Mom Falone's Hummus

Thanks to our friend for allowing us to have his mom's fantastic hummus recipe!

Mom Falone's Hummus (with roasted garlic)

3 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 T. Tahini (sesame paste)
3 T. water
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 c. olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, crushed/pressed*

In food processor (or blender) start with chickpeas, then add remaining ingredients. Pour onto serving platter and drizzle with more olive oil. Serve with pita bread.

* I substituted several cloves of roasted garlic


Roasted Garlic

1. Break up 1 full head of garlic into separate cloves. Do not peel them.
   
2. In baking pan, drizzle cloves with olive oil and salt, if desired.
   
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, check to make sure they're not getting too browned, continue baking for 5 minutes if they are not soft.
   
4. Once garlic is softened, allow to cool. Press with your fingers and the roasted garlic paste will kinda ooze out. Looks a little gross, but tastes heavenly! The flavor will be a milder, sweeter garlic.

Pita Bread (Easy!)

1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix
1/2 c. hot water
1 T. olive oil
extra flour for rolling dough

1. Mix Jiffy and hot water with olive oil in mixing bowl. Allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 8 equal sections; roll each into a ball.
   
3. Roll each ball flat with a rolling pin into a round mini-pizza-like shape. Thickness of dough will depend on your preference; thinner will result in a crispier pita and thick will be more tender/chewy.
   
4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Cut into wedges and serve with hummus.
   

Homemade Schnapps

This was Casey's Saturday project. I think he had fun doing this, and it has been a long time coming. Uncle Keith lives back in Casey's home town in Iowa, and we don't see him & Aunt Diann (a.k.a. "Sarge") very often. Thanks to cousin LeAnn for sending us the recipe again!

Uncle Keith's Homemade Schnapps

1/2 gallon water
3 1/2 c. sugar
Bring to boil—stir until clear.
Let cool for approximately 5 minutes.

Add a pint of Everclear and 1 oz. pure peppermint extract.
Add 1 cup of top-shelf vodka.

Peppermint

Options: Substitute the peppermint with either vanilla (to taste) or cinnamon.

Vanilla

random amusements

This is the patio set that we ended up getting. Of course, it was at the last place we shopped. I'm very happy with our selections and the price.

Patio Furniture Shopping

We went everywhere. And I do mean everywhere! But we found this set and considered it to be the best quality and for just the right price. The chaise lounge you see below isn't the one from our set, but it's very similar. We'll pick it all up from the store this week...

Yeah, I know those cushions don't match!
They don't come with the set, so we still need to go shopping for ones that we like.

List of where we shopped:

1. K-Mart
2. Meijer
3. Sears
4. Target
5. Home Depot
6. Walmart
7. Sam's Club
8. Lowe's
9. Costco
10. American Sales
11. Great Escape

random amusements

Patio Progression...












Many thanks to Craig and Matt for a job well done.

Tony's Thai Salad

This is another fine recipe from our good friend Tony. It has been a while since he first made this for us, but I did get the recipe from him. I have used it several times, and it is always a hit.

Tony's Thai Salad

For the salad:
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 c. shredded carrots (measured as shredded)
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles (dry, minus the flavor packet)
2 green onions, minced (optional)
1/2 c. toasted almonds (optional)

For the dressing:
1/3 c. cider vinegar –OR- rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. canola oil

1. Prep vegetables and put them in a LARGE bowl.
2. Smash Ramen noodles in their unopened packages (if you went to college, you are probably already familiar with this practice, eh?), careful not to rip open package and rain Ramen noodle bits all over your kitchen. Add them to bowl.
3. In separate mixing bowl, add vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve. (I had to heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave.) Add in other dressing ingredients and whisk to blend well.
4. Pour dressing over veg-noodle mixture, and slowly turn and stir to mix. My grandma always told me, "there's no need to hurry—it isn't a race." Remembering Grandma's words will keep you from spilling or flipping the contents of the bowl onto the counter or the floor.
5. Taste it and see if it needs more salt. Season to taste.
6. Let this salad stand in the fridge for about an hour before serving. As you may already know, some things taste better once they've had a chance to sit and blend a little, especially when you're dealing with cabbage.

OTHER OPTIONS:
Add some finely diced or shredded cucumber.
Add a small can of crushed pineapple.
(I've tried both in the same batch, with great results; it adds to the sweet-n-sour taste and the crunchiness.)

