Homemade Hummus and Pita Chips - an easy snack

When I was going to law school in Concord New Hampshire, one of the bars there had the best hummus.  It was super garlicky and just delicious.  Since then, I have bought all sorts of hummus in an effort to find one that came close to what I remembered, but nothing did... 

This Christmas, Nick got the new Ina Garten cookbook, How Easy is That and it had a hummus recipe we decided to make yesterday.  Turns out, hummus is actually easy to make...you only need chickpeas, lemon, garlic, Tabasco, salt and tahini past.  For those of you who went, huh? to tahini paste (like I did), it is a sesame paste that can be found in the peanut butter aisle - it really does look like peanut butter!

the ingredients

Another thing this recipe allowed me to use was a food processor.  This is another one of those mythical kitchen machines that I never had growing up so I never used one.  However, when Nick moved in, in addition to the Kitchen Aid mixer, he brought his Cuisinart food processor as well (his is very similar to this one). 


To get started, I first measure out 2 cups of chickpeas and put them into the food processor.  I had some leftover in my fridge so I added probably about a quarter cup extra to finish them off.  Then I added 1/3 of a cup of the tahini paste.  The paste definitely settles overtime and the oil separates from the paste so be sure to stir it all together so that it is smooth (more like peanut butter) before using it.

chickpeas and tahini in the food processor

I am a garlic lover so I went a bit overboard in the garlic department.  While the recipe calls for about 4 chopped cloves of garlic, I chopped about 6 or 7 cloves of varying sizes and added them to the food processor.

loads of chopped garlic

Next I used a micro plane (another Nick gadget) and added the zest of an entire lemon to the food processor.  You only need to do a few swipes in each area as you only want the nice yellow skin, not the white part below, which I guess is called the "pith."

ingredients with the pretty zest

After adding the lemon zest, I cut it in half so that I could add all the juice.  Rather than using a fork, which is what I used in the past, I used a lemon reamer.

reamer in action

This is a handy little device as it made quick work of juicing the entire lemon!  I then added about 10 dashes of Tabasco sauce.  I think Ina likes about 8, but since Nick loves spice I added a few more.  Next, I added about teaspoon of salt and some olive oil as well.  The oil just helps the consistency a bit.  So the smoother you want the hummus, the more you can add.  Then I just hit the mix button and let the food procesor motor on!

mixing it all up!

Again, these machines are pretty impressive.  As I had not made this by hand before, I was not constantly thinking about how much effort this was saving me like I was with the Kitchen Aid and the butter cookies.  I always think I am going to break these things - I have a bad track record with blenders.  There was a point where the processor seemed to be working pretty hard so I turned it off to check on it, but Nick said it was fine.  With only about 30 seconds of mixing, you were left with well mixed and smooth hummus! 

I found these mini pitas at the store to dip in the hummus.  A bit more fun than chips.  I cut them in half and spread them over a cookie sheet. 

halved pitas

Then I dribbled olive oil and sprinkled some salt over them and put them in a 400 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, enough so that they were lightly toasted.

Finished Snack!

I am definitely of the opinion now that homemade hummus is way better than store bought.  Considering how easy it is to make, it is totally worth it!  This was much closer to the hummus I remember in Concord.  It was VERY garlicky, so you may want to cut back it you are making this for a party.  But it you don't need to go anywhere, have at it!  The only change I would make would be to roast the garlic the next time.  I think that might give the hummus a great flavor - the difference between this and my favorite hummus.

Great experiment, and totally worth repeating so that you have a homemade hummus on hand all the time.

The Written Word - Obsolete?

It being just after the holidays, I can happily say that I finished my thank you notes.  Yes, handwritten notes on pretty stationary.  I am still of the belief that thank you notes should not be emailed or facebooked etc.  Also, I wanted to capitalize on all effort in finding addresses for holiday cards!   

my thank you note cards

After each Christmas and birthday, my mother would sit my brother and I down and watch us write out our thank you notes.  I think at the time they may have been on lined paper (we could not write in a straight line), which is not terribly pretty, but the thought was there!  Until those were complete, we were not allowed to watch TV or go play.  Of course they seemed like a drag, but since I now realize how appreciative I am when I receive one, each one was worth it.

Papyrus or Paper Source have a great variety of sale items that do the trick so you do not need to spend a fortune.  I keep a stack at my office and at home so I can quickly write one out when necessary.  Work is actually better for me because there are generally stamps around and easy mailing, so no excuses.

