Avocado Hummus

Oh, Pinterest.  If I didn't have an on-the-move 7 month old that consumes my day, that site very well might. Not only am I passionate about food - I love all things holiday, home decor, kids and fashion.  In other words, this site is bad news for me! :)

I found this dip that falls somewhere between guacamole and hummus on Pinterest and knew right away that I wanted to try this. We love both and this definitely did not disappoint.

Peas with Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers

Vegetable side dishes (for me) tend to be after thoughts. I always seem to get into a rut when it comes to them.  My go-to sides are usually grilled corn on the cob, squash or zucchini during grilling season and in the winter I usually go with sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts or broccoli. 

So one of my 2012 "food resolutions" is to put more thought into sides.  As I mentioned yesterday, I recently got Katie Lee Joel's The Comfort Table.  The book contains quite a few side dishes that jumped out at me - "Peas with Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers", "Roasted Carrots with Honey & Mint" and "Sesame Corn Saute". 

Chicken with Mustard & Walnut Coating

I've sworn that we wouldn't buy any more cookbooks for awhile - at least until we actually start cracking open all of the probably 100 that we have.  And we have some really great ones - ones that I really wanted and sought out (like Rick Bayless's Fiesta at Rick's & Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home) that are just collecting dust right now. 

But somehow, standing in line at Homegoods we ended picking up 2 more - Williams-Sonoma's Weeknight Fresh & Fast and Katie Lee Joel's Comfort Table.  So, I'm making a conscious effort to make at least a few recipes from these new purchases. 

Vanilla Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

It has been quite awhile since I've made a cheesecake.  I love them and enjoy baking them, but they tend to be time consuming - and now with The Baby, making anything other than ready in-a-flash desserts hasn't exactly been my reality. 

But back in November, my sister was coming in town for The Baby's Baptism and it was also my sister's 27th birthday celebration weekend with my family.  I asked her what kind of cake she would like and she said she wanted a cheesecake with either cherry or blueberry topping - cherry being her first choice.  Well, much to my dismay, after trips to every grocery store in Richmond (including Whole Foods & Trader Joe's) no one was carrying the cherries I needed.  So, blueberry cheesecake it was.

Creamy Pistachio Dip

I never really noticed how annoying it is to shell pistachios - or time consuming for that matter.  That is until, I was shelling pistachios to equal 1 1/2 cups and not just shelling as I pop them into my mouth.  But if you love pistachios, this dip is so worth the time that it takes to remove the shells.  Or you can just be smarter than me and pay attention when you are shopping and buy pistachios with the shells already removed!

And if you don't particularly love pistachios or you haven't had them, you should still make this dip from Food & Wine.  It really is that good.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

I love black beans and I love hummus as well. This dip from Cooking Light finds itself somewhere in between - not quite your typical black bean dip and not quite a hummus either. This quick and delicious dip is great as a snack or a healthy appetizer to serve up to guests at your next football viewing party!

This recipe is beyond easy to make. I've made it twice within the past week and with a on the move baby at home, I can tell you that whipping up a homemade "snack" requires ease and simplicity.