Spicy Cheeseburger Nachos

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipe Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 boxes (16 oz each) Mexican prepared cheese product with jalapeno peppers, cut into cubes
• 2 cans (10 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• tortilla chips

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Super easy, very tasty!

What I did differently or what I would do next time:

I don't measure garlic, so let's just get that out of the way. I measure garlic with my heart.

I realized as I'm typing this up that I purchased the green onions and then I didn't use the green onions. Hah!

This was such a great recipe. I know versions of this have been floating around for years and years. This was really easy and it tasted delicious. I would definitely make it again.

Southwestern Layered Dip

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz can vegetarian refried beans
• 4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 11oz mexican corn in a can with red and green peppers, drained
• 8oz sour cream
• 1 1-oz package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup shredded taco cheese
• tortilla chips

In the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, spread refried beans. Sprinkle three tablespoons of the cilantro over beans. Spoon corn evenly over cilantro. In a small bowl mix sour cream and taco seasoning mix. Spread over corn. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining one tablespoon cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Verdict: Thumbs up! I have bought similar dips at the store that I liked, and this was super easy to put together! The biggest flaw is that it did not taste very good leftover for some reason!

What I did differently: I left out the cilantro because I was making it for Bible study and I knew there would be people who don't like cilantro. 

Appetizer Cheese Bake

From: Southern Living cookbook 1992

Ingredients:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped onion

Combine first 3 ingredients; stir in cheese and onion. Spoon into a 1-quart souffle dish. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately with crackers.

What I did differently:
I only used half of the onion.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! If you like things like a quiche, or souffle, you will like this dip. It doesn't have a "dip" texture. The egg pulls everything together like a quiche. I could see how you could actually make this into a really good breakfast bake - toss in some crumbled sausage, or peppers, ham, bacon, etc. Anyway, it was REALLY easy and I liked the flavor a lot, especially with the crackers. It's not my favorite I've had but it's one I'd make again.

Cheesy Bean Dip

From: My Life As a Mrs

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) block of Cream Cheese, softened
1 (15.5 oz) Can of Bushes Chili Starter Beans
1 Jar of Salsa (8-12 oz)
1- 1 1/2 Cups Grated Cheese of Choice (Cheddar, Colby Jack, etc...)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9 inch pie plate (or any equal sized oven safe dish) with Non-Stick Cooking Spray. Spread the cream cheese evenly in the bottom of the dish. Next, using the lid of the can, gently drain of the liquid from the beans (do not rinse), and then evenly spread on top of the cream cheese. Pour salsa on top of the beans, using just enough to cover them (about 8-10 oz).
Place into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until the edges begin to bubble. Remove from oven, add the shredded cheese (enough to cover the salsa). Place back into oven just long enough to melt the cheese (about 5-8 more minutes). Remove from oven and serve with Tortilla Chips.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was such an easy and delicious bean dip recipe! I spread the whole 8 ounces of cream cheese on the bottom of the dish. I couldn't find this type of bean that was in the recipe, so I used refried beans and spread them on top. Then I put just a thin layer of salsa on top. Mine bubbled after 30 minutes and then I loaded it down with cheddar cheese. It took almost 10 minutes for my cheese to melt the way I wanted it to. It was definitely so good and I'll make this again!

Chili's Skillet Queso

From: Everything in Moderation

Ingredients:
16-oz box Velveeta cheese
1 cup milk
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
15-oz can Hormel chili (no beans)
4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Cut the Velveeta into cubes. Combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until cheese melts.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I haven't eaten at Chili's in at least a year or more I think, so I can't remember what the dip tastes like. I do know I loved it. I loved this recipe too, but I can't promise you it's the real Chili's recipe. It's definitely delicious. Not too spicy, and just the right mixture of flavors. I highly recommend it and I'll be making this in the future for sure - probably for an upcoming birthday party!

Carabba's Bread Dip

From: Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil (or 1 tbsp. fresh-if using fresh reduce parsley to 1 tbsp.)
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients except olive oil & lemon in a blender or food processor and chop until all ingredients are similar in size. Stir in the olive oil & lemon juice.

To serve:
In a small dish, place 1 1/2 tsp. spice mixture. Pour 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over top of the spice mixture. Serve with french bread for dipping.

