After a busy couple of weeks, during which I had a rather large number of mouths to feed, I decided to take the afternoon “off” from major cookery. A plate of nachos whipped up entirely of leftovers (no, I didn’t even stop and make some fresh salsa! Alert the media!) fit the bill nicely.

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We seem to have a puffy theme going on this week. This one is for my friends… the ones who are always teasing me that I can’t make *anything* from a can, or from mundane ingredients. These delightful little critters — which are nifty enough to serve guests as finger foods — are easy and inexpensive to make, and yet are wonderfully light and flavorful, with just enough “poof” in them that it’s hard to come up with a better name.

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• One pita pocket
• 1 8-oz. pkg. Neufchatel cheese
• 2 heads of garlic
• 1 large Vidalia onion
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Remove excess papery skin from garlic heads. Slice off tops to expose part of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Wrap loosely in foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until cloves are golden brown and very soft. Remove from oven, unwrap, and set aside to cool.

Peel onion and cut into quarters (or eighths if very large.) Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake at 350°F until softened, and beginning to char. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. (Can be put into oven at the same time as the garlic.)

Combine in food processor: Neufchatel cheese, one cup of the shredded white cheddar cheese, and cilantro. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into the mixture, then add roasted onions. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small baking dish; top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until dip is bubbly and cheese topping is golden brown.

To prepare toasted pita points: Slice pita in half across the diameter, then open up each half, sliding a knife around the curve to separate cleanly if necessary. Cut into triangles and place on a baking sheet. Pita points can be baked as-is, or drizzled with olive oil & sprinkled with salt and pepper, if desired. Place under pre-heated broiler until toasted to desired crispness.