Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I'm alive!


No, I have not died. No, I have not given up blogging. No, I have not run away to join the circus. But yes, I have been on holiday!!! 
Last year was quite a formidable year for me. The last few weeks of the year also culminated in complete work mayhem. So when the time came to catch my breath and take a few weeks of much needed rest, I quite literally stopped. I did the barest amount of cooking possible and relied on those who don't cook for a living to have a turn in the kitchen. I didn't write or take photographs. In fact I barely opened my laptop. 

I did sleep a lot, nap a lot, watch a lot of movies, read a bit, walk a bit, sun bathe a bit, swim a bit. All of this I did very slowly; very very slowly. There were, of course, many fun gatherings around my birthday, Christmas and New Years as well as friends and family visiting. My husband and I also celebrated our first wedding anniversary. So it was a time of celebration, fun, frivolity and above all rest!

As far as blog worthy topics go, I have allowed most of this holiday to fade away into a lovely satisfied blur, but the two things I am going to have to talk about are my new coffee machine and my induction hob! But not today... 

Today, I am going to remind you about that fabulous multipurpose paste of pure pleasure - hummus! I just made a fresh batch today and have been teaching it and making it for events non-stop over the last year. Kids love it, grown ups love it. It's great as a dipper, it's great as a spread. No fridge should be without it. 


Hummus
Makes about two and a half cups

2 cups of soaked and cooked (or canned) chickpeas
2 tsp of ground cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp of paprika (optional)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp of lemon zest
3 - 4 Tbsp of lemon juice
2 - 3 Tbsp of tahini
1 tsp of salt
½ a cup of olive oil
½ a cup of iced water (more if needed)

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Add as much water as needed to achieve the desired consistency and blend long enough to get the mixture silky smooth.

Hummus freezes well, so you can make extra and defrost it when needed.

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