BBQ Hummus

Hi squad. Happy 2017. How are we feeling about this year so far? Are you a resolutions type of person? I'm not, but I think it's just because I make goals for myself constantly, so making even more at the start of a new year seems almost redundant. But anyway, this little paragraph is probably redundant, since the year started 18 days ago. Whoops.

But anyway, this year so far: I baked quite possibly the best thing I've ever made about a week ago now. It was this babka from How Sweet Eats and oh my goodness. I didn't make it into muffins but kept them in little swirls like cinnamon rolls. They were buttery and chocolate and fluffy in all the best ways. I'm sort of in love with dough right now. Bread doughs are fun for me because they need just a bit more finesse than other stuff, and I like having my hands busy. I've made cinnamon rolls in the last week and I'm not slowing down. Sorry. Recipe to follow.

In other news, I watched my first anime all the way through and I don't know how I feel about it, but I can definitively say that Yuri on Ice was really good and made me feel things. Also on the TV topic, I'm watching Series of Unfortunate Events and WOW. It was basically my favorite book series growing up and I love the Netflix adaptation so much. NPH as Count Olaf originally made me nervous but he nails the characterization perfectly. I'm on a nostalgia high like no other.

Last few things: I'm trying to pick guitar back up, which currently involves a whole lot of sounding like crap while one of my friends "teaches" me, which mostly involves him making fun of me. I spoke Spanish to a customer at work for the first time yesterday and the look of gratitude she gave uncomfortable, awkward me made it so worth it. I was given almost 20 pounds of flour recently, so baking will not be slowing anytime soon. Buy me flours, not flowers, friends. Sorry.

BBQ Hummus
Ingredients
2 cans of chickpeas (only drain one of them)
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the onion
1 small onion, cut thin
3 tbsp BBQ sauce

1. Put the onions in a pan with a bit of oil over medium low heat. Saute until translucent.
2. Meanwhile, Combine the other ingredients (minus BBQ sauce) in a blender or food processor until smooth. Place in serving dish.
3. Once onions are translucent and soft, add BBQ sauce, removing from heat when totally combined.
4. Top the hummus with the BBQ onions, or stir them in if you'd prefer. Serve with chips or anything else you'd like.

Birthday Cake Popcorn

Colors. Sweetness. Salt. Chocolate. Joy. In my opinion, these are all lovely things best served with sprinkles. Is that a weird thing to say? Probably. I'm gonna roll with it. But anyway, all those words can describe this popcorn too. It's a fun one. It's cutesy. 

I made this one night to eat while watching How to Get Away with Murder. If you watch it, please come talk to me because I have a lot of feelings about it. I finished both seasons in about a week and a half. So good. And wow, Viola Davis. I totally understand why she got an Emmy. So much raw emotion. This recipe is sunny and happy to offset the darkness and sadness in the show. It works out.

Birthday Cake Popcorn

Ingredients

6 cups freshly popped popcorn (you can use microwave or pop it yourself)

1 stick salted butter, melted

8 oz. white chocolate

1/3 cup yellow cake mix

1/2 cup M&Ms

sprinkles

1. Toss the popcorn with the butter and salt to taste. Spread on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate carefully, either in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water, or in a microwave.
3. Once chocolate is melted and smooth, stir in the cake mix.
4. Pour cake mix over the popcorn and sprinkle with M&Ms and sprinkles.
5. Let cool and enjoy.
   
   
   

South of the Border Hummus

I love hummus. I love the stuff out of the container. The plain, the roasted garlic, the lemon. I love it on crackers, on tortilla chips, with veggies, with chicken, on potato chips (is that weird?). I just love it.

So, of course, I topped it with veggies and beans and other things that reminded me of southwest-y flavors. You get it, right? That's how our friendship works. I make (sometimes weird) stuff. You look at it. You don't judge me. It's perfect.

South of Border Hummus
Ingredients
2 cans chickpeas
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 avocado
1/2 tsp salt
1 tomato, diced
1 ear of corn, removed from the cob
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Using a food processor, blend together the chickpeas, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and avocado until smooth. You may need slightly more oil.
2. Add the hummus to the bowl, or whatever serving vehicle you plan on using. Top with the tomato, corn, black beans, and cilantro. Enjoy with chips or crackers or anything else you want!
   
