weekend trio

Three food endeavors this weekend, in order of success:

Homemade hummus. Grade: A
Even though you could spend $4 for a tub of hummus at the grocery store (ahem), it's also incredibly easy to put in the food processor 1 small can chickpeas + some minced garlic + a couple fresh parsley leaves + a squirt of lemon juice + some olive oil + salt and pepper to taste. Add a little water if it's too thick. Serve with whole wheat baked pita chips.

Alessi Tuscan White Bean Soup. Grade: B+
While my own homemade white bean soup was a success, this soup made from a mix is also great, and also much quicker. Literally all you do is boil water, dump in the dry mix, and cook for 12 minutes. And I didn't even have to struggle with my urge to add pasta to a soup recipe because it already came with some! The broth is tasty and has a nice thick texture, although I think it probably could have used even more beans and pasta.

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Grade: B-
I love a recipe like this where all the ingredients are already in my kitchen (although I did substitute chopped-up Hersheys kisses for the semisweet chocolate chunks). The peanut butter makes the dough super moist and creamy, but the finished products ended up way more lumpy and misshapen than the picture. The uneven cooking may have been more of a result of my dollhouse-size oven, though. Recipe courtesy Everyday Food.