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.

Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To Serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa. Top each with 1 tablespoon of Pecan Butter.

Pecan Butter:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Pinch cinnamon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours

By Bobby Flay at Foodnetwork.com.

Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 cans garbanzo beans, reserve liquid
  
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed is best
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  
• 1 pinch cayenne
  
• 1 pinch paprika
  
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley or green onion
  

Directions

1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add some of the reserved liquid if it needs to be thinned out. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle rest of olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Tahini is a sesame seed paste--reminds me of peanut butter. I found it in the European section of international foods at Wegmans. The jar cost around $8, but it was large enough to keep me making hummus for a few months!

Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Pita Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all purpose flour (I like to use 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups bread flour)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep. (I don't have a bread machine, so I use my stand mixer, proofing the yeast in the water with sugar first, and kneading for about six minutes.)
   
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Adapted from Peppy's Pita Bread at allrecipes.com.