More Dips!

So I've been making the same dips over and over so I decided to try some new ones. Wasn't too sure how they'd go over as Mike and I are both hot ooey gooey cheesey dip lovers and these were well.. cold. They turned out not too bad at all actually, with most people giving great reviews of them.

BLT II Dip

This dip is just as it sounds - a BLT made into a dip. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com and you can follow the link to the recipe here. I used premade real bacon bits instead of frying up my own and the low fat versions of the sour cream and mayo. I added in half a packet of some ranch powder as suggested in the comments section on allrecipes.com and topped with some finely chopped lettuce around the outside for decoration and topped it with some fresh chopped tomato and more bacon bits. I think the trick with this recipe is letting it sit over night so the flavors can all blend together. My dip sat for about 4 hours and next time I'd let it sit longer, even though everyone could easily identify the dip as BLT dip by taste.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

I also found this dip on allrecipes.com and you can find the link to the recipe here. This dip was super easy but I think it would be better warm. I actually made this into a 6 layer dip as I omitted the olives on top, but still think it turned out pretty good. I mixed a half package of taco seasoning into the refried beans and into the sour cream and cream cheese mixture. This is a very hearty dip that is quite filling. You can adjust the spice up or down a few notches by the amount of taco seasoning you add and you could also add jalapeño peppers. Next time, I'd either totally omit the shredded lettuce or add it after baking it for 20-3o minutes to get everything nice and ooey gooey and cheesey.
Both dips were really easy to make and I think I'd make the taco dip again before I made the BLT dip. It's getting colder out and I think hot dips are where it's at for winter! The BLT dip would be more appropriate for summer and you could use fresh veggies to dip into it. Let me know what you think of them if you make any of them!

Dips!

Okay, so I was thinking of what else makes me feel good. Appetizers! Well, more specifically, anything that's ooey gooey cheesey goodness, that you can reach a cracker or chip in and come out with heaven smothered all over it. So, I'm going to blog about my hot spinach dip, yummy Cheese Almond, and Nat-cho Chili. They are all delicious, some quicker than others, but generally all of these are always a hit 100% of the time. I remember one day after going to Janine's convocation party and sampling the Cheese Almond, Reagan and I were absolutely in love with it. A couple days later, after class we headed over to Reagan's for lunch. We stopped by the grocery store to see what we needed, and decided to scrap all other plans and just make Cheese Almond. So we pigged out on it and had it as an entire meal. I'd encourage you to do the same!

Hot Spinach Dip

3/4 cup fat free sour cream

3/4 cup light mayo

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 onion diced

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp hot pepper sauce (or more if you like it spicy)

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and wrung out.

Fry garlic and onions in margarine, until clear and fragrant. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl while this is frying. Then add the onions and garlic to the spinach mixture. Pour into your favorite casserole dish or mini crockpot. Bake at 350 deg for about 30 minutes, or if in mini-dipper, heat for atleast 1 hour. (Or you could pop it in a sourdough bread bowl.)

Serve with bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.

P.S. Can you believe I didn't put cream cheese in this??

Cheese Almond

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

250g (one spreadable tub) of 95% fat free cream cheese

1/3 cup light mayo

1/2 cup browned slivered almonds.

Mix first 3 ingredients together. Brown almonds in a pan on the stove or in the oven, and sprinkle on top. Bake at 400 deg for 20-30 min or until bubbly and slightly browned.

Serve with crackers.

Nat-Cho Chili Dip

Your favorite chili recipe or your favorite canned chili

2 cups grated old cheddar

1 250g tub 95% fat free cream cheese

Spread cream cheese in a thin layer in the bottom of a square pan. Cover with chili and top with grated cheese. Bake in oven at 350 deg for about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese melted.

Serve with tortilla chips.

*I will post pics of these the next time I make them!