If the smartest six grader had only known I chewed on watermelon chewing gum, maybe he would’ve played spin the bottle with me.

If my biggest high school crush had only known I frenetically brushed my teeth 4 to 5 times a day, maybe he would’ve bumped me into the lockers and frenchkissed me on his way to detention.

If the cutest rebel on campus had only known I never ate garlic, maybe he would have slipped me the tongue during home economics.

I guess I’ll never know. God knows I’ll never ask.

I don’t usually care for these high school what ifs. I don’t take part in any reminiscing of my awkward years. But food has its own way of taking us back to an obliviated past and of dragging us out of denial, at least for a few nanoseconds.

What I truly want to talk about is garlic, not boys. As well as for my infamous youth, I don’t care to much for it. I don’t ever cook with it (unless I boil up some magic potion for the prince of persia). Its shape and color and texture even disgust me at times.

I can hear what you’re thinking. Let me have it.

…

Moving on with the Food Matters project. Erin, from Naturally Ella, chose Bittman’s simple hummus served hot as this week’s recipe.

For starters, I skipped the garlic and made out with the prince of persia all through out the little king’s nap.

I skipped the parsley too, but don’t worry : parsley and I are good friends, he just wasn’t home when I called.

Then, I décided to pair this warm and mild-tasting hummus with some bold flavors. I chose sweet and brightful roasted red bell peppers, green ambrosial roasted pistachios, salty, crunchy yet chewy pan-fried halloumi cheese, and hot naan bread, which is, I think, much more scrumptious than any pita bread. It all turned out to be a delicious, hearty and satisfying lunch.

Read Erin’s post for the original recipe and don’t forget to take a look at all the beautiful ways you can twist hummus. If I am what I eat, I guess I smell pretty good all over, right?

P.S. You might not be aware that I’m giving away a Mini Heart Pan for my blog’s one month birthday. You have until March 13th at 11:59 pm to enter the giveaway. You get a chance to win if you become a faithful follower of the blog and second chance to win if you like my facebook page. Good luck!