Homemade Hummus

I love putting hummus on crackers and pretzels, and I always prefer to make spreads and dressings myself so I know exactly what's in it. Even though I can always read the ingredients on the back of the packaging, there's just something about making it from scratch that makes it taste that much better. So... this is my favorite hummus recipe! You can also add extra garlic, sun dried tomatoes, etc...

Ingredients: 

• 1 (15ounce) can no-salt chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup Tahini paste 
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1. Pulse beans and garlic in a food processor (or blender on pulse mode) until chopped.  

2. Add water and remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Make sure you scrape down the sides as you are pulsing.

3. Taste and add more salt/garlic as desired.

4. Done! Refrigerate after making/before serving. Store in an airtight container. 

This was adapted from myrecipes.com: Traditional Hummus recipe.

Apartment Tour

To see my full apartment tour just click on the video titles below!

Kitchen and Living Room

Bedroom

Bathroom and Closet

Bedroom Tour

My bedroom tour is up on my channel! Click here to check it out! Next week I'll be showing the bathroom & closet. 

Apartment Tour

To check out my apartment tour (+how I've decorated/some organization) go to my YouTube channel: Kristina Rouse. Bedroom tour will be up tomorrow! 

Shirt: Abercrombie and Fitch
Tank: Forever 21
Leggings: Aritzia
Bag: Zara
Boots: Chinese Laundry

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs no crust (I used whole wheat)
• 1/8 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup warm water
• Vegetable Oil
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Noodles

Directions:

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl using a fork. Then form into balls.

2. Heat the oil in a pan (I use about 1/2 cup of oil) and brown all sides of the meatballs. Cook in batches, don't overcrowd the pan! I cook about 6 at a time (usually takes 10 minutes). 

3. Heat spaghetti sauce in a separate pan. Sometimes I will saute some sliced mushrooms on the side and add that to the sauce. Add in the meatballs once they have been browned so that the insides can continue to cook.

4. Boil your noodles then drain. 

                          

5. Serve desired amount of noodles with sauce and meatballs!

(you can also freeze extra meatballs to use later).  

Tips for Online Shopping!

              I love to shop online. You don’t have to go to the store or look through millions of clothing items crowded together too tightly on a rack. Instead you can browse through items at your leisure, sort them by size, color, price point, etc… The only downside of online shopping is not being able to try on or see items in person, so these are some tips that I use when shopping online so that I don’t regret my purchase.

              Buy from online stores that have an actual storefront nearby. This often allows for easier returns and exchanges in case something doesn’t work out.

              Create a wishlist. Lots of stores now give you the option of adding items you like to a wishlist. I’ll add all the items that I like to my list, that way when there’s a sale I can go through it and easily see what I’ve thought about getting (and see if the price has been reduced), instead of scouring the entire site.

              Do an online search for coupons/promo codes. Some stores have codes out that give you a percentage off, or free shipping, but won’t have the deal listed on their site. Sites like Retailmenot.com and dealsplus.com often have multiple codes that will sometimes save you extra money.

              Always shop through Ebates. When you go through Ebates to shop you get a percentage back in a check every 3 months. You can earn cashback through stores like Macys, Nordstrom, Target, Sephora, Smashbox, TooFaced, etc. One time Smashbox had 12% cashback, so I got a lot back on my purchase. Sign up for Ebates here.

              Read Reviews. I like to use sites where customers can write reviews. Sites such as Urban Outfitters, BooHoo, Amazon, Overstock, Wayfair, etc... This way I can see if people really liked the particular item. It’s even better when customers post their own picture of the product. Sometimes the pictures used on store’s website are misleading, so it’s nice when a site has actual consumer reviews.

              Check the model’s stats/size. Each clothing store’s sizes vary so drastically. An extra small in one store might be equivalent to a medium in another. Some sites list the model’s measurements as well as the clothing item size that they’re wearing. This helps by allowing you to compare your body with the models and determine if you need a size smaller, larger, etc.

              Read shipping/return policies. I rarely order online unless there’s free shipping. A lot of stores will offer free shipping if you spend over a certain amount, sign up for their emails, or during a promotion.

              I also make sure to check the return policy. Some sites will only let you return certain items. I like to order from sites with free return shipping or from sites that allow for free returns to a store. If a site is based out of another country, or doesn’t have a store front near me, I make sure to read reviews and do my research before ordering. Be aware that some stores might offer free return shipping but only give store credit back.  

Those are all the rules that I follow when shopping online! Hopefully it’s helpful to you too!

Sausage Soup

Prep Time: About 15 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage (1/2 mild, ½ spicy) (if unground remove the sausage from the outer skin).

• 1 chopped onion

• 5 cups beef broth

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (or one 16oz can drained diced tomatoes)

• 1 8oz can tomato sauce

• 2 zucchinis chopped

• 2 large carrots chopped

• ½ cup dry red wine

• 1 Tablespoon dried Basil

• 1 Tablespoon dried Oregano

Directions:

1. Bring the broth to a boil, add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red wine, Basil, and Oregano and lower heat.  

2. Add the chopped carrots and zucchinis to the broth.

3. In a separate pan, sauté the sausage over medium-high heat. Transfer the cooked sausage to the soup.

4. Keep about 1 tablespoon of sausage drippings in the pan and saute the onion in it until transparent. Add the onion to the soup.

5. Simmer until vegetables are tender then serve! (about 40 minutes from when you put veggies in).

Broiled Asparagus

Ingredients:

•     Asparagus (I used 8)
•     ½ teaspoon Salt
•     ½ teaspoon finely ground Peppercorn
•     ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
•     ½ Tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  

2. Wash the asparagus and remove about an inch from the bottom of each.

3. Coat all sides of the asparagus in olive oil and place them on a nonstick baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle the sides of the asparagus with the salt, peppercorn, and garlic powder.

5. Broil the asparagus for 12-15 minutes, turning them over about 6 minutes in.

6. Serve hot!

Sunset: Lake Erie

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 2½-3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• Optional: carrots, onion, celery

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the oregano, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and ground pepper. Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry, then rub the spice mixture into the chicken.

2. Melt the butter over medium heat and brown the chicken (about 3-5 minutes each side). Then place the chicken into the slow cooker.

3. In the same skillet, heat the water, chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, and garlic. Bring it to a boil and then pour the mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook for 2 ½-3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low. You can also add carrots, onion, celery, and other veggies into the slow cooker, too!

5. Remove the chicken from the broth and serve over rice or pasta!

Waffles from Scratch

This makes 3-4 waffles, if you want more just double the recipe!

Ingredients:

•        1 egg
•        1 cup flour
•        3/4 cup milk
•        ¼ cup vegetable oil
•        ½ Tablespoon white sugar
•        2 teaspoons baking powder
•        1/8 teaspoon salt
•        ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
•        Optional: cinnamon, chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. Beat egg. Whisk in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla until just smooth.

3. Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray.

4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto the waffle iron and cook until golden brown.