A Blended Family

As you probably know by now, friends and enemies, the kitchen in my apartment is quite small. Teeny fridge, cabinet space at a premium, no pantry, only one full sized burner, etcetera after diminutive etcetera. But I manage to make due, and as far as apartment kitchens go, I've been told mine is pretty much status quo.

By comparison, however, my mom's kitchen is palatial. Seriously, my kitchen fits in the breakfast nook. There are bay windows. An over-stuffed, leather easy chair. A desk. A full-sized kitchen table. A free-standing, stove-top island. An oven that cooks evenly. Two microwaves. A gourmet fridge (and two more in the garage!). An eating bar.

It's the latter that I really love (although I've taken some kick-ass naps in the easy chair). The bar separates the breakfast nook from the kitchen proper. I've mentioned before that the kitchen is usually the center of action during my parties, but having a bar in the kitchen often turns everyday cooking & baking into a party. The other night was one of those UPE's (Unplanned Party Event).

I wanted to stock my mom's fridge with dips and dressings. She's taken to eating RBD so I figure I'd earn my winter break room & board by keeping her veggies well accompanied. The Doc was also home, enjoying his (highly unusual) second day off in a row. What started off as me and a G&T in the kitchen alone, turned into a Christmas-carol-soundtracked, bar-tended, family event.

Roomie kept my mom's vodkatonic's and The Doc's 7&7's flowing as I chopped up a tray of crudites and proceeded to blend up double recipes of most of the dips in my repertoire. The Doc and Roomie bellied themselves up to the bar and taste-tested as each dip came out of the blender. Not-Peanut Sauce. Tenth-Mile Rawnch. Roomie's Favorite Vinaigrette. Yes, I Said 'Nutcheese' Nutcheese. And two new-to-blog dips for your gustatory pleasure.

Green Greenie Tahini Dressing

2/3 cup tahini

1 cup of water (for thinning)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 heaping tablespoon cheater garlic

generous 1/4 cup of roughly chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

a shake or two of chipotle powder

Put everything but the water in the blender and mix well, adding the water slowly and as needed to facilitate blending. This dressing should have a pretty, pale green color from the parsley. Delicious with celery and also good as a dip for falafel.

Party In Your Mouth Red Pepper-Cannellini Dip

1 red pepper, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

1-2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon cheater garlic

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Blend everything until smooth, adding warm water if needed to thin the mixture. This is really good with raw spinach and would be a wonderful sauce for gnocchi or ravioli.

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Moral of the story? Blenders + cocktails + rawveg + a smorgasborg of dips + family + spacious kitchen = spontaneous party.