Cowboy Caviar

This stuff is so good.  Michelle had me make it at her house for a recent family gathering.  I went right home and made it for us.  It makes a great appetizer/side dish.

Cowboy Caviar

1 can black beans

1 can black-eyed peas

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 onion, diced or can use 1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1-3 chopped jalapenos (seed them if you want it to be less hot), diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Garlic salt

Zesty Italian dressing

1 lime, juiced

Drain the beans, peas, and tomatoes. Put into a bowl and add the onion, green pepper, jalapenos, and cilantro.  Add garlic salt to taste.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Italian dressing and lime juice.  Toss all together and marinate in fridge for 1 hour before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or just alone as a side dish.

 

Mexican Spinach Dip

 I made this to add to a taco bar.  It looked suspect but was delicious.  Everyone loved it and went back for more. . . and more!

Mexican Spinach Dip

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

2 cups grated cheese (Mexi blend)

1 15 oz. package of fresh spinach, cut up

2 cans diced tomatoes

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut up

1 onion, minced

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/3 tsp. cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl, Stir together the cream cheese and sour cream.  Add the cheese, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeon and onion and mix well.  Add the seasonings.  Put all in a 13 x 9 prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Hot Jezebel Dip/Sauce

I made this appetizer for New Years' Eve.  It is sweet and spicy.

Then, for New Years' Day, we combined what remained of the sauce and cream cheese and made a dip.  We all liked it much better as a dip.  It was less sticky and a lot easier to eat.

Hot Jezebel Appetizer/ Dip
1 (18 oz) jar apricot preserves
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2-3 Tablespoons horseradish, to taste
Cracked Black pepper, to taste
Ritz Crackers or chips

In a bowl, whisk together the preserves, mustard, horseradish, and pepper.
Pour over the top of the block of cream cheese and serve with crackers or chips.
OR
Mix the ingredients right into the cream cheese and serve as a cheese ball with crackers.

Tomatillo Salsa

My sister, Pam (cook extraordinaire) recently brought me some of this delicious salsa with the recipe.

Tomatillo Salsa
1 28 oz. can tomatillo tomatoes (drained)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
1 heaping T. diced jalapenos (fresh or canned)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend for about a minute.

Serve with tortilla chips.  Delicious!

Guacamole

Everyone has their own favorite guacamole recipe and most of them are delicious.  This is a yummy one that I tried by combining two recipes I found online.  I've probably made it ten times since then.  It is delicious.

Guacamole
3 ripe avacados
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 onion, diced or 3 or 4 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced or equivalent grape tomatoes, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped or several shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Garlic salt to taste

Scoop out the avocado into a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice over it.  Mash together with a potato masher.  Add the onion and tomato and mix well.  Add the cilantro, garlic salt, cayenne and Tabasco and mix well.  Taste and correct seasonings.  Serve with tortilla chips or with your favorite Mexican dish.

Corn Dip

 Need a good dip recipe for a July 4th barbecue?  This one is delicious!
Corn Dip
2 cans corn, drained
1 can diced green chilis (7 oz.)
1 small green pepper, diced fine
1 (or more) jalapeno peppers, diced fine, seeds removed (this is so much to taste.  Start with a little and add more if you want more kick)
small bunch green onions, chopped fine
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt (more or less to taste) You can also use garlic powder and then add salt to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Lots of tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops

Pantry Pick of the Month- Sun Dried Tomatoes/Hot Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Dip

Here is my pantry pick for March.  On impulse, I picked up a bag of Sun Dried tomatoes at Costco and they've been sitting in my pantry for a couple of months, waiting for inspiration on what to do with them.  I googled Sun Dried tomatoes and decided to try this hot dip.  It is very similar to Spinach- Artichoke dip.

Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Dip
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (you can use light)
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I used leaves, but I think next time I'll buy the chopped)
1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 heaping Tablespoon garlic (crushed or finely minced)
A couple of splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.  Spray a pie plate and spoon the mixture in and smooth.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Serve hot with chips, crackers, or, my favorite- french bread slices that have been broiled.  Man, that's yummy!

Jalapeno Popper Spread

With New Years Eve just around the corner, I wanted to share one of my favorite snacks. 

Warning: it is NOT a low calorie food. But it is yummy! 

I got this recipe from the school nurse at my children's elementary school. I was there a fair amount last year volunteering with the PTO and she shared some of this dip that she had made for the faculty. I LOVED it and she passed along the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

2. Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes.

The original recipe came from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jalapeno-popper-spread/.

Party Salsa

Our favorite dip for crackers and chips is Party Salsa.  You make it with a specific brand of chili sauce called Homade Chili Sauce (that's how it's spelled.)  It looks like this:

This is a delicious chili sauce that you can use for lots of things.  There are no other brands that can compare.  It has to be this one.  If your local grocery store doesn't have it, you can get it on Amazon.com.   Try this recipe for a delicious dip for tortilla chips, corn chips or crackers (I love it on Ritz.)  It's a New Year's Eve Tradition!

Party Salsa
1 bottle (round) homade chili sauce
1 bottle chunky salsa (Ortega garden-style is good or Tostitos brand)
Cilantro, chopped (amount to taste.  I do a good handful)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Mix together and put in fridge for a while. You can add chopped avacados but they won't keep.  The salsa will last several days in the fridge.

I remember one year I couldn't find this brand anywhere.  I went store to store and all were sold out.  So I bought another brand of chili sauce and made this dip.  It was terrible and I ended up throwing it out.  It has to be this brand.  This sauce is so good on roast beef and meatloaf.  I also love to throw a jar into anything that calls for canned tomatoes: stew, chili, etc.

Cheddar Bacon Dip or Loaded Baked Potatoes

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It said it's AKA Crack.  Pretty funny. It makes a great appetizer dip or game day snack.   We enjoyed it as a dip, but LOVED it as a topping for Loaded Baked Potatoes.

Cheddar Bacon Dip or Loaded Baked Potatoes
16 oz. sour cream
1 packet Ranch Dressing mix
Bacon crumbles(fry your own, or use the kind that comes in a bag), about 1/2 cup (more or less to taste)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together.  Refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend.  Serve with chips, veggies, or top baked potatoes.

Marshmallow Lime Fruit Dip

This is a delicious dip to serve with your summer fruit platters.  It goes well with about every kind of fruit.  My favorite is bananas, but is great with apple wedges, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes. Every time I make this, I think of my little neighbor lady that used to live across the street.  She was a tiny little thing and didn't eat much.  Because of some health problems, the doctor suggested she needed to eat a banana each day.  She hated bananas.  I made her a batch of this dip and took it to her.  Her husband called to report that, with the dip, she was now happily consuming bananas!  But even if you do like naked fruit, it's always more fun to dress it up!

Marshmallow Lime Fruit Dip
13 oz. jar marshmallow cream
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese (light works great, too), softened
1 T. frozen orange concentrate
Juice of 1 lime
Grated lime zest
1/4-1/3 cup coconut milk, optional (but yummy if you have it!)

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix all ingredients together until fluffy and well-blended.  Taste and add more orange juice or lime juice or coconut milk to your taste.
"You put the lime in the coconut and eat it all up!"