CREAMY WHITE BEAN DIP WITH BAKED CHIPS

I love dip.  Do you ever just make a meal of chips and dip?  Or several varieties of chips and dips all at once, like a mealtime dream come true?  Actually, it's not a dream.  A restaurant I frequented in college, Macado's, had the world's best menu item.  It was called, "Chips, Dips & Things" and consisted of house-made kettle chips, soft pretzels, tortilla chips and DIPS.  French onion dip, salsa, ranch.  Wow, a decade later and I still remember the important things I learned in college.  My parents are bursting with pride right now.

Onto the real reason we are here, a different dip.  This dip, which I spotted here but originally came from here.  I used flour tortillas for the chips.  They were easily cut into triangles with a pizza slicer.

Dip was delicious when I made it, but even more delicious the next day!  Be generous with the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

BACON RANCH DIP

With all the football games happening, you are going to need some serious snacks.  Here is an incredibly easy dip that requires only 5 simple ingredients.  The creator of this dip also makes a chilled version, which is next on my list to try.  I found the recipe here.

The dip has a fluffy, light consistency, which kind of makes it seem like diet food!  Just ignore the cream cheese, cheddar, sour cream and bacon.  It's diet food.  Serve with Fritos scoops, tortilla chips, or to stick with the diet theme, scoop it up with raw veggies.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder mix
1 bag Oscar Meyer bacon bits, 3 oz
2 cups shredded cheddar
16 oz sour cream

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix well.  Transfer to 8x8 baking dish and cover.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Stir and serve.

MY THREE SONS PIMENTO CHEESE

As I've previously mentioned, I am lactose intolerant.  I totally geek out when I find a new (lactose free) cheese product.  I first discovered this delicious cheese spread when my friend, John, served it for some Sunday football viewing.  It was love at first bite.  I have since developed an addiction and purchase it regularly.  So far, I've only seen it for sale at Harris Teeter, but let me know if you've spotted it elsewhere.  I searched their website and you guys, they've got RECIPES!  Tons of recipes which include delicious, hot, bubbly melted cheese.  I cannot believe it's never occurred to me to melt this delicious stuff.  Probably because I'm usually too busy scooping it up with pita chips to ponder other possibilities.  Note how "it's meltable" is printed on the lid.  2014 resolution: pay more attention to details.

We usually get the "Spicy White Cheddar" flavor, which has a little kick to it.  The other flavors are equally delicious, but definitely tamer in the spice department. 

THE BEST 7 LAYER BEAN DIP

When I was a child, my genius family had the ultimate epiphany: Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner are the SAME MEAL.  Eating the same holiday meal only a month apart didn't bring much excitement to our lives, so we had to come up with a solution.  Embracing our Mexican heritage, we decided to start the tradition of Mexican Christmas.  Did I mention that in addition to being geniuses, we are also trailblazers?  Anyway, my very non-Mexican mother’s contribution every year is the incredibly authentic cornerstone of Mexican cuisine, 7 layer dip!  I’ve tweaked her classic recipe over the years and have taken over her Christmas appetizer duty, so she can focus on her true love, BAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES!  Seriously, this dip is so good that I’m pretty sure my sister-in-law married my brother just so she could enjoy it annually.  Hi, Lindsay, xoxo!

Doesn't this just scream Christmas?!

Now listen, I know there are a lot of 7 layer dips out there, but this one is just slightly more delicious.   Most people don’t realize there IS a solution to those thick bean dips that always break your chips.  COOK THE BEANS!  Trust me on this one.  I made the dip for my friend Tara’s baby shower and she could not stop commenting that there was just something about it that made it slightly better than when she makes it.  We went through our methods/recipes step by step and finally figured out that when she makes it, she just opens the cans of beans and plops them in the dish.  Nope, gotta cook em!  Better texture AND color.  Trust.

The secret ingredient.  Sour cream mixed with taco seasoning.  I could just eat this with a spoon and be happy.

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans, 16 oz (use regular, fat free, vegetarian, with green chiles, etc.)
1 container sour cream, 16 oz (don't use light or fat free; it won't taste the same)
1 packet taco seasoning (Old El Paso is delicious)
Guacamole, about 12 oz (make it or buy it!)
1 jar Chi Chis thick and chunky salsa, medium heat
2-3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Shredded lettuce (iceberg is best)
Chopped tomatoes
Extra salsa, if desired

Heat your beans in a saucepot on the stove, or even in a bowl in the microwave.  Stir constantly and you will notice your beans become a lovely, velvety smooth consistency in no time. Let your beans cool on the counter, giving them a stir from time to time to let that heat escape.  Or, if you’re impatient like me, you can stick them in the fridge for a quicker cool down.

Once beans are room temp, evenly spread them in the bottom of an 8x8 dish.  Pour on the salsa and spread it evenly.  Sprinkle on your first layer of cheese.  Layer on the guacamole, smoothing very carefully with a butter knife or the back of a spoon so you don’t disturb the cheese.  In a small bowl, mix the taco seasoning and sour cream.  Spoon this over the guac, spreading evenly as you go.  Now add another layer of cheese.  Top with lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a little extra salsa if you’re feeling wild.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for about an hour first.

A few notes: use a very chunky salsa, or use a slotted spoon when adding the salsa layer.  You don't want it to get watery.  Also, I did not use fresh tomatoes in this batch because it's December and the tomatoes at the grocery store looked sad.  That's usually the top layer.  My friend, Krysta, is GF so I used Old El Paso taco seasoning and their original refried beans, Daisy sour cream, and Chi Chis salsa.  Just read labels and this can easily be GF or even vegetarian.  Just gotta get vegetarian refried beans.

Layer 1: beans

Layer 2: salsa

Layer 3: cheese

Layer 4: guac.  I'd just used my inhaler, so my shaky hands made this blurry!  Nerd alert.

Layer 5: taco seasoned sour cream

cheese (repeat layer, doesn't count!)

Layer 6: shredded lettuce

Layer 7: salsa/tomatoes

DG DIP

This dip is named after its creator, my lovely friend DG.  She makes this dip for every gathering.   Each time she serves it, a new record is set for how quickly it's finished.  I still remember the first time I had it.   We were at a party where tons of other (less worthy of the space in my belly) appetizers, desserts and snacks were laid out.  My friend Julia and I discovered the DG Dip at the same exact time.  We decided together that we would remain hovered over the dip until it was gone, and each time someone approached and asked what we were eating, we responded, "Nothing, it's disgusting, don't even bother trying it" because we didn't want to share it.  My other half even requests this for dinner.  Yes, as the main meal.

This recipe couldn't be simpler.  All you need is sausage, cream cheese and Rotel.  Oh, and don't forget the Fritos Scoops.  Don't even attempt to use any other chip to scoop this deliciousness!

So simple.

Ingredients

1 roll Jimmy Dean sausage, 16 oz (I use regular, but if you're wild use the spicy!)
2 packages cream cheese, 8 oz each (the boxed kind is easier to unwrap, but the tubs were on sale)
1 can Rotel, 10 oz (I use mild, but you can get original if you're a spice fan)

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown and crumble sausage in nonstick skillet.  Gradually add the cream cheese, stirring constantly to help it melt.  You don't want to completely cook it, if it's a bit chunky that's ideal.  Pour in can of undrained Rotel, stir to combine.  Transfer to 8x8 glass baking dish.  Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.  Serve immediately with Fritos Scoops!