Recipe: Mediterranean Layer Dip

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Mike and I took the dogs for a walk at the local reservoir before preparing for a family picnic at our house. We all hung out on our screened porch, ate and drank. Oh, I discovered my new summer beer, Watermelon Ale by Hooker Ale Brewery. Brewed locally in Bloomfield, CT (just a town over from us) Hooker Ale Brewery has a great assortment of specialty beers. The Watermelon Ale is delicious and very refreshing. The first thing that came to my mind when I opened the bottle is "it smells like a watermelon Jolly Rancher!" Really, really good.

Yesterday, I made the following appetizer for everyone and it was a hit! It's a quick and easy recipe that you can throw together in just a few short minutes and it tastes delicious! I was introduced to this recipe by Mike's cousin Patti and it's just amazing.

I've decided to call it the "Mediterrenean Layer Dip"

Ingredients:

• Large container of plain hummus
• (Optional) Pesto (Store-bought) or you can make your own with Basil, Pine Nuts, Garlic, EVOO, S & P
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Calamata Olives (pitted are preferred)
• Feta Cheese or Goat Cheese
• Fresh Parsley
• Bag of pita chips

First you spread the plain hummus along the bottom of a shallow bowl. I used one of my favorite polish pottery dishes. *Photo doesn't show it, but you can add Pesto after the Hummus if you want

Next, you chop up the tomatoes and olives and layer those on.

Finally you add the cheese and some freshly chopped parsley and you're done! I served this with a bowl of pita chips and let me tell you, this was gone in about 5 minutes.