   
   

Skillet Monkey Bread

Um, hi. Carb Fest 2k16 continues. Welcome to Kimmie's Kitchen. But LOOK AT THIS STUFF.

Yeah. So, now that I've got your attention, let's talk about life. I've recently rediscovered my love for the humanities. No, I'm not saying I suddenly love people. I LOVE literature. And linguistics. And poetry. And theatre. AND PSYCHOLOGY (which isn't actually one of the humanities, but shhhh).

I don't know how I managed to convince myself that I just wanted to take science classes all through college. I was sitting in the library the other night, studying for Developmental Psych, when all the sudden I just really wanted to read some poetry. And analyze it. Take me back to AP Lit, I guess? I don't know. We've read some poetry for my Spanish Composition class, and I think that's helped to reawaken my love.

So, the next day I marched myself back to the library (post exam) and checked out Sylvia Plath's complete poetry. And The Bell Jar. And Jane Eyre. And y'all, I'm reading Jane Eyre right now, and I'm loving it. Just getting closer to being the pretentious literature nerd I am deep down inside. Living the dream.

Skillet Monkey Bread
Ingredients
1 stick butter (I prefer salted)
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cans refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

glaze
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until they melt together. Remove from heat.
2. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Cut each biscuit into quarters, then roll each piece into a bowl and roll in cinnamon sugar until coated. Add to pan.
3. Continue until pan is full, then cover loosely with tin foil. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, remove foil, then bake for another 15.
4. Stir together glaze ingredients. Dip the baked bread in it. Yum!

   

   That's a BUTTER RIVER down the middle, friends.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

This happened. Nachos. Praise.

Basically, 90% of my recipe ideas lately involve re-imagining foods as other food. For example, here we have chicken wings masquerading as nachos. It's a great disguise.

Does going to the grocery store make anyone else feel, like, really adult? It just makes me feel so much like I have my life together. It's great. But then, also, having a fridge full of leftovers and no ingredients makes me weirdly happy? Like productive, I guess. It's like, hey, look, I cooked all my stuff, now I have food that's actually prepared. Go me.

Anyway, these nachos are a product of my habit of taking over others' kitchens. It's fun.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos
Ingredients
about 2/3 a bag of tortilla chips
1 lb chicken (I used the little tenders that Publix sells so they'd cook quicker)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp margarine
9 tbsp hot sauce (I used Crystal, which I know isn't technically buffalo.....)
8 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
3 green onions, chopped
ranch dressing

1. Mix together the seasonings, then sprinkle on both sides of the chicken. Add the chicken to a pan over medium heat, then cook, flipping once, until white all the way through. With the tenders it took about 3 minutes per side. 
2. Chop the chicken while still warm, then add to a bowl with the margarine and 4 tbsp of the hot sauce. Stir together until the chicken is coated.
3. In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, and remaining hot sauce. Blend using a hand mixer until homogeneous.
4. Spread the chips out on a baking sheet. Drop the cream cheese mixture on the chips, spreading it as best you can. Scatter the chicken and cheese on top.
5. Place nachos in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes. Keep an eye on it. You just want the cheese to melt, don't let the chips burn.
6. Drizzle the ranch on top and scatter the green onions. Enjoy!
   
   
   

Bruschetta

So. Let's talk about High School Musical. 

There was the ten year reunion recently, which I didn't watch for whatever reason. But I mean, Zac didn't even show up, so how was that going to be worth my time?

That being said.....it's junior year of college, and as I write this it's a Sunday morning, and my best friend and I are sitting on the couch watching High School Musical. I have no regrets. This movie is a work of ART.

Let me just say, this movie has so many weird little quirks. For example, WHY DON'T THEY HAVE BACKPACKS?! It is their junior year of high school and you NEED actual supplies during junior year of high school. WHY IS THERE A COMPLEX SUMMATION ON THE CHALKBOARD?! That nonsense is stuff I learned to solve in Calc 2 at the University of Florida, not a little high school in Albuquerque. More importantly, why is there a larger-than-life poster of Troy? Also, their theatre department is hella well-funded even though they have an award winning sports team. That doesn't happen in real life.

The characters and one-liners in this movie are GOLD. Like, freaking Jason with his oblivious "how was your break, Ms. Darbus?" I can't. Also, Troy has a random line about pink jelly which I'm still confused by. There's also Ryan with his flagrant gayness that none of us managed to pick up on when we were ten years old. Ms. Darbus with her anti-cell phone tirades. Beautiful.

