YUMMY HUMMUS

Did you know that Israel now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of hummus? It’s true! The village of Abu Ghosh, which is near Jerusalem has broken the world’s record which was previously held by Lebenon. The world’s biggest dish of hummus weighed in at 8,992 pounds. A 20 foot satellite dish was used to display the food.
Ancient Egypt is the originator of hummus, which is one of the world’s oldest foods.
Hummus is an Arabian recipe which is called “hummus bi tahini”, which is a chickpea paste made with sesame butter (tahini). Often other ingredients, such as olive oil, garlic and lemon juice are added to the chickpea & sesame butter to add to the flavour.
Since hummus is such an internationally enjoyed dish, you will often see recipes calling for ‘chickpeas’, ‘garbanzo beans’ or ‘cece beans’ – all of which are translations of the ingredient ‘hummus’.

RECIPE FOR HUMMUS
Ingredients:
One 15 ounce can of chickpeas
Two cloves of minced garlic
Juice from one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
Two tablespoons of sesame butter
Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Drain can of chickpeas and place in a blender or food processor along with all of the other ingredients. Puree to the consistency of paste. You may need to add a small amount of water.
If you desire to have a middle-eastern accent to your hummus, try adding some fresh parsley and a ½ teaspoon of cumin.

Aloha!
For those of us who are enduring the cold weather of winter, the lure of the Hawaiian Islands is something to dream about.

The blue, blue water, sandy beaches, gentle breezes and of course those swaying palm trees make Hawaii one of the most popular vacation spots. The Big Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oaku and Kauai – each one different, each one a prime vacation spot.

Because of the wonderful weather, you can arrange your visit to Hawaii at any time of the year.

Hawaii is one of the favourite holiday destinations for people all over the world, and with the culturally diverse population, everyone feels welcome.

Over 1500 years ago the Polynesians arrived to the Islands and a half century later the Tahitians arrived. The English arrived with Captain James Cook in the late 1700’s. The famous Hawaiian King Kamehameha united all of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule in 1810. In 1898, Hawaii became a U.S. Territory and in 1959 it became the 50th State of the U.S.A.

Hawaiian sunsets on the beach are the epitome of romance where many proposals take place. One of my aunts was married in Hawaii as was one of my nieces and I can guarantee you that they have beautiful memories of one of the most important occasions in their lifetimes.

There are also many beautiful things to see in Hawaii besides the beaches – volcanos, rainforests, waterfalls, botanical gardens, and more. Aqua sports such as surfing, boating, snorkeling & scuba diving are very popular.

Have you ever been to Hawaii? Is it one of the places you daydream about on cold winter days? One thing for sure – once you’ve been to Hawaii, you want to go back!

Lets talk about Hawaii – what is your favourite island? When did you last go there? Would you share some of your experiences with us?