Cathys don't knock it 'til ya' try it "Sandwich"

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

2 slices of pumpernickle bread
Hummus
Rosated and salted sunflower seeds
Bread & Butter pickles

Spread Hummus on bread, sprinkle liberally with sunflower seeds then top with pickles, spread hummus on other piece of bread slap all together and enjoy! I find this sandwich light and not too filling, yet satisfying and very fresh tasting. Sometimes lunchmeat gets a bit too much when I want a light lunch.

If any of you decide to give this a try let me know how you like it.

Cathy

[KYHeirloomer]

Hmmmmmmm? I'd of thought the pickles would overpower the humus.

Even better than sunflower seeds, try it with pumpkin. Ummmmm, good!

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Good suggestion I will give it a try! The pickels are strong in flavor but with hummus on both sides you can certainly taste it just fine

[jglass]

I have never had hummus.

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Jg you have got to try it! I wish you had an International Market near you, or at the very least a Kroger's store. But since you do not here's my hummus recipe (really easy)

1 can chick peas (drained & liquid reserved) chick peas=garbanzo beans
juice from 2 fresh lemons
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. tahini (since I can not get it her I use 1 tsp. sesame seed oil)
3 cloves of garlic

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix adding reserved liquid as needed to blend into a dip consistency. (I usually wind up using all the liquid) Spoon a generous helping into a shallow saucer to serve, and I top mine with a drizzle of EVOO and some spicy crushed peppers.

Serve with fresh warm pita bread.

This is most delicious and healthy! When I eat this it is so refreshing and tastes wonderful! Another beautiful dip that I love is called Baba Ganough,
it is made in a similar manner only instead of the chick peas you use roasted egg plant- simply bake the egg plant until done thru & thru, peel and use it instead of the chick peas and the liquid. I can eat this until I am about to pop! I often make both on the same day since I am allready making pita bread. Must admit my pita bread has never come out quite like the restaurants But it is ok & gets the job done! They probably have a brick oven to bake theirs in not fair at all!

[jglass]

We are going to get groceries tomorrow and I will get the stuff I need to try it.
I have never been able to get tahini here either.

[KYHeirloomer]

Janie, maybe it's time you made a list. Then you, Sis, and I can get together in Lexington, and I'll show you where to find things.

Although tahini shouldn't be that hard. Even Walmart carries it down here, and they don't have much of anything.

[jglass]

I have kinda noticed Wal Marts tend to cater to the area they are located. Yours is probably in a more affluent area where ours is in a more rural location. It is like the two Wal Marts in Ashland. One is located in a more affluent area of Ashland so you can find so much more of a variety there. Especially in their seafood selection. I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil and you can only get the basic types of flour at either. I got a great new cookbook for bread called Crust. It even has a dvd with it. He uses a couple of different types of flour I cannot get around here unfortunately.
Ordering online would be the best option. Gas prices are so high it would be the cheaper route but I appreciate the offer very much.

[KYHeirloomer]

I don't know if it's so much affluence as what the manager percieves is the ethnic base. For instance, our Walmart has a fairly large Mexican foods department (and Kroger, on the other hand, has virtually none).

For flours, check out Wisenberger Mills, Weisenberger Mill They're right here in Midway, as it turns out. But you can mail order.

Like everyone else, they've had to raise their prices. But they're still affordible. 25 pounds of bread flour are something like 15 bucks. On another list somebody was complaining that he couldn't afford to bake, not when bread flour was more than a buck a pound. So I reckon Wisenberger still has the best prices.

Not only that, but all their wheat is purchased from Kentucky growers!

Until the big gas price run-up I would just drive out there (only about 45 miles, for me). It's a fun place---a water-driven mill on the banks of the S. Elkhorn. In fact, my next back-page column in Kentucky Gardener will feature them.

[KYHeirloomer]

I know what you mean about gas prices. It's hard to go anywhere further then down the block, nowadays.

What I do is keep an on-going list of specialty items. Then we do a round robin in Lexington, visiting all the stores we need to. That might range from Fresh Mart, to an Indian shop, to the farmer's market, to Bed Bath & Beyond. Sometimes we hit as many as 7 or 8 different places, stocking up on stuff that's just not available in Richmond---which is almost everything.

We also joined Sam's Club, and that's a big help. The savings I realize on foodstuffs and other items more than makes up for the gas it costs getting there. For instance, a large bag (2 lb) of tail on raw shrimp is only 12 bucks, compared to as much as $15/lb locally. Last time I bough pork loins there they were like $2.85. Etc.

Working it like that, the gas cost sort of gets swallowed up. I would never consider driving to Lexington for just one or two items, though. Not like the old days, that's for sure.

"I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil "

Maybe I'm a snob? But I much prefer blending spice mixes, like garam masala, for myself. I know exactly what's going into them, that way. And I know the mix hasn't been sitting around on a shelf for several years.

I do the same with a lot of specialty items, such as sun dried tomatoes. I dry my own, and, if I need them in oil, put them up with some chopped basil and EVOO.