Fairy gardens are all the rage right now. At your next gathering, how about WOWing your friends and family by bringing an appetizer made with an assortment of dips that looks like a fairy garden? This is easier to make than it looks. You can either buy ready made dips, or make some of your own. I have included a recipe for hummus below, as well as instructions for this garden. Let your creativity loose and see what other ideas you can come up with. You might even want to add a little potting shed or fairy figurine. Be sure to share a photo of your creation!
Hummus Fairy Garden Instructions
For this garden, I lined a shallow tray with foil and crimped up the foil in 2 ridges, which you can see vertically, to create 3 compartments. I did that because my center column is a softer sour cream and chive dip. Either side of that column I created squares of assorted hummus and guacamole.
For my "crops" I used broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, cucumber slices, pieces of lettuce, baby carrots with parsley tops, and peas. Fresh edible flowers are a nice touch in the center. I used pansies and violets from my chemical free yard.
You might enlist another family member to make the little plant tags, which you can tape onto plastic cocktail forks as plant markers.
Caution: It is so adorable that people don't want to mess it up by eating it!
For this garden, I lined a shallow tray with foil and crimped up the foil in 2 ridges, which you can see vertically, to create 3 compartments. I did that because my center column is a softer sour cream and chive dip. Either side of that column I created squares of assorted hummus and guacamole.
For my "crops" I used broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, cucumber slices, pieces of lettuce, baby carrots with parsley tops, and peas. Fresh edible flowers are a nice touch in the center. I used pansies and violets from my chemical free yard.
You might enlist another family member to make the little plant tags, which you can tape onto plastic cocktail forks as plant markers.
Caution: It is so adorable that people don't want to mess it up by eating it!
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe
1 can of drained chick peas
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 T fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 t+ salt to taste
a dash of red pepper
a dash or 2 of cumin
1 skinned and seeded roasted red pepper
Place all ingredient in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
(To roast the pepper, place on the grill or under broiler until skin is black--rotate. Place in a plastic container for 5 minutes to steam skin loose. Then seed and peel.)
Other Flavor Ideas:
For an Easter celebration, you could make different colored hummus and fashion them into a colorful egg! Have fun!
1 can of drained chick peas
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 T fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 t+ salt to taste
a dash of red pepper
a dash or 2 of cumin
1 skinned and seeded roasted red pepper
Place all ingredient in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
(To roast the pepper, place on the grill or under broiler until skin is black--rotate. Place in a plastic container for 5 minutes to steam skin loose. Then seed and peel.)
Other Flavor Ideas:
- Instead of the red pepper add a quarter cup of pitted kalamata olives for a kalamata olive hummus.
- Blend in some spinach or basil for a green appearing hummus.
- Or you can make it plain. You can also add some tahini--which makes more of a traditional hummus.
- I recently saw a beet hummus. I would try blending in a small cooked red beet into the hummus.
For an Easter celebration, you could make different colored hummus and fashion them into a colorful egg! Have fun!
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