Another Concoction

So I got the new food processor out again last night! The other day, I had bought a bunch of peaches from some guys off the side of the road. (The peaches were DELICIOUS--tree ripened--YUM!)

Last night I realized I might not eat them all before they go bad, so I decided to make peachsicles!

I peeled and cut up the peaches and pureed them. Then I decided to add a little 1% milk just for good measure. I got out my handy dandy popsicle maker that I have never used--until last night--and poured the mixture in. (I couldn't find the last popsicle stick...so only 6)

Here's the before...

And here's the after!

As soon as I got home from work today I pulled one out to try it. Honestly, it wasn't fantastic. But it was edible and tasted like peaches. My suggestion--if you make these, add some honey. Even though the peaches were ripe and delicious on their own, they just needed a little help in frozen form. But all in all--a good, all-natural, no sugar added treat!

Thanks for stopping by!

New Toy, and Some Hummus! (plus recipe)

Well, well, well. Several months ago, whilst in New Orleans with my BFF Heather for our annual Christmas lunch/shop/gelato-at-Sucre' trip, I finally decided to buy some tahini. I'd been wanting forEVER to make my own hummus, but never bought any tahini because #1 it comes in such large (for me) quantities, and #2 I didn't own a food processor. (My logic--if I make the hummus and it's no good, I've got alllll this tahini left over--now what?)

(And why make my own hummus when I can buy it at any grocery? Well because most store-bought hummus, at least any I've found, is horrendous compared to the real thing).

But--I found out just prior to our girls' day that you CAN, in fact, FREEZE tahini!!  So I went for it. That was back the middle of December. Today is June 2, and I JUST made some hummus. The main reason? I just now bought a food processor *grin*

I started out with a 3-cup food "chopper" and thought that would do the trick. It did, but it did not get the chickpeas all smooth and creamy, and gritty hummus, although tasty, just does not leave the palette very happy. So I took it back today and bought this baby...

 

10 cups of chopping/blending/pureeing/food processing goodness! (And for those of you looking very closely, no, I did not buy the Spanish version--though I'm sure it would work the same--I just didn't notice when I took the pic of the box that I had it facing on the Spanish-language side). So when I got it home a while ago, I washed it and put the hummus in there and gave it a good whirl. And oh boy did it get the grit out! Now I have yummy, creamy hummus.

And what did I do with all the extra tahini, you ask? Well I froze it, of course. In addition to the lovely Hamilton Beach food processor, I also bought a good ole Rubbermaid ice cube tray. As it turns out, each little cube will hold exactly 2 tablespoons of tahini!

And yes, that's the brand of tahini I used--Joyva. Got it at Whole Foods. (I am just full of product placement goodness today--think I'll get some free stuff??). What I had left over after I'd made my hummus last night turned out to be 24 tablespoons. Right now, it's in the freezer, and later on, I'll put each one in a little baggie, and put the little baggies in a bigger bag to keep in the freezer until I need them again.

the big chill

So here is the finished product. Granted, it's not a very beautiful picture, and it really does no justice to the taste of the hummus, but I'll show it to you anyway...

As for the recipe, I started with just your basic hummus recipe, found anywhere on the internet if you know how to Google. I then tweaked it a little for my own taste, and you can do the same if my recipe doesn't float your boat.

So here it is. My "Yummy Hummus" recipe:

Ingredients:
1 16 ounce can of chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/4 cup liquid from the chickpeas
juice from 1 1/2 large lemons (and I do mean large)--equals about 5-6 tbs
3 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed (whack 'em with the flat edge of a butcher knife)
about 1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Now, drain the chickpeas, being sure to save that liquid. You'll need it in a minute. Then in your food processor, put the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and the 1/4 cup of liquid from the chickpeas all together. Just throw them in, there's no special order or skill required. Put the lid on your food processor and hit the puree button. Keep it going for about 5 minutes, or until it's good and creamy. At this point, you can stick your finger in and taste-test it (be sure you turn the food processor off first or you've got a whole new set of problems) to see if you want to make any adjustments. When you've got it just the way you want it, put it in an air-tight container and chill for a bit. 

I enjoyed mine at lunch today with some little baby carrots and some cucumber sticks. Oh, and I put a little spoon-full of it in the couscous I had on the side (with my Greek-seasoned sauteed fish--I don't have a picture of all this to show you, but it was yummy and beautiful).

(P Allen Smith is on my TV right now talking about berries and wearing a hairnet. Odd.)

That's about it for today, I guess. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the hummus!

My Guest-Post on The Cookie Puzzle

Well it's been a while hasn't it?!? I've honestly not been working on anything since Christmas--except for the embroidery I did for Autism Awareness Month (April) for a guest-post spot on The Cookie Puzzle.

Disclaimer: I'm going to cheat and c/p most of the post from that guest spot onto here today...so don't be too mad at me *grin*

Here goes:

I am NOT a cookier! Well, I am a cookier in that I EAT cookies…but I do not make cookies unless they come in a Pillsbury wrapper. Ha! I do, however, love to make things with sticks and string (aka knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting, etc).

I was introduced to Kim’s work through my friend Heather (she IS a cookier) who guest-posted here on the 12th. Kim was also introduced to my work the same way. And that’s when Kim practically begged me to do a guest post! (ok—not begged, but she did ask very nicely *grin*)

Kim told me she wanted to have all kinds of posts for Autism Awareness month not just cookies. So I thought about it for all of about 5 minutes and said, Sure, why not?

About 5 minutes after that, I thought, OMG. WHAT am I going to do?? So I went through a few ideas and finally settled on an embroidery pattern. So I whipped one up and that was that! YEAH RIGHT!! I honestly had no idea what I would and/or could design. But beyond that, what in the world was I going to write??

Well, by trade (I guess you could say) I am a behavior health therapist. I work mainly with adults, and I see some couples and even fewer children. My experience with Autism Spectrum Disorders is completely limited to what I learned in graduate school, which, quite frankly, is not a whole lot! Thankfully, there are therapists out there that do know more than me, and they choose to work with kids with developmental disorders. Those are some special people—both the kids and the therapists!

Now I could go through some of the statistics about Autism, but seeing as how this is the 18^th of April, and I’ve read the other posts before mine, I know you’ve already seen all of those. So I’ve decided just to share the quote that is on the embroidery I did, because it sums it all up in a nutshell if you ask me.

Don’t underestimate persons with Autism,

try to understand.

--Joell @ Red Van Ramblings

Understanding—that is what kids with Autism need. That is what their families need. They don’t need judgment or ugly looks when their child “misbehaves” or doesn’t “act right.” They don’t need criticism for not being “good parents.” They don’t need insincere pats on the back or empty platitudes. They need understanding, compassion, and caring. Hopefully Kim’s month-long Autism Awareness guest blogs will inspire us all to be more understanding and compassionate.

Now, without further ado, here is my contribution to Autism Awareness Month. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy One-Year Blogiversary to Me!

Wow! It's been a whole year since I started my little blog, and while I haven't written a lot of posts...I'm surprised that I've written as many as I have!

Unfortunately, I have absolutely nothing to post about today!!! Sad, I know. Pathetic, really! Ha! But, I do happen to have a new picture of my beautiful Jude. So I'll share that with you.

Isn't he so pretty? He was out there by our pecan tree for about 20 minutes, just sitting and watching birds on the back fence. And no, he didn't bring any inside for me. It's been quite a while since he's done that (see here), thank goodness!

Well, I guess that's all for my completely uneventful blogiversary. I don't even have any confetti to throw. But maybe later I'll go get a cupcake *grin*

Thanks for stopping by!