This is an awesome hummus recipe.

It seriously is kick-butt. Plus so, so much cheaper than buying prepared hummus. And, you can easily freeze it.

2 1/2 c. cooked chick-peas, plus 1/2 c. bean liquid
3 (smallish) cloves garlic, cut up a bit
1/4 c. ROASTED tahini(seriously, get the roasted stuff)
2 T. olive oil
juice of one lemon (or less)
1 t. salt

Drain beans (saving a bit of bean liquid). Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until it has a very smooth consistencey (several minutes for me). Can add more bean liquid. Chill. Eat.

and they were glad

i made it. no one complained or stalled or asked for a hot dog. yes, our friend, "split pea soup", made my evening fantastic. you take these very common 9 ingredient, put them in the crockpot, pour in the boiling water, & let 'er cook for 5 hours. it's a low-stress night when split pea soup is slow-cooking. we took a walk around the block, talked to some neighbors, played in the leaves, jason tried to fix the washing machine. all of that with the calm & confidence that soon enough our dinner would be, as promised, hearty & delicious.

SUSHI

Hiro has been around for some time in Omaha, but I think it's my new favorite sushi joint. The unagi is fab.

Pizza in a hurry.

Tonight I was planning on making pizza, but alas, at 4:30 I realized I had not made the dough and there was no way my hungry family was going to wait for dough to rise. I had read on a blog I check the other day that this gal always stops at her local pizzeria after work and buys their dough to take home and make her own pizza. I thought it was worth a try so I called Cici's (I know.... terrible place to get pizza, but close to our house) and they sold me a large ball of dough for 99 cents. WOW! I took it home and made our own pie with sausage and beautiful red peppers we bought at the farmer's market this morning. Try it!

Comfort food.

I was in the mood for a childhood memory the other day-- Tuna Noodle Casserole. I adapted it to be a bit more modern. Here's what I came up with. It was yum.

The New Improved Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 T. butter
3/4 c. frozen peas, thawed
3/4 c. sliced green onions
3/4 c. chopped red bell pepper
3 T all-purpose flour
1 3/4 c. milk
4 c. hot cooked egg noodles (3 1/4 c. uncooked, about)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 can white tuna in water, drained
1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese.
1/4 c. crushed crackers

Preheat to 375. Melt butter in large skillet on med. Add peas, onions, pepper and saute 5 minutes.

Place flour in bowl and whisk in milk. Add to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer until thick, add cheese and stir. Remove from heat, add pasta, parsley, salt to taste and tuna.
Spoon into casserole dish. Sprinkle with crumbs. Cover and bake 20 minutes.

Orangey Chicken Yum Yum

Last night I busted out an old issue of Cooking Light and found a recipe for Orange Dill Chicken Cutlets. I don't love dill so much, so I tweaked it, and came up a really yummo recipe with a little less dill and a little more orange. And, best of all, it comes together really quick. Hope you like.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Brown chicken breasts, with the salt and pepper, until they're cooked through and you have a nice caramelized coating in the bottom of the pan. Remove breasts and set aside, keeping the pan on medium heat to make the sauce. While chicken is browning, measure out:

2 T. chopped onion (red or green)
6 T. good quality maple syrup
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1 T. water (I added a bit more water to get the consistency I wanted)
1/2 t. dill
2 t. grated orange rind

Put the onion in the pan and caramelize for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, stirring frequently until sauce is hot and bubbly. Return chicken to the pan to cover in the sauce, serve with couscous or rice. Some time I'm going to double the sauce ingredients and add some vegetables to make a stir fry.

Meatballs

Darby requested freezer meals to ease the transition into mommahood. Thought I'd post this recipe. I make a big batch of these, cook them and then freeze them. I reheat them to use in meatball subs or pasta dishes or lunches for my kiddos. Oh, and I should mention, my Dad found this recipe in the newspaper of all places and it is the best meatball recipe ever.

2 lbs. hamburger
1 c. bread crumbs
2/3 c. grated Romano cheese
2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. parsley chopped
4 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (kinda gross) Shape into 1 in. diameter balls. Line them up on a roasting pan. Bake at 375 for about 20 or 25 mintues. (I bake them on a roasting pan so the fat drips thru. Cool and freeze.