Hello! I know it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I’ve been super busy with visits, trips, birthdays, work, and what seems like all the medical checkups and appointments we didn’t have in two years all squeezed into the last month!

My sister came to visit and that is always a treat. We explored a few places in Marin and San Francisco. We went to a trade show and caught up on our lives. It was fun! Then, we celebrated Sarah’s birthday. She turned 18 this year, which is hard to believe. We went down to San Diego to look at the school she might be going to. It was hectic but good. I am in denial of all that’s coming our way when she actually moves away for college. (Deep breaths!)

As I said, all the activities this month haven’t left much time for cooking or knitting anything new — but last week, when I saw this recipe on Instagram, I really wanted to try it.

The recipe is by @smittenkitchen. Apparently, “the original” recipe by a Finnish blogger went viral on TikTok some time ago. I don’t think there is any way you can go wrong with these ingredients. If you don’t have chickpeas, white beans seem like a good alternative. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, I bet canned will do just fine! This recipe is the type that allows you to experiment a little. I also recently saw something similar with feta, white beans, and eggs, which I’m dying to try. Yum!

I followed Smitten Kitchen’s recipe pretty much as it was written, except that I cut it in half because only Patrick and I like feta cheese. This turned into a quick appetizer before dinner and my lunch the next day. The changes I made were minor, like using chili flakes instead of fresh chilies and choosing lots of parsley and a little mint for the final garnish. And since we were making burgers for dinner, I also added some of the caramelized onions Patrick makes for our burgers right before digging in.

Notes: This amount was perfect for the two of us and would be plenty for a small group of people as an appetizer.

Go on, give it a try! I think you’ll like it.

Ingredients

• 1 (4 oz.) block of feta cheese
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cups of grape/cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili flakes
• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chopped mint
• Salt and caramelized onions (optional, to taste)
• Plain pita bread, each circle sliced into 4 equal pieces

Method

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Place the feta in an oven-safe dish and add the tomatoes around it. Add the olive oil and sprinkle chili flakes on top. Bake for 15 minutes. In the meantime, drain and rinse the chickpeas and prep the pita bread. When 15 minutes have passed, open the oven and add the chickpeas, change the oven setting to broil, and place the dish in the top rack of the oven so the feta and the tomatoes get a little more color (about 10 minutes). At the same time, place the cut pita triangles on another baking sheet on the lowest part of the oven. Serve right away.