According to some, however, handwritten letters are becoming obsolete!  To me, receiving cards and invitations in the mail are a bright spot.  Otherwise you are left with bills and circulars, which are NO fun.  Granted, when having a party, evite and facebook are great.  Nowadays it seems to be the only way people will RSVP to an event.  The check of a box one way or another requires the least amount of additional thought or effort, compared to a separate email, text or an actual phone call.

While some people complain about the cost of stamps, I say, if someone took the time to buy and give you a gift, a little effort (and cost) in saying thank you is more than acceptable.  Also, forever stamps prevent your old stamps from becoming annoying to use!

Granted, the cost of invitations (especially for weddings), can get high when you include a lot of different things within each envelop.  Now you really only need a single invitation that includes the website that provides more information that you could ever dream of!  Even better, is now you can RSVP online with certain websites.  I recently did this and it was perfect.  They were able to write out the details of each meal choice, so you really knew what you were getting yourself into when you elected meat, fish or vegetarian.

This is my soapbox speech on handwritten letters.  There really is a time and a place for them.  Think about how great you feel when you get one in the mail.  I know I smile, try to guess who sent it based on the handwriting.  Really, I know that someone was thinking about me.  That extra effort (and the cost of the stamp) does make a big difference.  I know I cannot be alone in this!

Semi-Homemade by Erica

We had a holiday cookie swap at work today.  It was generally expected that we each bring in some sort of homemade treat to share.  I wanted to make something tasty but easy - I was baking on a Monday night and did not really feel like going all out.  Recently I saw this recipe on Framed Cooks and the cookies received rave reviews so I thought I would give it a go.  Framed Cooks adapted this recipe from Allrecipes.

All you need is:

• 8oz thing of cool whip
• 1 box of cake mix (I used lemon)
• 2 eggs
• about 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar

The ingredients

Art of the Americas Wing at the MFA

On this rainy Sunday, we finally decided to go to the Museum of Fine Arts and check out the Art of the Americas Wing and the rest of museum now that everything is shifted around.  I still find it odd entering the new entrance and am still a bit thrown off when I walk in.  I used to know the museum fairly well, but now I am starting from scratch!

Right at the entrance, there were a number of staff members with iPads, ready to answer all sorts of questions, but also to sign up new members.  The ticket price per person was $20 and the membership was only $75 with a free guest pass and then all sorts of good discounts on the gift shop and the restaurants.  So basically if we go one other time in the year, it paid for itself.  For those who drive, there are significant parking discounts.  So once again, I became a member of the MFA!   

We wandered around the older wings of the museum to see my favorite rooms, including the impressionists with all the Monet's, Renoir's, and Degas' ballerina statue.  I forget how striking the architecture is of each gallery, the ceilings especially.  Most are done in a way to reflect the era of the artwork of the room.  In general though, each of the galleries in the older wings felt more open.  Each piece seemed less crowded due to the shifting of all the works for the new wing.  Recognizing this, I got more excited for the new wing.

Having read all the reviews of the new wing, I wondered whether it would actually live up to all my expectations.  I can safely say, though, that the Art of the Americas Wing exceeded my expectations!  It basically took the MFA and made it a modern museum that can compete with the more popular or "famous" museums across the pond or in our neighboring city to the south.

A perfect example of this is the new restaurant in the enclosed courtyard.  The MFA went from having a great fine dining restaurant (Bravo, which I highly recommend), a crowded cafe and a basement cafeteria, to having a great alternative, the New American Cafe.  I saw this and immediately felt as though I was in the grand lobby of the British Museum!  It was so sleek and modern and still bright on such a cloudy day.  A great place to take a break and replenish after exploring!  It had just closed by the time we made it there.

New American Cafe

In a word, the new Art of the Americas Wing was impressive.  It really allowed the museum to show off paintings that haven't been seen in a long time as there was nowhere to hang them!  Moreover, John Singer Sargent and John Singleton Copley finally got the exhibition areas they deserved.  Their artwork was on display so that an actual story was told, making their artwork that much more effective.  I also did not realize what a collection the MFA had of their works until Sunday, specifically with respect to Copley.  He painted his way through the revolutionary war and captured most of the prominent figures of that time.

