Cilantro Garlic Hummus

This is my mom's recipe, but I don't think she'd mind if I shared it with all of you :). This spread of hers is amazing. It's definitely a staple food at our house. We put it on fish... we put it on barbeque... we put it on sandwiches.... yummm.... it is such a versatile spread :) Plus it has a beautiful speckled green color!

2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained
One bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 TB lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup of olive oil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
sugar to taste (it should have a bit of a tang to it)

Combine everything in a blender. Blend until smooth. Chill. Enjoy! Super simple :)

Baked Apples

Another nerve-wracking attempt at a new dessert for Christmas dinner, but everyone seemed to like it :)!! I will definitelyyy be making this again!

8 jonagold or golden delicious apples (they're best for baking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 teaspoons of Grand Marnier (1 tsp per apple)
butter (or I used Smart Balance)
cool whip or vanilla ice cream
boiling water

1. Wash the apples and preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, walnuts, raisins, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

3. Core the apples but stop before you hit 1/2 an inch from the bottom of the apple. Make sure you scoop out enough to fill it up with the delicious filling! Using a melon baller worked the best. I bought an apple corer, but I think those things are only useful if you plan to go through the bottom of the apple which is not what we want here.

4. Drop a dollop of butter into the apple (1/2 a teaspoon).

5. Distribute the filling between the apples, stuffing them to the top. Save remaining "stuffing" to sprinkle over the cool whip or ice cream.

6. Spoon a teaspoon of Grand Marnier into each apple.

7. Top each "apple bowl" with another 1/2 teaspoon of butter.

8. Arrange apples in a 13''x9'' baking dish with a bit of depth (perhaps 2-3 inches).

9. Pour enough boiling water into the bottom of the pan to cover the bottom of the dish and have the water reach a depth of about 1/2 an inch.

10. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The skin should begin to look wrinkly and the apples should be soft, but not mushy. Make sure you prod the bottoms of the apples to make sure those are semi-soft as well since the tops will bake first.

11. Serve immediately with a fork and knife. They are absolutely beautiful when cut in half!