Five-Minute Hummus

My Dad used to take us to the Greek Festival in Pensacola and we would have such a great time watching the people dancing and eating the yummy food. It was like a scene out of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  It was then that I learned to love Greek food.  This is an easy recipe that tastes wonderful with warm pita chips.

1-15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup olive oil, more for serving
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB tahini (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 tsp paprika (sprinkle on hummus before serving)

Puree chickpeas and garlic with oil, lemon juice, tahini, 3/4 tsp salt until smooth and creamy.  Add 1-2 TB water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Pajeon (Korean Pancakes)

I can remember my mother making huge batches of these.  She would often add sliced jalapeños, but I like them better without.  This was not her exact recipe (because she never wrote it down and I was too much of a punk to write it down) but this is very good.

2 cups all-purpose flour (or a combination of all-purpose and rice flour)
2 cups very cold water
2 eggs
1 bunch scallions or spring onions, sliced in 2-3 inch slices
canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix flour, water and eggs until smooth.  Add more flour or water as needed to get the consistency of a thin pancake batter.  Stir in half of the chopped scallions, salt and pepper to taste.  Let set for 10-15 minutes.

Check consistency before cooking-- the batter should be a little bit runnier than American pancake batter so that the pajeon cooks quickly and evenly.

Heat a skillet over medium flame and coat with a thin layer of oil.  Pour about 3/4 cup pancake batter into the skillet, tilting the pan to cover the bottom.

(if you want to make it seafood style: add 3-4 shrimp thinly sliced and scallions or octopus thinly sliced after you have poured the batter into the pan)

Sprinkle over remaining scallions and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crispy.

A great dipping sauce recipe to go with this. . .

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB minced garlic
1/2 tsp Korean dried red chili pepper flakes called "kochukara" (optional)

Restaurant Style Salsa

Thanks for this one Pioneer Woman!

1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10oz) Rotel
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeño, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup cilantro (more to taste)
1/2 whole lime juice

Combine whole tomatoes, rotel, onion, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice and cilantro in a blender or food processor.  Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like- I do 10-15 pulses.

Refrigerate salsa for @ least 1 hour.

Caramel Apple Dip

This is a recipe for those that like caramel apples but don't like to go through the hassle.


16 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water (or a little less)
1-8oz package of cream cheese, softened (can use FF)
1/2 cup brown sugar
*optional: toffee bits (however they do get soft after a few hours)


In microwave or on stove top, melt caramels with water stirring frequently.  Remove from the heat.  In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese and brown sugar together.  Fold in the caramel and serve with apples, bananas and anything else you want! 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This recipe is from my sister, Jean.  This is a great appetizer and tailgating food!

2 large cans of chicken

¾ cup of wing sauce

1 cup ranch dressing

2 blocks of cream cheese

A few dashes of hot sauce

Drain chicken. Mix all ingredients together and bake 350 degrees until bubbly. (about 25 min)  Serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks and/or tortilla chips.

Submitted by Angela Reed