Make it Yourself: Wicked Lemony Hummus

If you're like me, you spend altogether too much money on store-bought hummus. You shell out your hard-earned dollars for often-mediocre tubs of the stuff, or perhaps if you're feeling flush you pick up some delicious Sabra.

There is, however, a better way. That way is homemade. 

BEHOLD: Tasty, savory, easy, and inexpensive Lemon Sesame Hummus! 

The key to this recipe, as for all hummus, is the tahini. Tahini is nothing more complex or exotic than a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds, yet it is a critical component of all hummus recipes. It adds a rich depth of flavor and undergirds the creamy consistency so prized in excellent hummus. When one tastes a "hummus" that, despite its pretensions, tastes merely like ground up chickpeas, the missing piece is nearly always tahini.

For my thrifty readers: Tahini is a tad pricey but stretches far; each batch of hummus, for example, only requires about two heaping tablespoons. The sum of the remaining ingredients in the recipe below might reach as high as two dollars.

Finally, I warn you--this is a wicked lemony hummus. Feel free to crank things back as you see fit. You're the chef!

Click through for the recipe!

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Hungry Sam: Hurricane Mode! Or, Lemon Chicken a l'Irene

If you hadn't heard, DC was being punished for its sins this last week. Earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes -- all pretty mild, actually, at least here in Washington. I guess our sins can't be that bad.

During the worst of the hurricane on Saturday night, I didn't even lose power -- so obviously I decided to roast a mid-hurricane chicken.

I used a four pound chicken I'd thawed over two days in the fridge. I started by spatchcocking the bird (butterflying; for more here's my post: "Spatchcocked Chicken...heehee") and arranging it skin side up on a foil-covered tray. Then, I melted about two tablespoons of butter and painted the skin before massaging thyme, sage, and salt and pepper in as well. I cut four sprigs off my poor, sad rosemary plant and tucked them under joints, and finished preparing the chicken by arranging wheel of sliced lemon on top.

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