Random Recipe Wednesday: Savory Orange Hummus

I made this hummus, oh I don't know...a month ago (?) but am just now getting around to sharing it with you.  Don't worry, it's actually long gone; I wouldn't feed you month-old hummus. Sometimes I won't even share my hummus.  This way I can share it with you without really having to share it.  I know.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Pickled Dill-Caraway Carrots

I should probably warn you now that I'm on a pickling spree.  Those pickled grapes made me conjure up a whole list of odd things to pickle.  But let's make carrots first, I don't want to get too crazy on you quite yet.

Our pickling possibilities are endless.  In addition to various vegetables, a few fruits and some other odds and ends, we can mix and match our herbs and spices.  There's also a variety of vinegars to experiment with.  For once I can't seem to work in peanut butter, popcorn or cookies.  I'll have to work on that.

Oh, I also managed to pickle the bottom shelf of the refrigerator followed by the produce drawer and kitchen floor as I spilled pickling brine all over.  On three separate occasions.  Three.  All I can say is, use a container that has a tight fitting lid, not a random disposable container with a mismatched almost-fitting lid.

Tuesday's Twist: Pickled Grapes

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Pickled grapes?  Yep, that's right.  Pickled grapes.  Stop giving me those strange looks.  Why would a girl who doesn't even like pickles make pickled grapes?  Oh wait, now I get why you're giving me those odd looks.  

Actually, I think I'm starting to like pickles.  Well, sort of.  So far I like some things that are pickled, but I'm not huge on pickles themselves.  I know, weird.  But since this new pickling trend has popped up I've tried pickled asparagus and pickled carrots.  I was quite surprised at how much I like them.  So surprised in fact, that I decided to try a few kinds of "pickle" pickles again as wells as pickled beets.  Nope, still don't like either of those.  At least not yet.  But what about grapes?

Tuesday's Twist: Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Some of you know about my microwave experiments driven by curiosity.  Last week I set out to make potato chips.  You can imagine my surprise when the microwave produced crispier results than the oven.  Since it worked so well with regular potatoes I decided to give sweet potatoes a try as well.

Sweet potato fries usually fall on the softer side, so I expected limp, soggy slices instead of chips.  Once again the microwave produced crunchy chips, even without oil.  All you need are sweet potatoes, a microwave with a turntable and parchment paper.  Oh, and the time and patience to watch the microwave action carefully.  If you don't babysit these little guys, they can go from a crispy crunch to carbon rather quickly.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

You know my obsession of trying weird and random things with food?  We're going to focus a little more on the random than the weird by (temporarily?) replacing Weird Recipe Wednesday with Random Recipe Wednesday.  Wait, it's more like renaming than replacing, because knowing me the recipe will likely involve some sort of weird factor anyway.  Okay, now that that's out of the way let's get started.

I'm a sucker for sales and deals, even when I don't need the item.  What can I say, it runs in the family.  Anyway, last week I happened upon jars of roasted red peppers marked down to 99 cents.  I proceeded to put 3 jars in my cart even though I've had an unopened jar of roasted red peppers in the pantry for several months.  Much to my delight, these sweet peppers rang up for only 89 cents a jar.  Since I now had four jars on hand I figured it was time to open one.  Guess what?  I think I know why they were on clearance.  Instead of the sweet roasted flavor you get when you roast your own red bell peppers, I tasted only a fake-smokey-chard flavor.  They certainly look like roasted red peppers, and the ingredient list doesn't say anything funky alluding to added flavoring.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Mushroom Salsa with Wonton Chips

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Mushrooms in salsa? I hadn't heard of it either until I saw it on this blog and traced it back to the Muy Bueno Cookbook.  I know it sounds weird, but this is a kind of weird that really works.  Somewhere between seeing this idea and actually making salsa, my mind jumped from jalapeno and lime to the flavors of Asian food.  I'm not even going to try and trace that one back, I must have been on a mushrooms tangent.  So, yes, mushroom salsa with Asian flavors.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Onion Flowers

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

Instead of Weird Recipe Wednesday let's pretend it's Way Too Many Onions Wednesday.  I bought another bag of onions without double checking how many I had on hand.  And now I have, well, way too many.

In other words, it's the perfect time to try out the onion flowers I first saw here.  These flowers require almost zero effort, just a few slices with a knife.  Thanks to the inherent layers in an onion, the petals open up all on their own in the heat of the oven.

As the bulb blooms into a flower the natural sugars in the onion caramelize.  Strong and crunchy gives way to sweet and soft, talk about a transformation.  If you happen to have way too many onions, you can find the recipe and instructions as they appeared in LCBO's Food & Drink magazine here.

Food for Thought: "Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday's Twist: Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Eating black-eyed peas is a long-standing tradition for New Year's Day.  Some trace the good luck tradition all the way back to 500 A.D. and the Jewish New Year.  Others attribute the tradition to the Civil War era. (source)  I wasn't alive for either, so I guess I missed the memo.  I picked up a can at the store, imagining this might be the year I might participate in the tradition.  A new year and new foods.  How have I never eaten black-eyed peas?

