Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip with Homemade Pita Chips

so much yum!

When I was little, I remember my parents having people over for dinner, drinks, maybe some bridge. I know I mention my mom a lot here, and I feel like I should mention my dad. He would make these pita chips for parties that were just delicious.

These weren't made for me you understand, they were made for guests. So when I was given one, hot from the oven or the next morning when they'd loss a bit of their crispiness, it was a treat. I'm honestly not sure what my parents served with these. I think it might have been hummus... I didn't really care about that. 

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Cookies

gooey marshmallows

Some days, you just want a cookie. Today was like that for me. It started when the grocery store had fresh baked cookies and the entire store smelled amazing. It was hard, but I resisted buying a bag while I was there.

I got home and did some work around the house (I really need to do one load of laundry every week instead of four loads of laundry once a month...). But as we got into evening, I still REALLY wanted a cookie. I went upstairs to look in my baking supplies and see what I had. It wasn't awesome. Not enough chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies, not enough peanut butter for peanut butter cookies, no raisins or oats for oatmeal raisin. I had less than a quarter cup of chocolate chips, part of a bag of shredded coconut and a quarter bag of stale mini marshmallows.

Irish Coffee Cupcakes

Whenever I go to a party at a friends house, regardless of the occasion, I tend to bring cupcakes. I'm good at making them, they are delicious, and with my cupcake courier, they are easy to transport as well. Plus, cupcakes can be made in such a variety of flavors they easily suit any occasion. This weekend is not only St Patty's, it's also Shamrock Fest down in the DC area. Nathan and I have gone a couple of times and it's great fun.

This year, I'll be in Chicago for the weekend. Nathan is still going, so I made him a St Patty's day cupcake to help everyone celebrate. The Irish Coffee Cupcake is made with the same basic principles as an Irish Coffee. Coffee and whiskey in the batter with the "cream" floating on top as frosting. I also make these with brown sugar as a true Irish Coffee needs the brown sugar to help the cream float.

Baked Parmesan Panko Chicken Bites

mmm panko

There aren't many foods that bring back the nostalgia of childhood like the chicken tender. While I did eat the kind from fast food restaurants growing up, it was much more common for my mom to make a breaded chicken tenders in the oven at home. I've made her recipe a number of times and my only complaint was that it wasn't quite crispy enough.

The obvious solution which I have used in the past, is to pan fry them instead of bake them. This is not only more time consuming, it is less healthy.