Anyone who knows me knows I AM NOT a baker! This comes from despising exact measurements. This is why I failed math....1/4 is close to 1/3.....1,that's just 1 away from 2, that's close...what's the difference? I also can't stand following recipes exactly. It cramps my creative flowage. For most recipes I just read the recipe, get a general idea what it's supposed to taste like and then I let the buds lead. I go to the fridge and see what I have that would work and wait like everyone else to see what comes out at the end. I guess you could say I like surprises. This is why I'm a cook, not a baker.

Baking requires the letter of the law....I'm more of a spirit of the law kind of gal, if you know what I mean. This of course, has gotten me in trouble from time to time. For example, we were having the LDS missionaries over for dinner. One had previously mentioned that he loved Utah scones (ya, they're actually called that. To the rest of the world scones are more of a biscuit thing...I guess Utah's just a little different...in more than one way). Having been a missionary myself, I knew what it meant to have some comfort food every once in a while so I decided to make some. Well, after adding a pinch of this and a dash of that they were flat gobs of goo....this signaled they needed more flour, which made them hard rocks of goo. I thought they would soften as they cooked in the oil, so into the pan they went where 4 "scones" quickly soaked up ruffly a 1/2 quart of oil. The missionaries had just arrive so I had no choice but to serve them. One bite and oil came squirting out. The missionaries insisted they were delicious but I quickly took them back to the kitchen vowing to never bake again!

This is why Matthew is the baker at our house. Matthew is THE baker man - I love to watch him in the kitchen! rar! He makes these great pita pockets from a no-fail recipe for wheat bread. We've had some amazing meals with these pockets. This is just one to wet your whistle.

1 pita per person

sliced cucumber

1 carrot

sprouts

sunflower seeds

green onion

cabbage

cherry tomatoes

Homemade hummus or veganaise

Slice in half, toast, and open your pitas, Lather the inside with hummus (yum, you could stop right there). Now, in a food processor place everything but the sprouts and cherry tomatoes. Pulse once or twice just to chop everything but leave it chunky. Slice the tomatoes in half. Fill your pocket with the mixture and slip in a few tomato halves and sprouts. Can you just feel the raw goodness?

I was very excited when I was asked to give a presentation on how to cook and utilize beans. It came off as a success! In fact I had several people just sitting around my table eating my samples up as fast as i could get them on the table. This little brother was particularly attentive to my hummus.

My dear friend Penny was a bit surprised when I told her about it. "Hummus just sounds so angry, like, 'your such a hummus' or 'your going to tell someone to hummus off.''' I guess anything related to beans is the equivalent to a swear word in Samoan.

1 lemon

salt

garlic powder

Drain the can of garbanzo beans but save the liquid. (We prefer to buy bulk/bagged and cook them up ourselves - it is easy and so much more affordable plus you can control the salt content). Place everything in a food processor or blender. Add lemon juice, salt and garlic powder to taste. Blend till creamy, adding the bean liquid a little at a time.

Hummus is very versatile. The possibilities for mix-in's are endless. Try bell peppers or cucumber, sun dried tomatoes or olives. You'll pay $3-$5 at a grocery store for a few ounces but you can make it at home for less then $1.......your welcome.....now, hummus off. :)