Murphy says: “Heeeeyyyyy, ladies!” 
LOL! 
After the beer tasting, Dave and Marie came over for dinner. The guys were all about grilling outside (despite the 40* weather), so we bought a bunch of “grill-ables” at the grocery store and headed back to our house for dinner and drinks.
We started with store-bought artichoke dip and Stacy’s Pita Chips. I was so hungry after the beer tasting, I chowed down!
The guys grilled-up a whole slew of food– hot dogs, marinated chicken, and Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Chicken Sausage (from the freezer).
I chose a grilled chicken sausage and added a little bit of ketchup to it. It might look gross, but it tasted pretty good!
With dinner, I enjoyed a glass of Duchesse de Bourgogne that I bought at the beer tasting earlier this afternoon.
The Duchesse de Bourgogne is a traditional Flemish red ale that is matured in oak casks. It’s nice and smooth with flavors of fruit and chocolate, but it’s not super sweet. It actually has a pretty dry finish to it. “The Duchesse” was easily my favorite beer at the tasting.
After dinner, I enjoyed a second glass. It was just too good to turn down!
For dessert, I whipped up a batch of cookies for our guests, who requested a “not-too-healthy” goody.
My baking experiment resulted in Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies. HOLY YUM! They tasted just like banana bread with chocolate chips mixed in. I downed 3 cookies within a matter of minutes– they went really well with The Duchesse!
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies
Makes 16 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
- Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray
- Use a tablespoon to portion cookies onto baking sheet
- Baked for 15-20 minutes until cookies start to brown
- Allow to cool and enjoy!
I have a hot gym date with my husband in the morning, so I am heading to bed.
Good night! 
{ 71 comments… read them below or add one }
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that flemish ale looks divine! great lookin’ cookies too
LOL! That picture of Murphy is hilarious.
That picture of Murphy is TOO funny. The cookies sound delicious
Murphy is so silly…haha.
Bananas and chocolate chips were totally meant to be together…your cookies look awesome!
LOL Love the picture of Murphy!
Mmm, Tina, those cookies look SO good.
Mmmm, I can’t wait to try those cookies. My only question is, how much canola oil did you use? Your directions only say 1/2 so I was confused as to whether you meant cup, tbsp, tsp etc…
Murphy’s definitely a lady-killer
Ooo bread like cookies are great!
I love grilled chicken sausages too no matter how ugly they look.
Those cookies look amazing. Thanks for the recipe!!!
I love the picture of Murphy (just like everyone else)… It’s nice to see you eat a chicken dog! I like reading your blog because you really seem like a normal person. Normal people don’t eat healthy all the time
Those cookies look amazing! I love banana bread!
must try that cookie recipe! Sounds delish!
I see beer and cookies in my future.
I made your cookies tonight to bring to work tomorrow. I just had one, very nice! I hope my co-workers like them. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE Duchesse! My husband is a big beer lover and has turned me into one too. We first found Duchesse in Indiana a few years ago and it finally gained distribution in Texas last year. There’s even a pub here that has it on tap – so delish!
Your dog cracks me up! I have an English bulldog and I think that bulldogs and pugs have alot of the same mannerisms. Does yours snore extremely loud? And I can’t wait to try that cookie recipe.
I just made these
I used Stevia instead of sugar….
Applesauce in stead of oil
Omitted the Coconut (I had none)
and added in flax!
Just as yummy I’m sure but much healthier!
Hi Tina-
I just made these last night. They are delicious! Just one question: are they supposed to be VERY soft the next day? Maybe I just didn’t leave them in the oven long enough? Or is that what normally happens to cookies when you do not use butter? Thanks!
@Annie: They were pretty soft, but not falling-apart-soft.
Tina I just made these because I couldn’t resist the reduced price bananas yesterday…. hahah. My boyfriend was like, “Hillary they’re ripe and bruised. What are you doing?”
My response: They’re on sale. They will be made into something delicious. Just trust me… or they will be frozen. So glad that you had some awesome (and easy!) choices for me!
Love the dog and the cookies!
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