Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (19 oz) can garbanzo beans, 1/2 cup of the liquid reserved
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil

In a blender or food processor, blend the garlic, beans, liquid, lemon juice, tahini and salt until creamy and well-mixed. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with pita bread.

To make the hummus more creamy, just add more of the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans.

Chipotle Shrimp Cocktail

This recipe is amazing! and a must have recipe to take to the beach next year. The only complaint we had was that we ran out of shrimp way too quickly. Maybe, we'll have to pick up more shrimp to go with the rest of the cocktail sauce! :-)

1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 of a canned chipotle in adobo sauce plus 1 tsp of sauce
2 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 lb cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 avocado sliced

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Serve with a platter of shrimp and avocado slices for dipping. You can also mix the shrimp and avocado into the sauce and serve on crackers.

To prepare the shrimp, I peeled the shell but left on the tail. After deveining the shrimp, I heated a frying pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. I seasoned the shrimp with salt and pepper and sauteed for about 5 minutes until cooked through and pink.

I actually doubled the recipe and used a pound of shrimp. We had a lot of cocktail sauce leftover so I could have used more shrimp. The 4 of us wolfed it all down and the shrimp were gone in no time.

Cremini Mushrooms Stuffed with Spanish Ham

I made this recipe once for a work gathering David hosted. They were a huge hit and tasted much better than I expected. I haven't had the opportunity to make them again since as its good adult fare but not a huge hit with picky teenagers.

42 fresh cremini or white button mushrooms, each 2-3 inches in diameter, brushed clean
2 Tbsp fresh bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp minced fresh sage
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3 oz serrano ham or prosciutto, finely chopped
3 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp dry white wine or substitute
2 Tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil 1 heavy baking dish or 2 large enough to accommodate the mushrooms snugly in a single layer. Trim off the rough base of each mushroom stem, then remove the stems and chop finely. In a large bowl, combine the chopped stems, the bread crumbs, parsley, sage, garlic, ham, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly. The mixture should hold together in clumps. If it seems dry, mix in another 1-2 tsp sour cream. Put the mushroom caps, stem sides up, in a steamer basket set over simmering water. Cover and steam until tender and glossy, about 3 minutes. Lift out the basket, allowing any moisture to drain, and let cool. Spoon 1 generous tsp of the ham mixture onto the stem side of each mushroom cap and smooth it into an even, rounded mound. Place the mushrooms, stuffing side up, in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle the wine around the edges of the dish and sprinkle each cap with about 1/8 tsp of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, garnish with cheese and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 42 bites.

Make ahead tip: the steamed mushrooms and stuffing can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before stuffing.