Best snack hummus and bread

Although it hasnt seemed like it at times, the winter is speeding by and spring is about to, well, spring forth. This morning I heard the first sound of a woodpecker in the woods behind my cabin, and all day I have listened to the happy chirping of sparrows as they sit in the sun. They spent the winter with me here and are no doubt looking forward to something to eat other than bird seed from the grocery store.

So I have neglected this blog because of many winter things to do, such as keeping warm (tote them logs, build that fire).

But at last I aim to maintain this blog with at least weekly updates, hopefully more.

I begin my belated new years resolution by presenting what I consider one of the finest snacks on earth: creamy hummus spread thickly on crusty pain au levain bread.

In this case, I recommend two Montana products, both made in Bozeman: Zs Hummus and On the Rise artisan bread.

Today I had a loaf of garlic pain au levain, with big chunks of roasted garlic, which was a perfect complement to the Roasted Red Pepper variety of hummus I had bought at the Livingston Town and Country Foods.

I love Zs Hummus because it is fluffy. I dont know how else to describe it. Most store-bought hummus is compacted into containers like paste. I wont say they dont taste nice, but it was a pleasant surprise to find Zs looking somewhat like -- dare I say it --- whipped cream. It spreads nicely and is so light. Im trying to figure why I detect a bit of sharp tang with the first bite, something not expected, by me at least. Lemon juice? Citric acid? But oh, after that first tangy bite, its heavenly.

When youre in Bozeman, be sure to visit the On the Rise bakery. You can buy their artisan bread in stores in and around Bozeman, but at the bakery itself you get a wider variety of baked goods, like cookies and brownies, and can enjoy a slice of pizza right out of the oven. I was told the brick oven is not only unique but was built especially for the store. They dont plan to move to a new location any time soon!

On the Rise Bakery

1007 West Main

Bozeman, MT 59715

406-582-0272

Zs Hummus

available at many local shops

order information: 406-570-1361

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Time to deliver cookies

Its that time of year when some of us bake and bake, give other people treats, and hope we get lots in return.

I say that with humor, because this time of year we know well all be getting lots of goodies one way or another, even if we have to hang around the bank lobby until they put out store-bought Lorna Doones.

Yesterday I spent the entire day in the kitchen. There are so many people I wanted to thank for being kind to me, or else to cheer up because they had a rough year.

I didnt get photos of the trays because I was so busy wondering how I would deliver them all on icy roads today, but in the photo above you get an idea. That plate is going to a neighbor who lives alone. Some of the people have 3 and 4 kids, so their gifts were more like Christmas bags.

I also hoped to get more photos of the process, but what with one thing and another . . . My kitchen resembled one of those sitcoms where a budding entrepreneur tries to make enough cupcakes to fill an unexpected order for 5,000 -- inevitably the family starts throwing things at each other, although the order does get filled. I can attest that this is a tiring process, even without throwing things around, so not many photos.

I did finish off a 5-pound bag of flour.

I also enjoyed melting chocolate and peanut-butter chips together and adding chopped peanuts to fill some truly delicious Chocolate Peanut-Butter Snowballs.

I was briefly tempted to eat the stuff right out of the pan. But I remembered my friends and controlled myself. Instead I followed the recipe directions and formed them into balls and wrapped them in shortbread dough. The snowballs were then rolled in powdered sugar and baked. (See upper left corner in top photo.)

I also made Fruitcake Bars, which are really, really tasty, but I would call them Fruit and Nut Bars myself. "Fruitcake" definitely gives you the wrong impression here. These are mostly nuts (your choice), dried apricots, and dates. With only 6 tablespoons of flour, you can use a substitute and make them gluten-free.

A few people who were very, very good this year got homemade English muffins and Amish-made dandelion jelly that I bought at the Eureka farmers market. Its light, delicate flavor is quite nice.

I also made two longtime favorites: Apricot, Orange, Cranberry Bread from Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking and Sparkling Citrus Triangles (shown in top photo) from a Land OLakes cookbook I picked up at the supermarket years ago. The latter were already in the freezer waiting to be sliced and baked. This is a handy make-ahead tip, by the way: almost any cookie dough can be rolled into a log, frozen for a month, and then sliced and baked.

I feel kind of tuckered out, as my dad used to say after a long day. Still, it was heart-warming to hear the surprised thank-yous. As I keep pointing out, people do a lot of baking around here, but they are just as pleased to be on the receiving end.

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Pumpkin bread pudding

Thanks to a suggestion by discerning dots4eyes, I made the pumpkin bread pudding on the Smitten Kitchen blog.

Its really easy to make, and there are all sorts of variations possible. For example, I did not add bourbon; I dont have any and dont particularly like it -- certainly not enough to drive miles on an icy road to add it to this recipe.

I used my own pumpkin, which is a bit watery, so it wasnt the bright orange you might get using the commercially canned variety. But it was sooo tasty that I felt like doing handsprings. Unfortunately, I am so bundled up in sweaters and long-sleeved shirts that wasnt possible. Or maybe that was fortunate. I havent done a handspring in many years, and there might have been sad consequences.

One thing I noticed in the comments to the original recipe is that many people are unsure of their cooking skills. One gal lamented that her bread wouldnt cut into squares. Mine didnt either, but in this recipe that doesnt matter.

crumbs being added to custard

One thing that does matter, I think, is to use unsalted butter. I rarely pay attention to this in recipe instructions, and Ive never felt anything was too salty . . . except this time. The custard is quite subtle, so whatever is in the butter does shine through. I recommend using the finest butter you can afford. (I used the IGA brand on sale this week, so dont let that stop you.)

Also in the comments was a suggestion to top it off with whipped cream mixed with brown sugar and sour cream. I just used the whipped cream and sugar. The pudding definitely does not need anything added to it, but you really cant go wrong with whipped cream on anything. I sprinkled on some freshly grated nutmeg for an extra spark.

Many comments included something like: "I could eat the whole pan!" Yes, its that good.

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