Anyways. High School Musical is great. Eat this bruschetta while you watch it with your friends.

Bruschetta
Ingredients
1 loaf Italian bread (or French or Cuban)
3 tomatoes on the vine
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Chop the tomatoes into half-inch chunks. Salt liberally and add to a bowl.
2. Add onion and garlic, then gently toss with the vinegar. Let sit, preferably in the fridge.
3. Slice the bread into inch-thick pieces, then drizzle with the olive oil. Toast in a toaster oven or under the broiler. This goes fast (only a couple minutes), keep an eye on it!
4. When bread is toasted, let it cool. Spoon tomato mixture on top. Enjoy!

I'm-Not-Good-At-Naming-Things-Don't-Ask-Me Hummus

The name for this post came from my former roommate, who, when I asked her what to name this hummus responded with, "I don't know. It's delicious, but I'm not good at naming things. Don't ask me." So that's the name.

This recipe is also super exciting because it's the first recipe I've made in my dorm kitchen. Also, I know these pictures aren't the prettiest, but lighting isn't great in here, so bear with me. This recipe is also the first one on the blog that's vegetarian AND vegan. So exciting.

Taking pics on the water fountain because that's where the light is

I made this hummus in a blender, which takes awhile, so if you have a food processor, that's probably the better idea. However, I feel like most college students are more likely to have a blender? Anyway, it's totally doable. So is cooking in college, even in a dorm. You've got this.

Tomatoes!!!

I made a pretty normal hummus and then topped it with tomatoes and green onions because 1) yum. and 2) pretty! and 3) summer.

Nameless Hummus

Ingredients

2 cans chick peas

2/3 cup olive oil (I also think sesame oil would be really good if you feel like spending that much money on oil)

juice of one lemon

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1/2 tbsp garlic, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1. Blend together the chick peas, olive oil, and lemon juice. You're probably going to need to stir around a few times, especially if you're using a blender. When it's smooth, you're done, but it might take a little while.
2. Pour into a bowl, then add the salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir/mash around.
3. Sprinkle tomatoes and green onions on top. Serve with pita chips or whatever else you like.

Spiritual Experience Guacamole

Upon trying this guac, one of my friends (who admittedly doesn't even like guacamole) announced, "This is the closest I've come to a spiritual experience." With an endorsement like that, how could you not want to make it?

Yes, I did use a red bowl for the aesthetic. Because we're all about looking good around here (queue laughs from anyone who has ever seen me in an 8am class). Unfortunately, these are Florida avocados, despite the fact that I like Hass better. But Florida ones were on sale and I'm not here to spend extra money on what is essentially the same thing (ONLY BETTER). Anyways.

Also, how do you pick a ripe avocado? Thanks for asking, lovely. I'm sure you've seen the Buzzfeed video or a thingy on Pinterest, but let me tell you what I do: I literally squeeze it and ask myself if I can mash it up without too much pain. So yeah.

A rainbow of flavor

I added corn because WOW, it's delicious this year. So summery. So sweet. And it adds a nice crunch.

Emeril's Essence, while not essential, makes this so much better. You could substitute paprika, I guess, but you're missing out on so much flavor.

My hands are weird, sorry

The above is how I cut up my cilantro. You could just do it by hand with a knife and cutting board, but it takes forever and I'm just really not about that. So, what I do is put the cilantro into a glass and just cut with scissors (or kitchen shears, but God only knows where mine are. maybe wash your scissors first.) until the cilantro is little. It's like you're your own food processor. Lovely.


Life- changing Guacamole
Ingredients
2 Florida avocados (or 4 Hass)
1/4 cup cilantro, snipped/cut
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 ear fresh corn, off the cob
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (depending on your spicy tolerance)
1/2 tsp salt (or more, depending on your taste)
1/4 tsp Essence
1/4 cup Miracle Whip (or mayo, if you must)
juice of 1/2 a lime

1. Mash the avocados with a fork.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
3. Taste it and make sure you like it. Adjust amounts of spices accordingly.
4. Serve with literally anything. Chips. Tacos. Burrito bowls. Chicken. Ice cream (maybe not that). Feel better about life.