 Well, that can of black-spotted beans sat in the pantry, paying no regard to my good intentions.  Apparently those little black eyes couldn't see that the calender read January 1st.  Probably because the new calendar wasn't up yet, details, details.  Anyway, a week later I got around to using these lucky beans.  I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with them, but eventually decided to stir up some salsa to munch on.  

Tuesday's Twist: Roasted Squash Skewers

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Today's twist is less of a recipe and more of a concept you can put your own spin on.  After seeing sweet potato skewers I was hooked on the idea.  I also wanted to try a recipe I saw for for roasted butternut squash seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder.  (I've tried multiple times to link these sources of inspiration, but each time my web browser crashes.)  Blending the two ideas together I decided to go with roasted butternut squash dusted with Chinese five-spice powder, skewered on a stick and drizzled with honey and sea salt.

Fermented Friday: Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Appetizers (part 2)

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation.

What started out as a recipe for Tuesday's Twist has taken all week, thanks for your patience. After a third try I finally got the pictures to work.  Something is still a little goofy with the formatting, but at least I can see pictures instead of blank, invalid images.  I wasn't intending to use this recipe for a Fermented Friday, but such is life.  Technically speaking it does contain yeast and balsamic vinegar, both of which involve fermentation, so let's just go with that.

The Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Filling I posted on Tuesday was inspired by two recipes for stuffed tomatoes.  I wasn't in the mood to stuff and bake tomatoes, so I decided to play with won ton wrappers.  These thin sheets of dough are extremely versatile and perfect for bite-size appetizers.  The squares can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings and then baked, fried, boiled or steamed.  I liked the idea of baking, but also tried making tortellini by boiling the filled pockets.  Since I'm playing with my food again, it's probably easier to just show you what I did (which is why I wanted to wait until my camera was working).

Tuesday's Twist: Just a Slice

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Many people consider cutting up fruit to be a chore.  I happen to find it quite enjoyable and relaxing.

Sometimes I get a little carried away.

And play with my food decide to slice it a bit differently than your typical fruit salad.

Because food should be fun.

Especially if it's the last slice of summer. 

Colors, angles, layers, shapes. Start with a slice of melon and make just a few more slices this way and that. Stack, slide or twist your salad into place. Basil and a drizzle of fresh lime juice can't hurt either. 

Food for Thought: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. " - Galatians 5:22 

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Weird Recipe Wednesday: Grilled Watermelon Salsa

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

It wouldn't be summer without bright, juicy watermelon and the charred flavors of grilling.  Watermelon hits the grill in this recipe before finding it's way into a summer salsa.  

Fermented Friday: Beer Hummus with Beer Rye Crackers

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation


The hoppy bitterness of an IPA is less than ideal for cooking or baking.  Yet somehow, an IPA found its way off the shelf and into my six pack mix.  An IPA is also not the first thing I would pick to drink.  If we cross off cooking, baking and drinking this IPA, then what's left?  Marinating fruit doesn't require cooking or baking, but I've done that (twice) in the past few weeks.  Hmmmm, it has been a while since I've made any dips or spreads....let's make hummus. Beer hummus.

 And while we're at it, let's just make beer crackers too.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Blue Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries with Balsamic Drizzle

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

The 4th of July seemed like a perfect time to try out this red, white and blue recipe.  These little appetizers put a savory spin on the traditional stuffed strawberry.  I came across the concept in the latest issue of Healthy Cooking.  You already know I'm on board with the balsamic vinegar  trend. I'm pretty much addicted to strawberries and I have a thing for blue cheese (umm, hello....it's blue).

Sweet berries are filled with a tart mixture of Greek yogurt and blue cheese. The sharp, creamy filling provides savory contrast to juicy strawberries.  A tangy balsamic reduction is drizzled over the top to tie it all together.  

While I've always loved strawberries, blue cheese didn't have any appeal until a few years ago. If you try it in the right combination you just might change your mind too.  The same goes for balsamic vinegar.  That being said, this wasn't my favorite combination.  Strawberries and blue cheese are often paired in salads so this really isn't too far of a stretch flavor-wise.  I'm not sure why this one didn't grab me, maybe a texture thing.  But don't let my opinion stop you from trying it; make your own call.  Happy 4th of July!

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries with Balsamic Drizzle

adapted from Healthy Cooking

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 medium strawberries
3 Tbsp fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp (1 oz) crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:
* In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil.  Cook until reduced by half; let cool to room temperature.
* Wash strawberries and pat dry.  Remove stem and core from each berry.
* In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt and blue cheese. Fill berries evenly with cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until serving. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Food for Thought: "God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls and coal into diamonds using time and pressure. He's working on you too" -Rick Warren