Saturday, October 17, 2009

Fish and Hummus...mmmm!


Sorry I've stepped away from blogging for a moment...it has been unbelievably busy around here. I had a couple of huge wholesale orders, plus a freelance assignment due, and then one of the cats got sick and a couple of trips to the vet were needed. (She's feeling much better now, purring away!) Above is a picture of an extremely cool present for Penny from an old friend of mine - it's a bucket of plush fish! (Cinder's just checking to make sure they're not real). Here's where you can get your own bucket.
And now, apropos of nothing, I want to share a recipe with y'all...
The other day my mom sent me her recipe for hummus. This, to me, is real hummus: no garlic, no spices, just chickpeas, tahini, and lemon. I don't like another thing in my hummus. This is an easy thing to make, and so healthy! I can't wait to feed some to Penny. Happy weekend everybody!

HUMMUS
One small can of garbanzo beans
Two lemons
Third to half a cup of Tahini
Salt and pepper
Quarter teaspoon olive oil
Half cup of parsley sprigs

Drain almost all can liquid from garbanzo beans (but keep in reserve). Place remaining beans into blender. Add juice of one lemon. Blend until pureed (mixture can be a bit grainy unless you like it very smooth). If you need extra liquid to puree add a touch of reserved can liquid (just a touch – hopefully the lemon juice will be all the liquid you need.

Pour puree into small bowl, add all Tahini and the juice of the second lemon ( half at a time so you can make to your taste. I like a lot of lemon.) Add salt and pepper and mix all ingredients thoroughly until Tahini is completely incorporated.

Decorate the perimeter generously with sprigs of parsley. The parsley is meant to be eaten as it makes a nice contrast to the velvety tart hummus. Dribble the center with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil

Tip: If your tahini has settled in its container with the oil on top, stir until it is well blended or hummus will be too oily. You want the Tahini paste to be well distributed.
Tip: Don’t use organic garbanzos. They are tough and don’t blend well. Goya is my first choice, Progresso second.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Fall for Arts Festival!



If you're in the New York area, this Saturday is a great time to check out my little neck of the woods, Roosevelt Island! I'll be selling a selection of MamaRobot items in the plaza in front of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd from 11 to 4. The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm, and if all that's not enough to convince you, Chris Fuller will be performing in the plaza, right near my booth, from 11:30-12:30. Mayor Bloomberg is coming too! He supposed to visit all of the booths personally, so I'll try to snap a picture and thank him for the smoking ban. Click on the images above to read all the details. Hope to see all you New Yorkers!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Coney Island





Saturday we took Penny and her grandparents to Coney Island and the Aquarium. I snapped a few pics along the way, including a funny robot and a gorgeous jellyfish. When we got home, I put Penny to bed, and my mother-in-law made delicious margaritas so we could enjoy some adult time. It felt right to indulge in some drinks - this week I finally got our security deposit back from our last apartment, and I finally found product liability insurance for MamaRobot! Major progress on my to-do list, and major events in store for my little biz...stay tuned!