Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip

Not that I think you are dense or anything, but I am just going to say it right off the bat: you need to turn on your oven to make this.  If that turns you away, so be it, but all I can do is offer my promise that turning on your oven to make this is so worth it.  

Any other time of the year, I wouldn't need to give this disclaimer, but I feel like everyone is sweltering lately.  Even living here in San Diego where we supposedly have a 'mild' climate, it is HOT.  (I finally broke down and bought my first fan!  Please don't make fun of me that I didn't have a fan before.)  You probably think I am crazy, telling you to make a Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip when your house is already a heat box, but I have to tell you, this is one of my favorite things to make in the summer.  

This dip tops my list of summer favorites because it is easy, healthy, and very quick and inexpensive to make.  So naturally, when my sister came to visit last weekend, we whipped up a batch to take to the beach.  She specifically asked me to show her recipes we could make together that she would be able to recreate back at home in Colorado.  My sister cooks, but isn't as passionate about it as I am and doesn't have a lot of time on her hands (and really just prefers ice cream and brownies), so easy recipes like this one are perfect for her.    

My sister also asked me the right way to cut an onion and other veggies, and I felt like a proud teacher with a star pupil as she sliced and diced like a pro.  

So here is just how easy this recipe is: You slice up the veggies...

Easy White Bean Spread, for a Celebration Lunch with Family

A few weeks ago I got an email from Renee from Kitchen Conundrum that I had won a copy of Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love cookbook.  Yahoo!  To enter her contest, she had asked readers to leave a comment about a recipe they love to make at home for their friends and family.  Here is what I said: 

I love making classic chocolate chip cookies – everyone always loves them and fresh out of the oven there is nothing better. I would love to win this cookbook for my mom!  **

Her question to readers was utterly perfect considering the "Big Bowl of Love" theme of Cristina Ferrare's new cookbook - the entire cookbook is devoted to simple, delicious recipes that you can share with family and friends.  Cristina describes each of the recipes in such a warm and genuine tone that it just makes you want to be home.  So naturally, her book and recipes made me think of my mom and how much she would love this cookbook.  Of course, when I actually won it I had a few self-indulgent moments paging through it and some more self-indulgent thoughts about keeping it, but in the end I gave it to my mom as a Mother's Day present; I knew she would appreciate it more than I would and it seemed like the perfect gift for her.  

But to make the gift even more perfect, I escaped home for two short days to surprise her and give it to her in person.  I combined a celebration of Mother's Day, my father's birthday, and my grandfather's 90th birthday (can you believe it!  Ninety years!) into a few whirlwind hours back in Ohio, and every moment of my time at home was precious and heart-warming.  Of course, we celebrated with birthday cakes and special dinners and lots of hugs and kisses, but one of the best times was a small, relaxing celebration lunch with my parents in our own backyard.  

I love my parents' antique-style knives.  I also love my mom's lilacs.

I set everything up so we could have a lunch that would be elegant enough to be 'special' but nothing that we would have to fuss over.  Life has been hectic for my parents (and for me) and I think we all really cherished time where we could relax, and just enjoy the pleasure of simple conversation and time spent together.  

Homemade Hummus is for Sharing

Some people are fanatical about their hummus.  On any given day, if you open their refrigerator you will find (at the very least) one round tub of hummus.  Now they may have a favorite brand or any old hummus might do, but there must be hummus.  Me?  I go through phases where hummus and I are attached at the hip, and then there are times I even forget that this versatile dip is in existence.  But when I make this homemade version?  It is always on my mind and I really can't stop eating it, which is good, because this recipe makes a lot of hummus.    

Eating hummus is a fantastic way to get protein, since the smooth, creamy facade disguises a base that is pure bean.  Call it garbanzo or call it chick pea, it will always be a bean and an easy, healthy, and quick way to load up on protein.  If you have resolutions for eating well in the new year, hummus is a fantastic choice.  As I mentioned the beans provide a significant source of protein and also fiber, and hummus is also high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and iron.  It is extremely versatile and can be served as a dip with vegetables or flatbread; take it in your lunch with some celery, cucumbers, or carrots, or serve it as part of a more traditional Mediterranean mezze platter.  Better yet, spread it on bread with some turkey, lettuce, and tomato, and you have a delicious sandwich for lunch (at least I thought it was delicious, that is what I ate for lunch today!).  

Now here is the thing: I would encourage you to make your own hummus at home for two reasons.  First, purchasing tub after tub of hummus can get pricey, and don't we all have better things we would like to spend our money on?  You can buy a bag of chick peas for about $2.  (I like Ziyad brand.  They are beautiful.)  This will make the equivalent of about 8 small containers of hummus, not kidding.  Second, you should make your own hummus because it will ultimately be more healthy.  There are no preservatives, but what I like most is that you can control the fat.  Some store-bought hummus is advertised to consumers as 'healthy' but really harbors an shocking amount of fat.  Homemade hummus has fat too, in the form of olive oil, but when you make it yourself you can control it.  

So let me tell you how to make homemade hummus.  You can eat it all yourself or share it with friends.  I would encourage sharing.