Holiday Dill Dip

This one's for you, Kelly!

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1/2 bunch or so chopped parsley
3-4 green onions, sliced thin
2 T dried dill ( fresh would be awesome too)
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 lemon, squeezed
Mix all together and chill a couple hours before serving with veggies for dipping. This is like ranch- good on anything!! cant have the holidays without dill dip! :)

Authentic Mexican Salsa

I finally got it!  A lady Chris works with told me how to make salsa!!  It is so yummy!

Stewed tomatoes.  You can take fresh ones and put them in a pot with peppers and a some water. Or just use canned. (In summer, she roasts fresh ones over the BBQ or in oven.  Can't wait for garden tomatoes!) Put these through the blender or processor.
Boiled or roasted serano peppers (can use jalapeno, not as hot)  (Put peppers on a tray in oven at 400 til they are shriveled and flat. 20-30 minutes.)  To boil, just add them to tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes.  (I usually just boil, it's faster)  Blend up peppers in blender or food processor with salt and a tomato or two to make a chile sauce. Add as much as you like.  I usually do at least 3 or 4 for 2 cans of tomatoes.  Take out seeds and ribs to reduce heat. I make a lot at once and store in fridge or you can freeze it for next time.  We have a running bowl of it, so I always use mine up.
White onion, when you think you have enough, ADD MORE!!
Green onion, if desired.  Not necessary, but really good.
Cilantro, lots of it.
Salt
Avocado, if desired.  Chop up fine and put the pit in the bowl of salsa.  It keeps the avocado from browning--it really works!!
You can also add oregano for a nice change.  Just a little.

You'll just have to play with it to get it like you like.  I never measure, just add til I like it.  Sorry.  But, isn't that easy??  I couldn't believe it was canned tomatoes.  And the roasted peppers is the secret!  It makes the salsa so much better!  Good luck and happy dipping!

Chris and I have been putting this on everything!  Eggs, chips, tacos, salads, so we use less creamy dressing, even a Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage!  All were fabulous.

Jalapeno Jelly

Recipe from The Silver Scissor blog. Perfect! Not too hot. Must be served with cream cheese on Club or Triscuit crackers!

3/4 lb jalapeno peppers
2 c apple cider vinegar, divided
6 c sugar
2 pouches LIQUID pectin
green food coloring, optional but highly recommended!

~Wash peppers, drain. Remove stems and seeds. Puree peppers and 1 c vinegar in food processor or blender (blender works great!).
~Combine puree, 1 c vinegar, and sugar in very large pot. This will bubble up quite a bit so use a stock pot or larger pot.
~Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Have a book or other good reading material nearby to help pass the time!
~Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute stirring constantly.
~Remove from heat. Skim foam. Stir in a few drops of food coloring, otherwise it will be a weird yellowish color.
~Ladle hot jelly into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
~Process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.
~Makes approximately 7 half pints.

Hot Mexican Spinach Dip

Lately, I have been making hearty dips on Sunday for dinner.  It's quick, easy and I don't have to think ahead more than just making sure I have the ingredients.  We just all sit around the bowl and chow to our hearts content.  No fuss.  This one is really good.  I tweaked it from the original I found on allrecipes.com.  I like this because you can use any salsa to spice it up or down and same with the cheese.

1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack (you can also use monterey jack for a milder version)
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, diced and softened
1 (2.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I just chopped my own)
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb or so loose Italian pork sausage, cooked (it didn't call for this, but my family is carnivorous, so it went in, and it was delish)

Preheat oven to 400.  In medium baking dish, mix together all ingredients.  Bake 12-15 minutes or til bubbly.  I gave it a quick stir cuz I didn't want a mouthful of hot cream cheese.  Serve with torilla chips or fritos.  I thought this might be good with cubed bread or crackers, too.

Winter Salsa

Don't you miss fresh salsa in the winter??  I surely do.  I came up with this the other day.  Most Mexican resturants don't use fresh tomatoes anyway.  And who doesn't have them on hand all the time?!

1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes--puree, diced, whatever you like (I put mine in the blender because I don't like chunks)
jalepeno pepper, to taste
annaheim pepper, to taste
onion, to taste
green onion, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper
little bit of sugar, if desired
cilantro
2-3 tsp cider vinegar, to taste  (I found the vinegar was key to making it yummy!  I don't know if lime juice might do the same thing, you might play with that)

Put tomatoes, peppers, and some of plain onion in blender.  Whirl til just blended, not pulverized.  Put in bowl and add the rest of your ingredients.  Chris is the salsa king and he LOVES this!  Now we can have good salsa all year round!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Looking for a good appetizer recipe for an upcoming Christmas party? I've got the one for you. This dip is great served with crackers or celery sticks and other veggies. You can add more of the hot sauce if you like it more spicy.

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c blue cheese OR ranch dressing (made from packet the best)
1/2 c any flavor Frank's Red Hot sauce
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese OR grated mozarella
2 c cooked chicken, diced (already cooked rotisserie works great)

-You can make this two ways. First, you can mix everything in your crockpot and heat on low until hot and bubbly.
-Second, you can mix everything well until smooth and spread in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
-Either way you do it, give it a nice stir before serving and enjoy.
-Makes about 4 cups.

The Best Guacamole EVER!

Ryan brought this recipe back from Mexico. He said it's the best he's ever had. I didn't see how it could be so good until I made it and--oh my goodness! This stuff is awesome! It's the real thing.

3 large avocados, mashed
2 tomatoes, chopped (try to squeeze out extra juice and seeds)
1/4 of a white onion, diced finely
1 c cilantro, chopped (I used a little less)
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped very finely (can leave out & it's still dang good!)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

-Mix all in a bowl and dig in!!!

Caramelized Onion Dip with Crostini

This is the yummy dip I made for Mom's retirement party. It's great, because you can make the crostini a day or so in advance, just keep in an airtight container. It's also great to get kids involved-Christian loves cooking, and enjoyed "painting" the little crostinis with olive oil.

1 full baguette, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dip:
1 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c low-fat sour cream
2 T dried onion soup mix
1 T Dijon mustard

-To make crostini, lightly brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and place on a large cookie sheet. Season tops with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted (I had mine in longer).

-To make the dip, melt butter in saucepan and add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 6 minutes (or longer) until the onion is browned and caramelized. Set aside to cool slightly.

-In medium bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, soup mix, and mustard. Mix well. Stir in cooled onions. Serve atop crostini or use as a dip for crudites.

Hamburger Bean Dip

This recipe is by mom (Judi) who had it at work the other day and loved it!

1lb ground beef, brown and season w/salt, pepper & taco season/let cool/drain

In crock pot:

Large can refried beans
Large can enchilada sauce/mild
One can cream of mushroom soup
One 8 oz sour cream
2 cups grated cheese
One small can green chili’s/mild

-Simmer all in crock pot for a couple hours.