SIMPLE HUMMUS

Homemade spreads seem like they should be tricky. But this hummus recipe is simplicity at it's best. Throw all your ingredients together, whirl them in a food processor, DONE. It's just SUPER simple with easy, pantry ingredients. And it is so delicious; better, in my opinion, than anything you can buy pre-made at the grocery store. It has just a slight texture, without being chunky.  It's perfect for dipping or using as a spread. Or eating straight, with a spoon.

Don't judge.

I don't use tahini in my hummus, like so many recipes tell you to do. Because: 1. I never have it in my pantry, and 2. It taste perfect without it.  Simple, delicious. Make it. In fact, double it or you might have to make it again the next day.

 

Hummus

Slightly adapted from Real Simple Magazine

 

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1-2 cloves of garlic

Generous 1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

 

In a food processor or blender*, puree all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the consistency is too thick.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

 

Enjoy!

 

*I've used both. A food processor does a better job overall, but a blender is just fine.

 

 

IN THE GARDEN:SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Part of the reason we bought this house was the amazing space perfect for a garden on one side of the house. I love to garden and I feel that teaching our two children the joy of it is important. It's a outdoor hobby that they can enjoy their whole lives, hopefully, and the science in how food is grown is a valuable lesson for everyone, if you truly enjoy gardening or not.

In this early spring, there are few crops. But one that never fails is the sugar snap pea. Sugar snap peas are a perfect from-seed crop for kids to plant. The seeds are large enough for little hands to plant and they grow quickly (sprouts can appear in as little as two weeks). And it's also a circle-of-life sort of lesson, as the seeds look just like dried up peas.

Lake Valley Seeds, non-GMO

 



In California, where I live, it's a mild climate and we can plant these any time from fall to early spring (we planted ours in late January). In colder areas, plant as soon as you can work the ground; peas can handle the cold.
Two months later and our seeds have grown into 5 foot monsters, covered with peas.

 

 

 

 

 



Spring is showing it's face around here most days. And we are so happy to have her.

 

For more information about gardening with children, please read this awesome article over at Girl's Gone Child.

EGG CARTON RABBITS AND FLOWERS

There are so many lovely spring time crafts out there, aren't there? But some of them just seem a little overwhelming. Who wants to paper mache with a 1 year old? (Not this girl.) I wanted a simple craft that both of my children could enjoy. And these egg carton flowers and rabbits are just that.

 

 

This little craft is sweet, simple, and so easy. All you need is an egg carton, a pair of scissors, a few sheets of pretty paper, glue, and markers.

 

Cut out the "cups" of a cardboard egg carton. Trim them down a bit. Cut out some pretty paper into several leaf shapes.

For the flowers, glue the paper around the inside edge of the egg cup. Fold the paper slightly, so the colored side shows. (Or, you can leave them straight up for "tulips".)

 

For the rabbits, glue two of the papers, colored side out, to one side of the egg cup. Draw a face.

 Happy spring time crafting!

THINGS I LOVE: MR.PRINTABLES

Egg People, Mr.Printables

Mr. Printables is one of our family's absolute favorite websites. It's full of fun, bright, smart paper crafts, games, and learning tools, all for free!

Here are a few of our favorite things from them:

Printable Mazes:

Math Flash Cards:

USA Map Wall Hanging (or for geography lessons):

And they have holiday crafts too!

We love Mr. Printables! If you have little ones in your life, check them out for good quality, pretty, smartly designed resources and crafts.

(Their Pinterest page is also full of inspiration.)

CELEBRATING...THE WEEKDAY DINNER

Sitting down at the table every night as a family and eating together is important at our house. It's the time for a nutritious, balanced meal, but it's also more than just food. Dinner time is learning table manners, talking about our day, and enjoying a moment to sit with each other between the grind of the day and the rush of the bedtime routine.

But who am I kidding. Getting dinner on the table and everyone there during the week is hard work. I'm at home during the day and it's still a challenge. And for those of you who work outside of the home, good for you for every night you don't order pizza and call it a night.

This is a meal that can help you avoid that. Browned smoked turkey sausage and chickpeas, with diced tomatoes and kale. Throw in an onion if you have one. It's healthy, one pot, quick, and delicious. Everyone at my house eats all of this, and the best part of it is how versatile it is. Switch out the kale for spinach. Trade chickpeas for white beans. Use broth instead of tomatoes. Add ground beef and black beans and top with grated cheese. The formula is simple: meat, beans, liquid, greens. Eat. Enjoy. You might even have time to practice those table manners.

Chop, drain. These are simple things.

Brown the sausage, onion, and chickpeas. Toasting the chickpeas makes them slightly crispy and super tasty.

Add the tomatoes, juices and all. Bring them to a boil.

Add the kale. It looks like too much. Don't worry! It will cook down.

See! Stir it, serve it. Weekday dinner.

 

Smoked Turkey Sauage with Kale and Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 onion, diced (optional)
2 cans chickpeas (also know as garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped (if the steams are thick, discard them)


In a large pan, brown the sausage and onion over medium high heat until sausage is slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the chickpeas. Stir and cook about 10 minutes, until chickpeas are toasted and some of  the skins are bursting. Add the can of tomatoes and their juices. Stir and allow to come to a boil. Add the kale and a generous amount of salt and pepper on top of the kale. Do not stir. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove lid, stir, and serve.

SETTING THE TABLE FOR AFTERNOON TEA

I recently hosted a grown-up afternoon tea party. The ladies wore dresses, we used good china, fresh flowers filled the table, and hot tea and sparkling water in our cups. Finger sandwiches, cakes and cookies, and fresh fruit on our plates. Add a dose of good conversation and lots of laughter.  A lovely afternoon.