Whipped Feta

If only.

Do you ever say this?

This day would be perfect – if only I’d worn sunscreen.

The birthday party was wonderful – if only Uncle Bob hadn’t fallen into the cake.

This pregnancy would have been so beautiful – if only I hadn’t had morning sickness the whole nine months.

Yes, sweetie, the scrambled eggs you made are great – if only you hadn’t used a half a cup of salt.

Last Christmas would have been awesome – if only Aunt Vera’s dog hadn’t eaten the entire ham.

He’s such a sweet little boy – if only he wouldn’t put frogs in his sister’s hair.

She’s such a good friend – if only she hadn’t stolen my favorite sweater.

If only.  Two little words that can completely change where a thought was headed.

I really like feta – if only it would stay on my fork!

That one is so true!  I have always loved feta cheese.  The tangy, briny flavor and the dry, crumbly texture.  I have lots of recipes that use this yummy ingredient.  Most of them are salads, but I’ve also been known to use it in pasta dishes and in stuffings for meat.  I love opening a new tub of feta crumbles because there’s always that one big chunk right on top that you just have to eat right away.

Or maybe that’s just me.

The only downside to feta is that it just won’t stay put!  I usually finish my salad and find a little pile of feta crumbles huddled together in the bottom of my bowl.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing because that means I get to eat them last.  But they are so much better if they join the party with the rest of the ingredients!

That’s where this recipe comes in.  I hate to even call it a recipe because I don’t see how two ingredients thrown into a food processor can be a recipe, but here goes:

Whipped Feta

• 8 ounces of feta crumbles
• 4 ounces of softened cream cheese (That’s half of an 8-ounce package for those of you who don’t enjoy figuring those things out!)

Pour feta crumbles into a food processor and process until cheese resembles fine crumbs.  Add cream cheese and process until mixture is smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the inside of the food processor bowl.  Serve as a dip, spread on toast, dolloped into a salad (and then stirred in), or however you like!  We had it with pita chips.  Store the remainder in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about a cup of whipped feta.  Or maybe more.  I didn’t measure before we started eating it, so I’m estimating!

That’s it.  For real.

Well Duh #1:  Don’t freak out and stop the food processor when the mixture clumps up into an oddly-shaped ball.  Keep going.  It will smooth out.

Well Duh #2:  If you feel that your mixture is too dry, you can add a splash of olive oil.  Don’t add a lot or you’ll end up with feta soup!

Well Duh#3:  In the pictures, you’ll see that I have two varieties – a plain one and one with a beautiful orangey color and little red specks.  The orangey one had roasted red bell pepper added to it.  I used jarred peppers and I only used about half of the jar.  I also added a couple of pinches of kosher salt.

Well Duh#4:  I surveyed a few of my “foodie-est” friends and asked for suggestions for add-ins for this recipe.  They had lots of ideas!

• Roasted garlic
• Lemon and thyme
• Fresh herbs
• Sun-dried tomato and basil
• Dill
• Lemon, olive oil, and cracked black pepper
• Calamata olives
• Artichoke hearts

Well Duh #5:  Be careful in adding salt.  Feta is already pretty salty in flavor.  If you feel yours needs a little salt, just add a little and taste it.  You can always add more.  But you can’t take it out once you’ve added it.

If you’re a feta fan, you really should try this recipe.  Otherwise, the next time you have feta, you may say, “My feta keeps falling off my fork.  If only I’d made whipped feta instead!”