Nicole Eggert now working at ice cream truck - and general cheese chat

**missbazilb** · October 14th, 2014, 06:22 PM

I usually make my hummus from scratch, unless I make it over to this greek grocery store not too far from my house - theirs is AMAZING! I could just eat it with a spoon, the whole thing.

**faithanne** · October 14th, 2014, 06:45 PM

I've made hommous before, it's easy and super cheap, but baba ganoush is labour intensive (because you have to roast the skin over a flame as described on the previous page) and expensive unless you can find cheap eggplants. I buy my Baba G at the corner supermarket but it's made by a local Lebanese family-run business who also make felafels and hommous and basically keep me from starvation.

**czb** · October 14th, 2014, 07:28 PM

^^^ you can't just roast the eggplant in the oven like you do with red pepper? i'm curious since i've never made it before.

**faithanne** · October 14th, 2014, 09:13 PM

Well you can but you won't get that smoky flavour, you need an open flame for that.

**needmeds** · October 14th, 2014, 09:35 PM

My kid rigged up a grill rack on top of our backyard chiminea (sp?) for cooking s'mores - I put a few eggplants in it last weekend and made baba ghanoush. Burned just wood from the grocery store and I cooked the holy shit out of the eggplants. There wasn't much left lol but the results were very smoky and quite good.

Does anyone put yogurt in their baba g?

**sputnik** · October 14th, 2014, 09:59 PM

in today's cheese news, i went to a kiwi cocktail party yesterday evening and the gift bags were these yummy organic wafers, quince paste, this incredible organic olive oil, all from new zealand. and best of all, a block of egmont cheese (from nz as well) that is like cheddar's nuttier, butterier cousin. it's amazing.

Originally Posted by MohandasKGanja

Before we had kids, I actually had the time (and inclination) to make my own hummus. I would take chick peas, and tahini and garlic (I forget what else) and put it in a blender. Then, stuff pita pockets of it with the hummus and vegetables. It was amazing. It was dirt cheap compared to buying hummus at the store. Good times.

but homemade hummus is so quick and easy! and you can make loads of it at once. just get cans of chick peas, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and that's it. Oh, and a dash of cinnamon - the secret ingredient, according to my lebanese friend. and a bit of chili powder and cumin, if you want to give it a bit of a kick.

**faithanne** · October 15th, 2014, 12:50 AM

^And paprika sprinkled on top makes it pretty too. Lemon is the most important ingredient to bring out the yumminess.

NZ has the BEST dairy products. Their cheese is amazing and we used to live for care packages of the creamiest chocolate from Kiwi friends. And the wine is pretty good too.

hmm, GR cheese wine and chocolate tour...

**Belt Up** · October 15th, 2014, 10:58 AM

Don't you need that tahini stuff too?

**Lobelia** · October 15th, 2014, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by sputnik

in today's cheese news, i went to a kiwi cocktail party yesterday evening and the gift bags were these yummy organic wafers, quince paste, this incredible organic olive oil, all from new zealand. and best of all, a block of egmont cheese (from nz as well) that is like cheddar's nuttier, butterier cousin. it's amazing.

What, no monkey brains, yak tongue, fish eyeballs...? Pretty tame meal for you.

**sputnik** · October 15th, 2014, 01:21 PM

^^^^
ha. i don't always eat gross and weird stuff. but when i do, i like to tell lobes all about it in graphic detail

Originally Posted by Belt Up

Don't you need that tahini stuff too?

lol shit you're right i totally forgot the other main ingredient besides chick peas

**faithanne** · October 15th, 2014, 01:51 PM

Tahini in hommous? I've never made it that way, although Habibi at my local always puts tahini on my felafel rolls. It's delicious but not essential I don't think.

**sputnik** · October 15th, 2014, 04:43 PM

Yeah, I think the full name of hummus is hummus tahini
i always put it in mine, even though I forget to list it as part of the recipe

**Beeyotch** · October 15th, 2014, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by faithanne

Well you can but you won't get that smoky flavour, you need an open flame for that.

Never done eggplant, but I roast my poblano peppers in the oven, as long as you roast them enough so they blister and char, they'll get that smokey flavor.

I like to make my eggless version of chiles rellenos this way. Roast poblano peppers, broil them in the oven on cookie sheet for maybe 10 minutes, whatever makes them blistery/charred on both sides.

Cover them with foil, put them in a plastic bag so they steam the skins off. Peel the waxy skin layer off, remove seeds and stems. Cut into slices and bake or microwave some cheeese on top. I like muenster or mozzarella.

Eat as is, or put this in a warm corn tortilla and make tacos.

**witchcurlgirl** · October 15th, 2014, 05:26 PM

That sounds sooooo good. Now I'm going to have to go out for Mexican.

**Lobelia** · October 15th, 2014, 10:01 PM

After work, I went to the grocery store & got hummus, goat cheese, whole grain crackers, a nice cheddar and some olives. Drank a groovy cabernet. DIVINE.

I need to expand my cheese repertoire but not sure how to start. I did buy a gouda but haven't tried it yet. There is a lot to learn about cheese and it's a little intimidating.