parmesan chicken tenders

the geek loves pizza, hot dogs, bean burritos, and chicken fingers. someone once commented that he has the taste preferences of a 6 year-old, to which he responded, "i stick with what i like!" :)

fortunately, he'll still try new things. he won't necessarily like the new things, but he will at least try them. sometimes it's totally new, like when he tried steamed barbeque pork buns from the asian market (he liked them!) or vichyssoise (didn't like it all that much). other times, it's a new variation on something familiar, like these parmesan chicken tenders (he liked these too!)

these chicken tenders are a great, hearty appetizer. they offer a nice alternative to the fast-food chicken fingers that the geek loves. they are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. i love them with the balsamic vinaigrette dipping sauce, the geek loves them with ketchup. they are simple to make and can be easily turned into an entree.

football grub: taco lettuce cups

we have the nfl sunday ticket package, so during football season, the geek's forty-niner loving family comes over to watch the niners play. since i'm not as invested in the game (or in a fantasy league or pool), i'm in charge of preparing the grub.

this week we decided to do an assemble-your-own-taco bar. i love tacos, but lately my pants have been fitting a little tighter than usual. i wanted to lighten up the meal without turning it into diet food (because apparently, diet food is not football food). so, borrowing the idea from the asian lettuce cup appetizer, i decided to offer lettuce leaves as an alternative to tortillas. notice i said alternative, since the geek loves tortillas (and his pants are fitting just fine).

oahu and the big island, hawaii

top row from left: tidepool in front of the keahou beach resort, red ti-leaf plant, vanda orchids, pahoehoe lava, 
center: hawaiian sea turtle
bottom row from left: coconut grove at pu'uhonua o honaunau, flowers and ferns, gecko shadow