A Unique, Delicious Dip for Your Next Party

Sometimes when you're thinking about what to serve at a party, you want to offer something new and different, rather than turning to your time-tested recipes that you've collected through the years. I know that when I'm in that frame of mind, I'm looking for something that will be attractive, unique, and a conversation piece--in a good way! And, of course, it needs to be economical!

A wonderful, Middle Eastern dip that I came across is Roasted Garlic Hummus with homemade spiced Pita Chips. It is a great break from the usual, yet the flavors are easy to take a liking to...in all, it's some very delicious eatin'!

I've tried several Hummus recipes, but this one, with my tinkering, has become an absolute favorite. If you're not big fan of garlic, I suggest you decrease or eliminate the amount of raw garlic (but the roasted garlic is mild in flavor--it really is a wonderful addition!)

Here's how to make the pita chips (I adapted to go well with the Hummus):


12 pita bread pockets

olive oil cooking spray

1/4 t pepper

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t basil

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t marjorum

1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray both sides of the pita pockets liberally with olive oil cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine all other ingredients. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the pita bread with herb and spice mixture.

With kitchen scissors cut the pita bread into pie shaped pieces, as big or as small as you'd like. Arrange pieces on 2 ungreased cookie sheets.

Photo Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime


Bake for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Keep a close eye on the chips-they burn easily!

Instead of using olive oil cooking spray, you can use 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and mix the spices in before drizzling on the pita bread. I just find that it's less messy for me to use the cooking spray.

Yum!....

Photo Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime


Now, for the incredible Roasted Garlic Hummus:



1 small head garlic, roasted (see below for instructions)

1 (15 oz) can cooked chickpeas, (also known as garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed with water.

1/2 cup tahini (Tahini is sesame seeds that have been ground to the consistency of peanut butter, often found at gourmet or health food stores in the peanut butter section.)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approx 2 lemons)

1 medium sized clove raw garlic, minced finely

1/4 t sea salt

1/4 cup water

extra virgin olive oil, paprika, and dry parsley for garnish

Photo Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast the head of garlic by slicing off the top 1/3 of the head, place in small oven-proof container, and add water to cover bottom 1/3 of garlic head. Drizzle garlic with a little extra virgin olive oil and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Cool.



Photo Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

Add all ingredients, except garnishes, to a food processor and process until very smooth (2-3 minutes). If necessary, add a tiny bit more water to make a dipable consistency. Place in serving bowl and top with extra virgin olive oil, paprika and parsley. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

Photo Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

Colorful and delicious!

Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

To Buy and Ice Cream Cake...Or Not?

A favorite dessert for entertaining, especially birthdays, is ice cream cake. And are they expensive! An ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins that serves 8-12 people costs around $26! That can eat up your entertaining budget in a hurry! But, did you know how easy it is to make an ice cream cake yourself? It will cost you a fraction of the price of a storebought one, and it really isn't difficult to do!

photo copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

Here's what you'll need to make an Ice Cream Cake:


1 box cake mix, any flavor (don't forget eggs and oil to make the mix!)

1/2 gallon ice cream, any flavor that coordinates with the cake mix

5-6 scoops vanilla ice cream (or other flavor you'd like for the "frosting")

1 container prepackaged or homemade frosting, any coordinating flavor to decorate cake




Before you start, make sure you have freezer space for the cake!

Cook cake according to package directions in 8 or 9 inch pans. (Depending on how you make this, you may have a layer of cake left over--See below)

Cool cakes completely, level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife, then put the cake or cakes in the freezer. (See below)

Set out the 1/2 gallon of ice cream to soften enough to easily scoop out.

Scoop and pack the ice cream into one of the clean cake pans used to bake the cake. (Leave about 3/4 inch space at top of pan to later place the cake on top.) Use a spoon warmed in water to smooth and level the ice cream.

Place the pan with ice cream into freezer.

When cake and ice cream are frozen solid, remove from freezer. Run a hot spoon over top of ice cream to slightly melt it, then set one layer of cake on top of the ice cream. (Cake will be taller than the pan.) Return to freezer.

Set out, in a bowl, 5-6 scoops of vanilla ice cream to soften (or whatever flavor you're using for the "frosting"). Stir occasionally until it is a spreadable consistency, then place in refrigerator.

Put a few inches of hot water in the sink, remove cake and ice cream pan from freezer. Hold the bottom of the pan in the water for just a few seconds, remove from water, and invert the cake and ice cream onto a cake plate. Return to freezer to refreeze a few minutes.

Remove cake plate with cake and ice cream from freezer. Quickly frost with the softened vanilla ice cream, and return to freezer to freeze, about 30 minutes.

Prepare icing decorating bag and tips with the storebought or homemade frosting. Remove "frosted" cake from freezer, and decorate. Pipe boarders, words, or whatever you'd like. You may need to occasionally put the ice cream cake back in the freezer for a few minutes while decorating, to keep the ice cream from melting too much. Keep cake frozen until about 20 minutes before serving, when you should set it out to soften slightly.

Note: You can use the second layer of cake to place on top of the ice cream once the first layer of cake and ice cream are on the cake plate. If you do this, though, I recommend you frost the ice cream cake with actual frosting, rather than softened vanilla ice cream, as you would a regular cake. You'll be able to feed more people this way. Again, you may have to return the cake to the freezer for a few minutes to re-freeze while decorating. I added an extra layer of cake as frosted with regular frosting in this cake:

photo copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime

You can see that the flavor combinations are limitless! Our favorite is chocolate cake with Cold Stone Creamery's Cake Batter ice cream and chocolate frosting. Mmmmm!

Let us know what kind of ice cream cake YOU make! Email me a picture and I'll post it here!


Copyright 2008 Entertaining On A Dime