no. 136: whipped blue cheese dip with buffalo-honey chickpeas

Plus, ANOTHER pair of barrel pants.

My first knit sweater is officially completed and I feel beyond fulfilled. Learning to knit over the last month has genuinely been so fun because I feel like I’m learning a new language, except you get a PRESENT to have and to hold at the end. There is so much more for me to learn, but I feel like I’m slowly starting to ‘form sentences,’ (I am a master of metaphors) which feels EXCITING.

I’ve already gone ahead and started on my next project, which is the Step by Step sweater by Florence Miller. Everyone on Knit Tok seems to think that this is the sweater for beginners, so here we go!

There is really not much happening in my life outside of knitting and watching Boston Rob edits on TikTok, but here are some things I’ve been loving in lieu of my busy schedule.

Gap Heavyweight French Terry Barrel Sweatpants

I have found a NEW barrel pant from Gap that I must take a few moments to gush over. I’ve never felt so cool wearing a pair of SWEATPANTS. I’m seeing a lot of people online dogging barrel pants because they think that people look insane with their horseshoe legs. I have to disagree with this, not only because I think the tapered ankle fit looks cool and trendy, but because I CAN FIT MY BIONIC BRACE UNDER IT.

I’ve styled them above with my Cheez-It sweatshirt, my Fluff Yea Ugg slippers (now discontinued…RIP), and the ice pouch from my ice machine.

Nielson-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract (32 ounce)

I burned through a ton of vanilla extract during my holiday cookie box extravaganza, and it got me thinking that I should really be buying this ingredient in bulk. Yes, this costs $100, but this vanilla is nearly $2 cheaper per ounce in comparison to the tiny bottles that you buy at the store. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

This is a pantry item that doesn’t go bad, and if I’m being realistic, there’s a good chance I’ll finish this thing off in 6 months. If you’re ever struggling to buy a gift for a person who has everything, get them 32 fluid ounces of vanilla extract. They definitely don’t have that.

Cloud Lang Yarns

As much as I would love to take credit for the gorgeous colors and stripe pattern on my sweater, I did absolutely nothing to achieve that look. It’s all in this stunning yarn, per the pattern that I was following.

This yarn was not cheap, and the sweater required 4 balls of it, but you simply cannot put a price on the joy that this project has brought during an otherwise gloomy month. Not only are the colors so pretty, the wool is actually quite comfortable, which is important to note, because I feel itchy in just about everything.

The woman who wrote the pattern shared that sometimes she’ll mix different colored skeins (KNITTING VOCAB) of yarn within one sweater which sounds EXTRA trippy, and now I kind of want to make one like that.

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Whipped Blue Cheese Dip with Buffalo-Honey Chickpeas

Serves: 8-10

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

I’m revisiting one of my all-time favorite recipes this week because we are at peak season for buffalo sauce and blue cheese. This is THE dip of all dips. Whipped feta is OUT and whipped blue cheese is IN.

The best dips are garnished with a crispy, saucy, sweet ‘n spicy topping, and these roasted buffalo-honey chickpeas DO NOT DISAPPOINT. If I were you, I’d make a double batch and save some for future snacking opportunities.

If you’re taking this to a Super Bowl party this weekend, I would recommend making the dip and chickpeas ahead of time, then top off the dip with the crispy chickpeas (you can re-warm them in a 250F oven), buffalo honey sauce, and sliced scallions right before you serve it.