Bananas Foster Trifle

Because my Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie didn't turn out perfect, I decided to make another attempt in the form of a trifle. This turned out fantastic and everyone loved it!

Bananas Foster Trifle

2 pkgs. ( oz.) INSTANT vanilla pudding
4 c. milk
1 box ( oz.) vanilla wafer cookies (you won't use it ALL)
4 medium, ripe bananas, sliced
2 c. Cool Whip
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping

1. Mix milk and pudding in a large bowl with a whisk. Put in fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes or so.
2. Meanwhile, into another bowl, slice bananas. Set aside a few slices for garnishing the top of the completed dish.
3. Add caramel topping to bowl of sliced bananas, and stir well to coat pieces. Set aside.
4. Take chilled pudding out of fridge and stir in Cool Whip. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of pudding and set aside in a small bowl. (this will be your top layer.)
5. In deep glass serving bowl, or trifle bowl, make a layer on the bottom with about one cup of pudding. (you don't need that much on the bottom.)
6. Layer cookies on top of pudding—it does not have to look perfect, just do it!
7. Drop about 1/3 of the banana pieces on top of cookies.
8. Repeat layer: pudding/cookies/bananas two more times.
9. Top with reserved 1 1/2 cups of pudding, then layer Cool Whip on top of that.
10. Garnish with banana slices and drizzle with caramel topping.
11. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. It's actually better if it has some time to sit, even overnight in the fridge is fine. Serve by digging in with a large serving spoon, putting heaping gobs into clear bowls for added impact. Mmmmm...
    

NOTES: This dish, and ones like it, get easier to make once you try it and kinda "get the hang of it." It isn't an art form or anything, but after you've done it one time, you understand the distribution of the layers and how the end result will look.
I encourage you to be creative and try different flavored puddings and fruits. I have also made this with cheesecake pudding and pie fillings to make it red/white/blue and used cubed poundcake in place of the cookies.
The possibilities are endless!!!


Resources:
Anchor Hocking Trifle Bowl $9.99

Related:
Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie

random amusements

Pseudio

Well, it's not a patio...it's a pseudo-patio...a pseudio. (SUE-dee-oh)

No, not like the Phil Collins song; that was Sussudio.


We're planning on putting in a concrete slab in the back, and above you see Casey measuring out the proposed dimensions. I think it's like 20' x 23' or thereabout.




We set up the table and chairs to give us some perspective with regards to how eventual outdoor furniture would fit, and still allow you to scoot you chair back from the table without tumbling over backwards. I thought that that might be amusing to watch. But Casey was concerned that someone could get hurt. Spoil my fun. [humor]


Our friends who live in that green house you see in the background (above photo) came over to help us do a test run of sitting outside drinking. They did a fine job, lemme tell ya!

When the project is done, I'll post the "making of" photos and the finished product. I'm happy that we're finally getting this done, after being in the house for two years. Next year, I get my garden no matter what!!!

Now all I have to do is find a table and chairs that we like...we are open to suggestions. End-of-summer clearance sales are my friend!


NOTE: You can click on the photos to get a better look at them; then hit the "back" button on your browser to go back.

random amusements

Dinner Dice

This is brilliant! Dinner dice! You roll the dice to see what you're going to make for dinner tonight!
I don't know about you, but even with this foodblog as an ongoing project—or maybe because of it!—I have a hard time deciding on what to cook for dinner.

My options are usually limited to end-of-week, we-need-to-go-grocery-shopping food items that didn't yet get consumed. I take stock of the pantry after determining what hasn't gone bad in the fridge.

So, I guess this "game" would not necessarily be practical for me unless I sneak over to pilfer from my neighbors' garden. (We STILL don't have anything more than a few tomato plants! Grrr!) Maybe you roll the dice and then go to the store, huh? Sounds reasonable.

I may end up creating my own set of "dice" using scrap pieces of wood that…hey! Uncle Kevin might have some! We shall see…


Linky:
what to cook? dice set

random amusements

August = Chocolate Pie Month

I've made a decision. August will from now on be known as Chocolate Pie Month.

Don't argue with me. Don't even think about trying.

Throughout the entire month of August, I will be making many forms of chocolate pies, tarts, flourless cakes, and whatnot. Anything that I determine is "close enough" will be featured in this category.

I also encourage you all to make chocolate pies in the month of August. C'mon, it'll give you a purpose—a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Now you have something to look forward to. Aren't you happy?!


