Quanto Basta Confab

Across the street from the house, in a building that once housed the county elections board (Historical Note: I walked across the street to register to vote after I bought the Roediger House in 2003), there is a popular and wonderful Italian restaurant called Quanto Basta. It's coming up on its fifth anniversary, and back on February 11th, the Roediger House happily played host to a gathering of members of the kitchen and front of house staffs.

It always makes me a little nervous cooking for chefs but we couldn't leave them without some goodies to snack on. I relied that night on three tried-and-true recipes, plus three brand-new ones. Pictured above are vanilla cashew clusters, and I didn't like them all that much. Below is the faithful party favorite: Rotel cups.

The much-loved Swiss and bacon dip came hot out of the oven once the evening got underway and most people were here:

I tried a simple and cool take on homemade garlic-and-parmesan cheez-its, which I really liked:

It's been quite some time since I made the gnarly garlic dip, this time using herbs from my kitchen garden, which is holding up well this winter:

And for a touch of sweet, I tried a new recipe for chocolate Bailey's Irish Cream cookies:

Overall, it was a terrific evening. Since I hardly ever drink beer anymore, it was nice to see the bounty of the Collinwood cooler getting some attention by the guests. And the pool table got some good use by better players than I manage to be. 

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"Vanilla Cashew Clusters," by Sheela Prakash of TheKitchn.com. [Published 14 June 2017]

"Rotel Cups," a recipe passed around on Facebook. Two online versions that match up to the recipe I used can be found at NormalCooking.com and RealHouseMoms.com.

"Swiss and Bacon Dip," from Rachael Ray. Available online at the Food Network website.

"Garlic Parmesan Cheez Its," from Jen the Beantown Baker. [Published 15 November 2016]

"Gnarly Garlic Dip," a recipe shared with me by Ann Cunningham in 2005. Her original name for it was "Garlic-Parsley Alouette Cheese."

"Bailey's Chocolate Cookies," by Ali of GimmeSomeOven.com. [Published 11 March 2012]