Making Hummus

Week after week, the hummus was perfect. I had stumbled upon the perfect recipe after paying $5 for a tub of hummus at the local health food store. I could do better, I thought. And I did. That first batch had a little too much kick to it, so I gave it to my friend who could handle the heat. The second, too much garlic. Chris got that batch. After that, perfection.

Then one day, it failed. How could this happen? I had found the perfect recipe, tweaked it with my own blend of spices, and added the perfect amount of roasted red peppers. At first I thought it was the cheap garbanzo beans that I bought at Wal-mart. Could that account for the bland, almost bitter taste? I purchased the best tahini, though. Wouldn't that make up the lack? How, I thought, could this happen to me? I gave up. I couldn't even muster the energy to toss it when I took out the trash. I didn't want to come near it. It sat in there for weeks. Untouched, yet not ignored. Every time I opened the refrigerator I was confronted with my failure.

But, life goes on; eventually I cleaned out the fridge. I moved on, stared eating in restaurants, started buying common snacks from the vending machine. But everyday, I craved the subtle flavor of my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

A wise woman sat me down today and reminded me of my accomplishments over the past few months. "It's not everyone," she said, "who can look at themselves with total honesty, and have the commitment to do what you've done." She's right, you know. This journey is a bold one. And I will find the treasure box. It's my nature to do so. There will be no stopping me. "Remember," she said, "to stop and rest along the way."

Hmmm, that's a new concept, I thought. Rest; be gentle with myself; give myself a break? So, tonight I made hummus again. It was perfection!

I had forgotten the spices that time. Oh, silly me.