One of the best examples of a painting being put on pedestal in the new wing is Thomas Sully's Passage of the Delaware.  My first trip to the MFA was on a field trip in third grade.  I remember sitting in front of this painting and being impressed even then, knowing nothing!  The size of the painting and the size of Washington himself in the painting really conveyed the importance of everything going on at the time.  Of everything I saw that day (in third grade) that painting was what I remembered.  On my next visits though, he was no longer there.  It was just so large that it grew out its space and had to be put into storage. 

Passage of the Delaware

In the new Art of the Americas Wing however, there is now a room dedicated to this painting.  Even the wall colors complement the painting.  It really finally shines in its new location.  Along side this piece are the unfinished portraits of Martha and George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.  They were left unfinished because Martha Washington never really liked them.  Little did she know, that it became the face on every dollar bill!

We also lucked out as the Avedon Fashion exhibition was still there. 

I was not too familiar with the photographer, but all you need to know is he took pictures of all the famous people since the 40's, including Audry Hepburn, Bridget Bardot, Stephanie Seymour, and Kate Moss.  He took photos for Harper's Bizarre and other high end fashion magazines.

The new MFA was more than I expected.  The Art of the Americas Wing really modernized the entire museum.  I cannot wait to go back and explore some more (now that I am a member and all)!  Also, the green line stops direct in front of the museum (the Museum of Fine Arts stop) making it so accessible.  There really is no excuse not to go!

KO Prime Burger Test

In the ongoing effort to find Boston's best burger, on Saturday night, Nick and I decided to try out KO Prime, which is in the Nine Zero Hotel.  They have been on a couple of lists for being one of the best in Boston so we were excited to compare. 

The chef of this restaurant is Ken Oringer, who has a couple of places in town that are on our "to try" list.  Each have a good reputation and their own distinctive styles.  KO Prime definitely followed suit.  Rather than being another old school, gentleman's club style steak house, KO Prime was contemporary and modern.  The furniture in the bar had fun patterns with non-traditional tables and chairs.  The chandeliers were really cool.  They were made up of a number of antlers.

The chandelier with a glimpse of the fabrics used

Although there was plenty of room, we sat at the bar.  The windows overlook the Granary Burying Ground, which was a great plus.  The bartenders were helpful with their suggestions - specifically, we asked about some of the different appetizer dishes on their bar menu.  Also, they were talkative without being annoying.  They were having a special on Pabst Blue Ribbons (1 pint can for $3) so that made ordering drinks easy.

Pint can...no glass necessary

However, their drink list did look good.  I would like to go back and give a couple a try.  We both went in knowing we were ordering the burger, but they had some tempting bar dishes to try.  We ordered the seasonal hush puppies, but the bartender also said the tater tots were especially good.  Since we were getting french fries with out main meal, we stuck with the hush puppies and that was a good decision.


Hush puppies in Boston!

They were nice and crusty on the outside with a light and fluffy center.  The Carolina Red Sauce was a barbecue sauce with some added flavors for a good twist.

The KO Burgers are a full half pound burger with Grafton cheese and a special sauce, which we think was ketchup, mayo, mustard, and some Tabasco.

The burger!

They cooked the burger to perfection (as in they know what medium rare is) which is a good thing considering it is a steak place first and foremost!  The burger was definitely tasty, but did not beat out my top favorites (Mooo... and Back Bay Social Club).  However the price point for this burger is far easier on the wallet that some of the others.  This was only $14, whereas others are as much as $21! 

In general, the bar menu was extremely reasonable given it is in a high end steak house.  There are some really good options that would be tempting to try on the next visit.  I would highly recommend going to the bar at KO Prime to hang out for some relaxed drinks and a few tasty bites, or a more substantial dinner.  The burger is great, but I think there could be other better draws on the menu.

New Year's Eve 2010 - An evening to catch up

This year Nick and I decided to take things easy on New Year's Eve.  Last year we did the ticket thing that bought us a buffet dinner and a single glass of champagne for a toast, but then you had to pay for all other drinks.  Basically, it was a lot of fun, but it ended up costing more money than we were anticipating.

