Greek Layer Dip

Last week I had Greek Nachos on the menu, but I never got around to making them. When I was planning Finley's party menu, I decided to put the Greek ingredients I already had to good use and made this Greek Layer Dip, which was another really popular dish at the party. It's so tangy and yummy! It's a fun (and much healthier) take on the perennial party favorite, Mexican 7 Layer Dip.

I made this several hours ahead of time and had a problem with the cucumbers releasing their juices and making the dip a little watery. (That's why my picture isn't too pretty - I'd had to scoop half of it out to drain the excess moisture and then reassemble it. Big mess but it still tasted great!) So my advice would to be prepare the parts ahead of time, but wait until the last minute to assemble it. Also I'm not going to list many quantities because there's no real right or wrong here - just use however much you prefer and/or in accordance to the number of people you're serving.

Greek Layer Dip

Hummus, homemade or store-bought (I used the plain hummus from Costco)

Tzatziki sauce, homemade or store-bought (my recipe is listed below)

Cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

Tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks

Kalamata olives, sliced

Fresh parsley,minced

Pita chips, for serving

In a glass dish, place a layer of hummus in the bottom. Top with a thin layer of Greek olives, a thicker layer of tzaitiki sauce, a thin layer of cucumbers, another layer of hummus and then top the hummus with cucumbers, tomatoes and olives. Garnish with a little parsley. Serve with pita chips.

Tzatziki Sauce

a Baking and Eggs original

12 oz plain Greek yogurt

4-5 oz feta cheese, crumbled

zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill

salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine yogurt, feta, lemon zest, mint and dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. (If you're making the Tzatziki but not using it with the Greek Layer Dip, you'll want to add 1/4-1/2 cup shredded cucumbers that has been drained.)

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Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

This was probably the most popular dish at Finley's birthday party and for good reason! These little puppies were delicious and so easy to make too! They're best fresh out of the oven but they're still pretty tasty when reheated. I'll definitely be making these again soon!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

adapted from Noble Pig

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 eggs

6 oz pepperoni slices, cut into quarters

8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (optional)

pizza sauce, for serving (optional)

ranch dressing, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 24-cup mini muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Whisk in milk and eggs until just combined. Fold in pepperoni, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide evenly between the two mini-muffin pans. Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Serve with warmed pizza sauce and/or ranch dressing.

*This makes 48 pizza puffs, so if you're not serving a crowd, you'll want to half the recipe.

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Meal Plan - July 24th thru July 31st

I'm so sorry that I've been radio silent for the better part of a week. Throwing a two year's birthday party was a lot of work - we had our family dinner on Friday night, another birthday party to attend on Saturday and then we threw our big shindig celebrating Finley's second birthday on Sunday afternoon. By Monday, the whole family was worn out! As a result, I didn't even get around to planning our menu until yesterday afternoon. So without further adieu, here's what we're eating this week:

Orange, Honey & Haberno Marinated Pork Tenderloin; Southwestern Onion, Bell Pepper & Potato Hash

Spaghetti & Meatballs; Zucchini & Spinach Sautee; Garlic Bread

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps; Potato Salad; Watermelon

Cheesy Penne Pasta Bake; Green Salad

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Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes

Well, the name pretty much sums it all up, so I'll just go now...

Just kidding! I really had you going there, right?!?

I'm such a dork.

Back to the food. This dish was a wonderful, hearty - but not too hearty - vegetarian dish. My meat-eating man cleaned his plate and asked for more. This meal was just the perfect summer meal - a lightly seasoned pasta, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and melted, gooey cheese. Yes, please! If it weren't brutally hot in Texas, I would have loved to eat this out on the back deck with a glass of crisp white wine while reminiscing about our Italian honeymoon. But it's over 100 degrees (which totally qualifies as brutally hot in my book), so we ate inside with the air conditioner on full blast while intermittently telling Finley not to feed her tomatoes to the dog. Just keeping it real!

Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes

recipe from Real Simple - serves 4

12 oz spaghetti

3 large beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), each cut into 4 thick slices

3 T olive oil

salt and pepper

8 oz fresh mozzarella, grated

1/4 cup parmesan, grated or shaved

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving

Heat broiler. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, arrange tomato slices on greased baking sheet. Season with each slice salt and black pepper. Dividing evenly, sprinkle tomato slices with mozzarella and parmesan. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 7 minutes.

In a small saucepan, warm the oil with the garlic and red pepper over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss sauce with the pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve tomato slices over spaghetti. Garnish with extra basil leaves.

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Hawaiian Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

You know what I love? I love having dinner just about finished and the kitchen cleaned by 10 a.m. Fantastic! When I bought my slow cooker, I thought for sure it would revolutionize my life. Prep for dinner the night before, throw it in the slow cooker in the morning and come home from work with dinner already made. I bet you know what's coming...I used it once or twice and then it sat gathering dust in my kitchen and eventually it was banished to our storage unit. But then Finley entered the picture and all of a sudden a slow cooker sounded like a great idea again. My second foray into slow cooking was a success - good old comfort food with a twist. The pineapple adds just a hint of sweetness and a depth of flavor that most pulled meat doesn't have. I loved the crunch and vinegar-y tang that the cole slaw added to the sandwich too. Yum!

(For my cole slaw, I used half a 16-oz package of tri-color cole slaw tossed with some mayo, a little dijon mustard, a splash of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, and 1/4 teaspoon celery salt.)

Hawaiian Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

adapted from Tasty Kitchen

6 chicken thighs

2 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped

1/2 large white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (8-oz) can of pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved

1 1/2 cups smoky barbecue sauce

Cole slaw, for serving (optional)

Hamburger buns or rolls (optional)

Arrange chicken thighs in the bottom of your slow cooker. Top with bacon, onion, garlic, pineapple, 2 tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice, and barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. One hour before serving, remove chicken thighs and shred meat. Return meat to slow cooker, stir meat into sauce and cook 1 additional hour. Skim off any fat/grease that has come to the top with a spoon and discard. Serve on hamburger buns and with cole slaw.

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Chicken Tostados

The name of this recipe is simply Chicken Tostado, but they are so much more than your ordinary, run of the mill chicken tostado. Maybe a better name would have been Super Awesome, Totally Tubular Chicken Tostados or Chicken, Black Bean and Guacamole Tostados with a Sour Cream-Lime-Cilantro Sauce, but those were both a little too long for me.

Anyway, this was a fun, casual dinner that was still delicious. And everyone really liked it, including Finley, which is always a good thing. Because I used a rotisserie chicken and a good quality store bought guacamole, the dinner came together quickly too.

Chicken Tostados

a Baking and Eggs original

8 tostado shells

1 (14.5-oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 - 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 cup regular or chipotle salsa

1 (7-oz) package prepared guacamole (or make your own)

4 oz sour cream

1/2 lime, zest and juice

1/3 cup cilantro

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large (or two smaller ones) baking sheet, spread out tostado shells in a single layer. Divide black beans evenly between the shells. Top beans with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and shells are crisp.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine shredded chicken and salsa. Set aside.

In another bowl, stir to combine sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Spoon sour cream mixture into a ziplock bag. Set aside.

Remove tostados from oven. Top them with even amounts of guacamole. Mound chicken on top of guacamole. Snip one corner of the ziplock bag and drizzle sour cream mixture over chicken and serve.

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Meal Plan - July 17th thru 23rd

I can't believe my baby turns 2 at the end of this week! It seems like just yesterday she was born and hanging out in the NICU (for seven weeks!) and in the blink of an eye, she's walking, talking and taking the world by storm. We are blessed! Birthday week is going to be a busy one but I'm still going to try and cook most of the nights. So without further ado, here's what I have planned:

Hawaiian Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Cole Slaw

Chipotle Chicken Tostados, Grilled Corn on the Cob

Saffron Chicken, Rice, Roasted Asparagus

Greek Nachos

Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes, Caesar Salad

Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Chicken, Broccoli Shells N Cheese

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