unpredictable winners

When you’re married to a filmmaker (who thank-the-Lord shares your indifference for athletics), Oscar Night is like the Super Bowl. But more fun 🙂

Naturally, important televised events call for superb dips, so I was grateful to come across this one on my new favorite food blog: Canadian Closet Cooking. Apparently there are other adventurers making the most out of their teeny kitchens! Kevin, the author of this blog, created a really easy Greek dip  called Htipiti. Don’t ask me to pronounce it. With a food processor, this is a very quick and yummy roasted red pepper and feta cheese dip!

Fresh roasted peppers are a teeny bit more effort, though purchasing jarred versions take all the work out of this effortless appetizer.

To roast peppers (and jalapeno, as I did here), just slice in half and broil for about 7 or so minutes until completely blackened.

Place the piping peppers in a freezer bag until cooled. Steaming them makes the skin so easy to pinch off.

Now I had never worked with jalapeno peppers before, and I’m also a wimp when it comes to heat. I began with 1/4 of a pepper in the dip and actually found that to be medium spicy. If you want a very mild dip, just add 1/8 pepper and adjust to your liking.

This is likely the fastest homemade appetizer ever. Just toss everything in the food processor: feta, roasted peppers, green onion, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and one clove of garlic! 

My love for pita is indescribable, so you can only imagine my adoration for pita chips! I used whole wheat pita, which I of course enjoy because it’s so nutritious and hearty. Pita chips also toast in about 2 minutes, so they’re a healthful alternative to pretzels or potato chips. This time around, I brushed them with olive oil (& chopped garlic mixed in) before toasting. It made absolutely no difference, and even made them a bit soggy. I suggest toasting them dry, as I’ve done in the past. No need to add the additional fat if it’s not enhancing the flavor. I couldn’t taste the fresh garlic either—dried garlic may have been more effective.

In my dip-making excursions, I also attempted an impromptu french onion dip. I roasted some garlic and chopped onion while the (toaster) oven was still hot from the pepper-roasting. I mixed this in with plain yogurt (having no sour cream on hand), salt, a dash of teriyaki, and a little dried onion powder. Not bad! I’m not a regular purchaser of potato chips, but this, after all, was a special occasion 😉 

If you want to try Kevin’s Greek dip, visit the recipe here on his blog.