Wordless Wednesday-Fun With Hats

Making Tuesday Tasty-Traditional Hummus

There are tons of recipes out there for Hummus. Many variations of it. This one is for the traditional flavors that incorporate olive oil, lemon, and garlic. I've been on such a kick lately, it's so yummy and a lower calorie snack! You cannot make this without the Tahini, believe me I tried. It just doesn't taste the same or have the same texture of flavor. Even worse, I tried it with peanut butter as one recipe suggested, it was disgusting! Also, if it comes out too dry or coarse, just add some water to thin it out to your liking. This is crazy easy and if you don't have a food processor, just use a blender.

Ingredients

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

Wordless Wednesday-Real Boys Swing In Girlie Swings

A pic of my little dude in his hand me down girl swing ha ha.

Making Tuesday Tasty-Herbed Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic

Every one loves potatoes right? I love them and especially in something that is considered a comfort food. I love Gratin's, not the boxed nasty Gratin that some people are used to but, the real potato and flavored ones. Here is an excellent one from Food & Wine magazine's recipe box. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 heads of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 quart half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
9 ounces aged Manchego cheese, coarsely shredded (2 cups)
5 ounces San Simón or smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a 9-inch cake pan, drizzle the garlic with the oil. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes, until tender. Let cool, then squeeze out the cloves.
Mash the garlic to a paste and transfer to a saucepan. Add the half-and-half, thyme and rosemary and bring to a boil. Simmer over very low heat until reduced to 3 cups, 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Arrange one-fourth of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with one-fourth of the shredded cheeses and drizzle lightly with the garlic cream. Repeat the layering with the remaining potatoes, cheese and cream. Pour any remaining cream on top and press the top layer of potatoes to submerge it.

Bake the gratin for about 1 1/2 hours, until golden and bubbling. Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

MAKE AHEAD The gratin can be prepared through Step 3; refrigerate overnight. Return to room temperature before baking.

Outstanding Giveaways!

Manolith is giving away a two night stay at the Stratosphere, a prepaid debit card for $100, and some hotel swag!! Hurry ends May 25, 2011.

Twirlit is giving away a prepaid debit card for $200, and some hotels.com swag! Hurry ends May 25, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday-Fun With Color

Don't worry about the tired/allergy ridden face. I was talking about the hair he he. Happy Wordless Wednesday!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GIVEAWAY!!!!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GIVEAWAY!!!!

Making Tuesday Tasty-Carnitas

I found a wonderful recipe for Carnitas. I love carnitas, the tenderness of the pork and juiciness. I love that the flavors are subtle enough to let the meat not be overpowered. If you haven't had carnitas, you're missing out!

Ingredients

4 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cups water
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 orange, cut into 2 pieces
1/4 cup pork lard or vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican, crumbled
2 teaspoons fine salt, or 4 teaspoons kosher salt

preparation

Put all the ingredients in a wide 6-to 7-quart heavy pot (don't worry if the pork is not completely covered) and bring the water to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary. Lower the heat and simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated, 1½ to 2 hours. Discard the orange pieces and bay leaves. If the liquid hasn't evaporated after 2 hours, transfer the pork pieces to a bowl and let the liquid continue to bubble away, stirring often, until it has.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Transfer the pork and fat to an ovenproof dish, if necessary, and brown the pork, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. There's no need to stir.
Carnitas keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days.


Recipe courtesy of Roberto Santibanez-Truly Mexican Photo courtesy of epicurious.com

Amazing Giveaways!

Momstart is giving away a 50 gc to Barnes & Noble-hurry ends May 19th

Mommy Enterprises is giving away 3 prizes and one of them is a 200 Amex gift card! Hurry ends May 27

Wordless Wednesday-Summer Is Here Again!

Making Tuesday Tasty-Cauliflower Popcorn

I got this off mrsdash.com but, wanted to say you can do any seasoning blend you like. I like to use the herbs de provence which is basically a good chicken herb blend with the olive oil. I CANNOT stress enough how good this tastes. The caramelizing that the cauliflower gets when toasted tastes so yummy and the cauliflower are still tender, not mushy. I'm sure I've posted a similar recipe but, it's one of my all time favorite things to snack on.

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower
3 Tbsp. (45ml) olive oil
2 Tbsp. (30ml) Mrs. Dash® Table Blend

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C).
2. Cut out and discard cauliflower core and thick stems. Trim remaining cauliflower into florets the size of popcorn.
3. Toss thoroughly in a bowl with olive oil and Mrs. Dash® Table Blend.
4. Spread cauliflower on a sheet pan and roast for approximately 60 minutes, or until nicely browned (that's the carmelization process converting the dormant natural sugars into sweetness).
5. Turn three or four times during roasting. The browner the florets, the sweeter they will taste. Serve immediately.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mama's I know and love. I hope you are having a relaxing, lovely day!

Cool Giveaways!

Thoughts Of A Mommy is giving away a Quinny stroller in black...woot! Hurry ends May 13, 2011.