Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

We recently had some friends over for a get-together and I wanted to make a dip that would go well with chips and vegetables. While browsing the internet, I came across this recipe and since I love sun-dried tomatoes,  I knew this would be the perfect pick. The dip turned out creamy and flavorful, and was very easy to make in the food processor. Also very convenient since it can be made ahead of time. I served this with kettle chips and a variety of fresh cut vegetables.  

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1 small clove of garlic, or half of a large clove
• 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, black pepper, ground red pepper and garlic until mixture is evenly blended and smooth.

Add tomatoes and pulse a few times until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Add basil and pulse a few times until basil is coarsely chopped. If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. *I would recommend refrigerating for at least 2 hours to let the flavors blend.

Source: Adapted from Good Housekeeping.

You may also like:

• Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip
• Spinach Spread

Spinach and Artichoke Bites

This is another recipe from my sister’s bridal shower. To me, spinach and artichoke dip is a staple at most parties, everybody loves it and it is usually gone in no time. What is great about this recipe is that you get the dip and the chip (in the form of a baked wonton) all in one! These portable little snacks were very good and the few leftovers that we had were delicious the next day as well!

Spinach and Artichoke Bites

• 30 wonton wrappers
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 4 ounces marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of salt
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix cream cheese, spinach, artichokes, shredded cheese, mayo, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.

Line prepared mini-muffin pan with wonton wrappers, lightly pressing into place to form a cup. Using a small spoon, fill each cup with mixture almost to the top.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are browned and crisp and the filling is hot and melty. Top with Parmesan cheese and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Source: As seen on Cooking This and That and Daily Deliciousness.

You may also like:

• Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Dip
• Spinach Spread

Snack Food Sunday Roundup and Super Bowl Party Ideas!

Savory Snacks:

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites

Ginger Honey Garlic Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs/Kielbasa/Wieners

Ranch Chicken Wonton Cups

Garlic, Cheese and Sausage Bites

Pepperoni Pinwheels

Bacon Pinwheels

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Tartlets

Barbeque Beef Cups

Veggie Bars

Dips and Spreads:

Warm Crab Dip

Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip

Garlic Cheese Spread

Warm Artichoke Dip

Cheddar Ale Spread

Spinach Spread

Mexican Layer Dip

Sweet Endings:

Cinnamon Toast White Chocolate Pretzels

Fruit Dip

Holiday Hash (make with your teams colors!)

Cookies

Raspberry Bars

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

BBQ Beef Cups

For my first Snack Food Sunday post, I am sharing these BBQ Beef Cups.

Barbecue sauce, meat and cheese, piled high in a biscuit cup. If that isn’t man food, I don’t know what is. Nate and his friends love these snacks and always request them during football season. They are so easy to make and sure to please, I would highly recommend them for your next football party!

BBQ Beef Cups

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the cups of a muffin pan.

In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil, add onion and cook until soft. Add ground beef and cook until evenly browned. Drain excess fat. Stir in barbecue sauce. Simmer for a few minutes over low heat.

Flatten each biscuit, and press into cups of the prepared muffin pan. Make sure the dough comes to the top of the pan. Spoon a portion of the meat mixture into each dough cup.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 3 more minutes.

Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

… or kielbasa, or mini hotdogs, or all three! This appetizer is one that I make very frequently. It is very easy to put together and always a hit! You can use either meatballs, kielbasa or mini hot dogs, but since I was feeding a very large group of people, I tripled the recipe and used all three. I grew up with my Mom making this, so I guess you could say I got the recipe from her. 🙂

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

• 1 bottle of chili sauce
• 1 small jar of grape jelly
• dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)
• Meatballs made from 1 pound of ground beef, pre-baked in the oven (or a bag of frozen, or 1 package of kielbasa, sliced; or 1 package mini hot dogs)

In a medium sized crockpot, mix together chili sauce, grape jelly and cayenne pepper. Add meatballs and cook on low 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. Serve warm.

Garlic Cheese Spread

I loved the Cheddar-Ale Spread that I made earlier this month so much, and I wanted to make something similar for Abby’s Birthday Party, but wanted to keep it kid friendly. I went with this one from Amber’s Blog, and it was perfect! I am calling this garlic cheese spread since it has a fairly strong garlic flavor, not in a bad way though. More of a I-can’t-stop-eating-this-dip sort of way. I served this with assorted crackers.

Garlic Cheese Spread

• 8 oz. block sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. block pepper jack cheese (I used Colby-Jack)
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Dash of Tabasco
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Empty the cheese from the workbowl and place the metal blade into the bottom of the bowl.

Add the cream cheese, garlic and remaining seasonings into the workbowl and process for one minute. Add in the shredded cheese and process for 1-2 minutes or until everything is well mixed and creamy.

Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with crackers and/or pretzels.

Adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights.

Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips

My friend Melissa brought this delicious dip to our Labor Day cookout. She made some homemade pita chips to go with it and it was the perfect combination! This dip is so easy to make and was gone in no time. I believe she got this recipe from her Philadelphia Cookbook.

Artichoke Dip

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can  (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 3 cloves  garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Combine cream cheese, chopped artichoke hearts, mayo, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly into baking dish, top with additional Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Pita Chips

• Pita bread
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder

Using kitchen shears, cut pita bread into quarters. Cut each quarter in half, leaving you with 8 triangles. Tear each triangle in half at the seem. Place pita triangles on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Italian Tomato Cups

I had the menu for our Labor Day Cookout all set, and then I saw these Italian Tomato Cups on Nikki’s Blog and I HAD to add them! They are so cute and so simple to make! These were gone so fast, next time I will definitely make more.

Italian Tomato Cups

• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 block of fresh mozzarella
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• Italian dressing

Cut the tops on the cherry tomatoes and hollow out with a small spoon or melon baller. Shave a little bit of the wobbly tomatoes so they stand upright. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and put a cube into each tomato. Add a piece of basil and top with a drop of Italian dressing.

Cheddar Ale Spread

This was one of the appetizers we had at our Labor Day Cookout. I am not a big beer fan, but I know most people drink beer so I decided to try this recipe. I could not stop eating this dip! It was delicious, and the flavors blended perfectly together. I served this with pretzels, celery and carrots, but it would also be delicious with crackers, tortilla chips or pita chips. This recipe comes from Chelle over at Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Cheddar Ale Spread

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2½ cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• dash of garlic powder
• ¼ cup beer (pretty much anything but a light beer)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, cream, salt and garlic powder in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley until just dispersed.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refrigerate.

Spinach Spread

I made this to bring to work on July 4th. Nobody wants  to work the holidays, but when we have to, we all bring in food to make the day a little more fun. This spinach spread is always a hit whenever I bring it anywhere, and it is so simple to make! The recipe is from my Mom, she has been making this for years, I am not sure where she got it from though.

Spinach Spread

• 1 Cup Sour Cream (I use low-fat)
• 1 Cup Mayonnaise (I use light mayo)
• 1 Can (8 oz.) Water Chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Package Lipton Vegetable Soup Mix (Any vegetable soup mix will work, but I prefer Lipton)
• 1 Package (10 oz.) Frozen Spinach, thawed

Drain spinach very well, ring out excess water with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Place spinach in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve with French/Italian bread rounds or raw veggies. **This looks great when served in a bread bowl.