24 February 2009

"Students" Are Photogenic, Hummus Isn't

For the second time in three weeks, this morning I taught an informal baking class. The ladies you see pictured are moms from Koji's school, but for today they were my students. Our subjects today were "carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting" and "chocolate shortbread".

Both recipes were a success. The chocolate shortbread was so successful that I subsequently felt convicted to give up chocolate for Lent....

After all that baking and sampling, we probably didn't need to eat lunch, but once I suggested Pita Inn and clarified that it's a Mediterranean restaurant and not a place to stay, everyone was on board. I ordered five lunch platters, and then I saw how hungry everyone wasn't. Though the food got positive reviews, we had quite a bit left over.

So my pay off for teaching the class today was the leftovers. And I really did consider that a pay off because those leftovers became a fine dinner for us!

*rice pilaf
*beef shawarma
*pita
*lamb kabob
*diced tomato
*HOMEMADE hummus


Hummus wasn't one of the things left over after lunch, but I really wanted some for dinner and knew I had all the ingredients on hand. Carpe diem and voila, turns out hummus is extremely easy to make, and if I do say so myself, pretty much as good or better than all the store bought I've had. But as mentioned in the title of this post, you aren't seeing a picture of it here because hummus just isn't photogenic.

Hummus

from How to Cook Everything

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup sesame oil or olive oil (sesame is better)
1 small clove garlic, peeled (I used two big ones)
salt and pepper
1 T ground cumin
juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup water

Place everything except water in the bowl of a food processor. Process, then add water as needed to make a smooth puree. Taste and add more garlic, salt, lemon juice or cumin as needed. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with cumin. Serve with vegetables, crackers or pita.

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