Hummus

Mark is a great cook. In fact, back in the courting days he taught me how to make hummus. We love hummus any time, but especially in the summer with grilled Israeli chicken.

Here's my official hummus story:
The first time I met Mark's wonderful parents, I wanted to make a great dinner for them. Knowing how these things historically go, I anticipated, nay, expected something to go wrong. Well, Mark and his roommate Keith had this old blender that you had to "help" to mix things. So, I'm whipping up some hummus, jamming the utensil down there to keep the beans moving around, and Mark said, "Be careful not to blend the spatulta in." Well, that's exactly what happened. Keith, wanting to see Mark get married off, faithfully hunted through the whole bowl of hummus for white spatula bits, to avoid any awkward "mmmm, hhmm, crunchy?" moments. We found a huge piece right before it went out to the table.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans
¼ c Tahini (sesame paste and the best place to find it is next to the peanut butter)
3 T Water
2 T Lemon juice
1 T Olive oil
I Garlic clove
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne
¼ tsp Black pepper
Parsley (for garnish)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Leave things out or tweak amounts as the spirit moves. If you can’t find tahini, use more olive oil instead. I personally like lots of lemon juice and cayenne. Serve with pita brushed with olive oil and toasted under the broiler.

Grilled Israeli Chicken

5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 T ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Paprika
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 T Olive Oil
3 lb Chicken, cut into 8 portions (or I use 8 chicken thighs)
Salt and Pepper
Cilantro, for garnish

For a Yemenite flavor, use 1 ½ tsp turmeric and pinch of ground cardamom in place of the cinnamon.

In a bowl, combine the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat thoroughly. Rub the mixture on a little too. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight. On a hot grill, sear the meat, then set the portions in a low-heat spot until cooked through. (The juices will run clear.) Serve with warm pita and hummus.

Open Eye and Lily Bee's

I love a great antique/consignment/flea market store. And by great I mean a wide variety of selection combined with inexpensive prices. There should be new items and some that could use a new coat of paint. And, they shouldn't have "antique" prices unless they are truly worth that much!

I love Open Eye Antiques in Palouse and Lily Bee's Consignment in Pullman. Here's a few of my favorite finds:



Fiestaware mugs in Shamrock Green from Open Eye. $3.50/per. Don't you love the cheerful color and round handles?



Not that I go looking for this brand! But, I needed a new purse and happened upon this classy number for $25 at Lily Bee's and the high-quality leather doesn't hurt!

Gives New Meaning to Rear-End Collision

Over at Femina, Rachel has a great post in praise of grocery fun at WinCo (Stands for "Winning Company" in case you're wondering).

Which reminds me that I love grocery shopping too and that's where many of my adventures happen.

Take Monday, for example. As you all know it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, and apparently all the college students celebrate their day off by heading to the Grocery. I found myself in rush hour traffic down the produce aisle.

Well, I was breezing past the citrus section, pondering the price of lemons as opposed to the limes and not paying nearly enough attention to the front end of my cart. Confident my stash of lemons was holding out nicely and I didn't really need more, I once again gave my attention to the cart traffic - just in time to watch myself run my cart right into the behind of a poor, unsupecting college guy in front of me. He was in the "lean" category and my collision was enough to launch him forward with an audible "Whoaah" and ram the person in front of him!

Whoops!

Rime's Frost

"Soft Rime's Frost or Hoar Frost is a white ice that forms when the water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. It is often seen on trees atop mountains and ridges in winter, when low-hanging clouds cause freezing fog. This fog freezes to the windward (wind-facing) side of tree branches, buildings, or any other solid objects, usually with high wind velocities and air temperatures between -2 °C (28 °F) and -8 °C (18 °F)."



Even on the Chain Link Fence









University of Idaho Arboretum

Welcome To Our House

Tally-ho to family and friends from Mark and Corinne in Pullman!