Related:
Mocha Custard (Pie)

Marble Cake in Cat Pan

Okay, I know this is just too darn cute, so I had to share the photo!

All I did was take a Duncan Hines marble cake mix and put it in my cat cake pan, to make it look like a calico cat.

You can't quite tell from the photo, but there are actually two different chocolate patches. One is the regular cocoa batter from the package of mix. The other is batter with Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder and about 2 heaping teaspoons of raspberry jam mixed in. It didn't have enough raspberry flavor, so I'll have to tinker with that concept a little more next time.

random amusements

Creepy Skulls Family Lounge Pants?

Family?

For the entire family? Really? LOL!

Okay, this completely cracked me up when I flipped through the Lakeside Collection catalog and found this bizarre item.

Honestly, when you happen upon a fabric with creepy skulls on it, and you want to make a quick buck, why would the first thing that went through your mind ever be, "hey, I know, how about lounge pants for the whole family?!"

Still, it was worth the laugh, I suppose. That's why I had to share. :)


Linky:
Creepy Skulls Family Lounge Pants

Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie

Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 c. banana, sliced
4 slices of Sara Lee pound cake, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 oz.) graham cracker pie crust

1. Mix together sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping in large bowl until blended.
2. Stir in bananas and pound cake.
3. Have someone taste it...
4. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.
5. Freeze 5 hours or until set.
6. Let stand 30 to 40 minutes before serving.
7. Garnish with additional caramel topping and banana slices.

NOTES:

• This pie did not set up well because I didn't have it in the freezer long enough before serving, and that was a BIG mistake.
  
• Also, I think I should have used an electric mixer to beat the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping so that it would maybe fluff up some more.
  
• And don't let your Cool Whip get too warm—I think that was also a factor in the lack of volume in this pie.
• I would also suggest putting the mixed ingredients into the fridge or even the freezer prior to filling the pie crust, to help it set up partially, and build more volume.
• Another option I thought of was to saute the bananas in the caramel sauce before adding them to the pie, but you'd have to be sure to let them cool off first.
  

Niçoise salad w/ Salmon

This was dinner tonight—it was fantastic!!!

Niçoise salad w/ Salmon

2 (4 oz. each) salmon fillets
4 t. molasses
dash of chili powder
dash of salt
2 c. mixed greens salad
4 to 6 small red potatoes, boiled
1 c. fresh green beans, steamed
1 (14 oz.) can mushrooms (or fresh, of which I didn't have handy)
2 baby zucchini, peeled & cut into matchsticks, then sautéed
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced

1. Tear off two equal pieces of heavy-duty foil. In the center of each, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil. Place each salmon fillet in on top of oil, then spoon 2 teaspoons of molasses to cover the fish. Dash with salt and chili powder, and seal packets by folding up edges.
2. Prep other veggies, as directed above. This is a good dinner for the summer when you may already have some of these things leftover in your fridge.
3. For the mushrooms, I melted about a tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and then added one tablespoon of flour, to make a roux. Then, instead of using milk, I added most of the liquid from the can of mushrooms. (FYI: Had they been fresh mushrooms, I'd have sautéed them first, removed them from the pan, made the roux with milk/cream, and added the mushrooms back in.)
4. Grill the salmon foil packets over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
5. On one end of an oblong plate, create a bed of salad greens, and place a fillet on top; pour any liquid from the foil packet on top. Arrange the other ingredients on the plate in an aesthetically-pleasing way…if you can wait that long before eating…
   

NOTE: It's pronounced "nee-SWAH" in case you were wondering.

Gripe Of The Day

My cheese knife broke!!!

So I bought a replacement at Meijer, and I hate it. It looks sort of like this:

It does not work as well as my old one did, damnit. This new one mangles the cheese, rather than slicing it. The holes in the blade are too large and it sort of double-cuts the cheese as it slices through it, making a mess of the whole process. Grrr....

So now I'm searching online to try to find a knife like my original one.

Here are my options so far:

A) igourmet.com Signature Cheese Serving Knife: $9.99

B) Kitchenworks cheese knife: $6.50


C) Henckels TWIN Collection Cheese Knife: $19.99

D) Wusthof Grand Prix II 5-in. Soft Cheese Knife: $59.95


Of course I'm also going to shop around and see what Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Kohl's, and other stores have...I'm so bummed about my knife... WAH!!!