Homemade Salmon Shmear

Sunday recipe, what up!

What better for Sunday morning brunch (or lunch! Or dinner!) deliciousness than bagels with extra-whipped and fluffy flavored cream cheese? Not a lot, my friends. Not a lot. 

Creamy Pepperoni Dip & Parmesan Dippers

Let's take a break from summer fruit in a big way. Because pepperoni is probably the farthest thing from fruit you can get. Put it in a creamy, cheesy dip to be liberated by crispy, salty pizza-crust dippers and you.will.die.

In the best possible way, of course :)

Copycat El Torito Salsa

For about 2 years now, the only salsa I've been eating is my Homemade Salsa, or whatever random salsa a Mexican restaurant happened to be serving. I completely stopped buying my usual salsa at Sam's, which was my go-to salsa for about 2 years. Then, randomly, I bought a jar while stocking up on my normal groceries. It was so delicious. It was then that I realized I was getting tired of my salsa. 

Mom's Famous Family Clam Dip

Let's talk clam dip. Because talking about clam dip leads us to talking about family. And football. And holidays. Special occasions. 

But seriously, let's talk about it because it's delicious!

Clam dip has been in my family since the beginning of time. I remember eating this stuff as a toddler. I believe my grandma used to be the one to make it, but for as long as I can remember, my mom has been the one to make it. There wasn't a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Super Bowl where clam dip wasn't served. Our family clamors for it (Get it? Clamors? I'm such a dork, I know).  

Homemade Hummus

Shall I open this post with a line from "Friends"? I think so!

"God bless the chickpea."

Alright, "Friends" fans. Who said that? It is the one person who guested on that show that I don't immediately associate with the show. It was... George Clooney! Love that episode. I was torn between that quote and another hummus quote from the show. I bet fans know which other episode I'm referring to ;)

I love hummus. As a child, I don't think there's a person in the world who could have got me to try it. It's just as well, I probably wouldn't appreciated the chickpea goodness. As an adult though, hummus is something I love to keep around. It's a great snack, low in calories, and may help lower cholesterol and risk of cancer. It's a great veggie dip, good in pitas, and occasionally, makes a satisfying dinner.

During the summer, one of our favorite hot weather meals is the hummus plate. We whip up a batch of hummus, and serve it alongside toasted pita wedges, sliced tomatoes and olives, and crumbled feta.  Holy yum! Talk about a light, refreshing, yet filling meal.

You can always find hummus at the store these days, even at my small-town grocery store. However, I have never found a grocery store hummus that I like. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it just tastes wrong. In fact, for a long time I thought I didn't like hummus because I'd only had store-bought hummus. This all changed the day the hubby made a batch of homemade hummus. Wow. Talk about good stuff! That was years ago, and hummus and I have been going strong ever since. I still haven't found a store-bought brand that I like. Good thing this recipe is super easy...

If you have a food processor or blender, you can make hummus. It takes all of 5 minutes. I'm such a cheater and I use canned chickpeas, but you could, by all means, prepare your own dried chickpeas. I just happen to have a fairly good stockpile of canned chickpeas to use. Chickpeas, by the way, are an awesome item to keep on hand. You can put them in salads, pastas, soups, dips, roasted on their own as a snack... They are incredibly versatile.

I'm excited to have a chance to bake this afternoon. The hubby and I have been pretty busy as of late, and I've been having baking withdrawals. Time to take care of that today! I'm baking Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes, and I'm oh-so excited. I think they are going to be amazing and bee-u-tiful!

Oh, and one last note. Summer has basically arrived here, as it supposed to be 87º today! I'm stoked!

Happy Wednesday!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup tahini

2 tbsp water

garnish: olive oil and paprika

Directions:

1. Place chickpeas through salt in food processor. Pulse until smooth.

2. Add Greek yogurt through water to food processor. Pulse until smooth. Taste test. Season with salt to taste.

3. Move hummus into a serving dish. Drizzle with a good quality olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Chill in fridge until ready to serve. Serve with pita wedges, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta. Keeps in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Printable Recipe

Recipe adapted from Dede's Mediterranean Kitchen.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday