In The Kitchen: Homemade Hummus

Twice last week I ate meals with friends who brought hummus to share.  Mmm-mm-mmm.  Good food & good friends.  MY Fav.  I had made hummus a few years ago, then I kind of forgot about it. 

It isn't too expensive to buy, but I enjoy making things myself.  When I'm able.  But more honestly, when I feel like it! :)

 

 

Here's the ingredients I used based on the back of the package, and several other blog posts with recipes that I sorted through:

 

• One 15-ounce can chickpeas or garbanzo beans (I learned that these are the same thing, so find either one and you're good to go)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 C. tahini (I found this at Fareway, it was $6.99, I am almost certain it has got to be cheaper somewhere else. This was the first time that I had actually seen it, so I bought it. It was next to the peanut butter . This makes sense because all it is is ground sesame seeds.  You could probably actually make your own if you had a good food processor and a whole bunch of sesame seeds, I had neither... hence the $7 I forked over)
• Garlic, I imagine whatever you have on hand will probably work. fresh or powder would be best.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• A dash of salt, or not.  I can't really remember if I put this in.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or a full teaspoon if you got busy talking with your kiddos and didn't pay any attention to your recipe while you were scoopin' until after the second scoop.  Not that I would do that or anything... (But if you do, it still turns out just fine!)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• A dash of paprika for pretty

I tried crushing it all up in my mortar and pestle, but that got old real quick, so I transferred it all to the blender and blended a little at a time while stirring until it was smooth.  I really need to get a food processer, but since I don't have one yet, this worked just fine.  I did all this with my little kitchen helper, the Fashionista.  She's 11 and LOVES all things cooking/baking/Suzy homemaker style.  Except cleaning her room.  Oh boy, that room.  I often wonder what her home will look like when she's older.  :/  Anyone else feel this worry? My mom probably felt the same way about me.