This year one my oldest friends, Amanda, and her husband were coming into town from Virginia so we were put in charge of finding a place to have a good dinner where we could chat and catch up.  Of course we procrastinated a bit, so trying to make a reservation was a bit of a challenge.  Not only due to the short notice, but also we were very against a price fixed menu.  I always feel like the selections are never great (more so since I can be picky) and you always end up paying so much more.  Turns out, finding any restaurant that was NOT doing a price fixed menu on New Years Eve was difficult.  Ultimately, we (and by "we" I mean Nick) found Union Bar and Grille and although we had never been there, it had positive reviews.  Further it was a part of the same restaurant group as Aquitaine, which is great.

Unfortunately Amanda's husband got the flu, so it ended up being the three of us, but we had a great time!  The food and drink was great, and the restaurant was warm and inviting. 

Picture from Union's website

A couple of decorations...

For drinks, we decided to order cocktails rather than wine because their drink menu was fantastic!  Amanda got the French Standard.  Of course I cannot find the description online, but I know it had St. Germain.  It was good enough that we skipped wine altogether to order more.

French Standard

I got the Aloe, which was delicious!  It had vodka, aloe and white grape juices. 

The Aloe

It was really a light drink that masked the vodka flavor really well.  Something I would love to learn to make, but have no idea how to make it!  Nick of course got the dark and stormy.

Dark and Stormy

A dark and stormy is dark rum and ginger beer over ice.  This one was a bit strong, but again, delicious.   Union begins their meals with a cornbread that is nice and light.  It was delightful, but a bit filling given I wanted to indulge in the rest of my meal!  

Ms. Pac-man shaped cornbread

For appetizers, Amanda got the Ipswich Fried Clams (odd since Amanda is from Ipswich!).

Fried Clams

These were pretty good.  They had a nice crust to them, which I consider the most important part.  The great touch to this dish was the dipping sauce.  The menu only specified that it had "silly pickles," go figure!  I got the braised Berkshire pork belly with with celery root remoulade and mustard jus.   

The Pork Belly

The dish was really good - not too fatty as pork belly can sometimes be.  The sauce and celery added a nice contrast to the pork belly, a good complement to a strong main component.  Nick got the winning appetizer, the sweet corn risotto with fire roasted peppers, imported chorizo, and crispy sage.

The Sweet Corn Risotto

Everything about this dish was delicious.  The chorizo flavor was distinctive, but not overpowering.  Overall it tasted almost like corn bread batter that had surprising additions.  The consistency looked a bit suspect, but really it could not have been better.  This is a dish we would love to try to recreate at home but I think it may be difficult to make it taste as good.  Definitely would order this on the next visit.

For the main meal, Amanda got the black pearl salmon with brussels sprouts, toasted quinoa, and salsa verde. 

Salmon

She really wanted a fish as we are on the coast - where she is in Virginia it just does not compare.  The dish did have brussel sprouts,  however the brussel sprouts are actually shaved very thinly on top of the quinoa.  I had never had quinoa before.  It has an interesting flavor, a nice grain alternative to a rice.  She also got the mashed potatoes, which were creamy.  Even though we were full, we could not stop.

Nick had the duck breast with pinot noir jus, cippolini onions, sugar pumpkin, and chestnut puree. 

The Duck

The dish was tasty and a good combination of flavors, but the duck was a little dry.  I ordered the winning main course, with the potato gnocchi with roasted mushrooms, truffle oil and spinach.

The gnocchi

The gnocchi was really light and the texture was fantastic.  I really could not get enough.  The truffle flavoring was present but in no way overshadowed the other aspects of the dish.  I wish I had more bread of some sort to mop up the juices at the bottom of the plate.  Everything about this dish was great and I would not hesitate to order it at my next visit to Union Bar and Grille.

We saved a little room for dessert and shared the pumpkin cheese cake with spiced pecans and a fig compote.  It had a nice flavor, however, in some bites it was a bit dry.  A little more whipped cream fixed that though!  Amanda and I both got an Irish coffee to finish up our dinner and needless to say that was a good touch.

Our reservations were not until 9 PM and we were at our table slowly moving through the courses until 11:45 PM.  At no point did our server rush us at all.  We really were able to chat and catch-up throughout the dinner, which was really the point!  After dinner we went to the bar that still had bit of room and grabbed a glass of champagne so we could properly ring in the New Year.  Union actually passed out some festive hats and horns, which did add a nice touch.  The TV was on in the bar so we watch the ball drop, making it officially New Years in my book. 

Overall it was a great New Years, though very different from past New Years we have had.  Really, just a nice meal with close friends - what else does a New Years Eve need?!?  Bring on 2011!