Makes 1/4 cup.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love this picture - someone's hand is sneaking a piece of homemade Italian bread. :)   I made this as a surprise for Stephen because he loves those dips you get in the restaurants. This was incredibly easy to make, and it was such a yummy dipping sauce. A big "yes" from the whole family! Highly recommend!

"Donna's Dip"

From: My friend Karen who got the recipe from her friend Donna!

Ingredients:
16 oz container of sour cream
1 package Ranch dip mix (dry)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bacon bits

Mix together. Awesome dip for chips!

Homemade Salsa

From: Here


Ingredients:
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 10-oz can original Rotel
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed (I used minced)
1/2 - 1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cumin
small to medium size handful of cilantro
juice of 1 lime

Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

Verdict:
Okay, you are SO lucky that I remembered to take a picture before this was all gone. Whew. You can't imagine the process I have gone through for my entire marriage, trying to find the perfect salsa for my husband. He loves the salsa in restaurants but I cannot find a store-purchased salsa that fits that style for him. Not even the "restaurant-style salsa" you can find in the store. So when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It looked great and looked like the perfect consistency. I would highly recommend this salsa. Now, we did both agree that it doesn't need an entire lime in it. I think I could tweak this a little the next time - perhaps just a tad more cilantro and leave some jalapeno seeds in to make it just a tiny bit hotter, and maybe just a half of a lime. I will say this, even without those tweaks, our family ate an entire bag of chips with this salsa right after I made it!  

Homemade Caramel Dip

From: Here

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a 2-qt saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and milk, stirring to combine. Increase heat to medium. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. (I used a metal spoon due to the heat). Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and cinnamon. Serve warm or cold as a dip, or drizzle over ice cream.

---------------------------------------------------
Just a few hours before Hunter's 1st birthday party on Saturday, I decided to buy some apples from "my" produce guy and then look for a yummy caramel dip online. I found this recipe and it was a HUGE hit. I am still chowing down on it - it saves as leftovers really well. This dip was just as good as any store-bought I've ever had... and SO EASY to make! Highly recommend!

Easy Cheesy Chili Dip

From: Philadelphia Cream Cheese Box

Ingredients:
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 10.5-oz can chili
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Place unwrapped block of cream cheese on microwaveable plate; top with chili and cheese. Microwave on high 45 seconds to 1 minute, until cheese melts. Sprinkle with cilantro.

----------------------------------------------------
When we lived in Charleston, a girlfriend of mine gave me this recipe and I use it all. the. time. Usually I make the recipe as directed and then put it in a small crockpot to keep it warm. Trust me, this recipe will be the talk of the party. It's so simple and it's usually the first thing totally gone when I serve it. I love it with tortilla chips but it'll go with pretty much any kind of cracker. Or just by itself. Whatever.

P.S. I leave off the cilantro - not sure if it would really alter the flavor or not.

Pizza Dip

From: Here

Ingredients:
8 oz softened cream cheese
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese
chopped up pepperoni
any other pizza toppings you want

In an 8x11 casserole dish, spread 8 ounces of softened cream cheese over the bottom of the dish. Spread a layer of pizza sauce over the cream cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese to cover the sauce. Top with chopped up pepperoni and any other toppings you want. Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used an 8x8 dish because I didn't need a lot of this. I used Philadelphia Cooking Creme (original) instead of cream cheese. I used turkey pepperoni but it didn't matter.

What I'll do differently next time:
Cook at a higher temperature. It took 20-25 minutes for this to cook through. Brooke was with me and had cooked this before and said she always cooks hers at 425 degrees which would make it finish much faster. It was still delicious even though it was slow cooking. :)

Cheesy Chili Dip

Ingredients:
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 can (10.5 oz) chili
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Place unwrapped block of cream cheese in microwaveable dish; top with chili and cheese. Microwave on high 45 seconds to 1 minute, until cheese melts. Sprinkle with cilantro.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I've never made this with cilantro.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I make this pretty much every time we have a party. It's SO easy and addictive! The best part is you can just keep reheating it over and over as it cools. And it refrigerates really well, so you can snack on it for days - if it lasts that long!