December 01, 2011

Birthday Dinner ...IN!

My dear bestie A just celebrated the anniversary of her 29th birthday ... again.  And we were lucky enough to have her and her family in town with us just days after her birthday fete.  After driving 5 plus hours from Charleston, the thought of packing up the littles (back in the car ... again) and hoping for 3 well behaved children and 4 adults was just too much to ask.  Instead, we celebrated their arrival and dear A's birthday with a fun make your own pizza dinner and a delish giant cupcake!

First, our casual appetizer (which Dear Hubs and I drooled over before they arrived trying to control ourselves) was a 5 layer Greek Dip served with pita chips.  So easy and so good, you must try!  If you humor me and browse through the pictures below, the recipe for this tasty treat is at the bottom!

Then, with the pizza toppings laid out buffet style, bigs and littles took turns topping their pizza crust with fresh ingredients.  After a short bake in the oven, everyone had the pizza that tickled their fancy.

And last but certainly not least ... a cupcake fit for a queen!  After years of resisting the purchase, I finally broke down and bought an oversized cupcake pan.  It was such a snap to make the cake and frosting it was a breeze.  I just may even break this little guy back out next week for Dear Hub's birthday!

Yummy Greek Dip (recipe below) served with pita chips

Look at all that yummy goodness!

Easy, breezy and kid friendly - toppings for the pizza!

Masterpiece in progress

Dear Hubs loading up his pizza pie!

Cupcakes for all!

A with her darling littles

The claps say it all - Happy Birthday!

5 Layer Greek Dip
Ingredients:
1 container hummus
1 cucumber - diced and remove most seeds
1 red bell pepper - diced
1 jar kalamata olives
1 container feta cheese
fresh dill
pita chips

How To:
1.  In a serving dish, cover the bottom with a layer of hummus.
2.  Chop the cucumber, bell pepper and olives into diced, small pieces.  Combine in a bowl and add the dill.
3.  Layer the veggies on the hummus.
4.  Top with feta.
5.  Garnish with more dill.
6.  Serve with pita chips.
Enjoy!


~charmed, b