Mexican Fare

Mexican Cheese Dip:

3 cups Dannon all natural plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. canned, diced green chilies
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Tortilla chips

Lina a small colander with 3 layers of 100% cotton cheese cloth or a clean paper coffee filter. Suspend colander over a bowl and spoon in the yogurt. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight to create yogurt cheese.

Remove yogurt cheese from the stainer and discard the liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and salt. Fold in the pepper, corn, black beans, tomato, and green chilies, and 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Spoon into the crockpot and top with remaining cheese. Simmer on low. Optional, you can spoon mixture onto a platter, top with cheese, and either way, serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

The Enchilada Lost its Tortilla

Chicken Enchilada Dip:

2 cups shredded and cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1, 5-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 can chopped green chiles
1 envelope taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low until mixture is warm and all ingredients are combined well.

(*) This recipe originally asked that you microwave it. I prefer to make the recipe in a slow cooker. Cooking times will vary depending on your slow cooker size, so watch it carefully and stir frequently.

Bacon, It's What's In the Dip

Bacon Cheddar Dip:

2 cups sour cream
1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 envelope Ranch salad dressing mix
2-4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hours to allow flavors to meld. Serve with assorted crackers and/or fresh vegetables.

Fruit in the Fruit Dip

Refreshing Fruit Dip:

1, 16-ounce package frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
1, 10-ounce package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Serve with fresh fruit of your choice.

Dip Into Christmas

This recipe is one that has been known to be served during the holidays in our family. It is my aunt's recipe, and it is really good. If you are trying to come up with something to serve next week to your family and friends, you should give this a try. Serve it with Bugles or Dip Frito's.

Swiss Bacon Dip:

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 slices crumbled bacon

Mix all together in a baking dish. Crush one sleeve of Ritz crackers to cover the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

An Appetizing Halloween

At our house, we love to make anything that uses pumpkin. I found this recipe from Taste of Home. It is great for Halloween or even Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Pie Dip:

8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar (I sift mine)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream (I leave this out)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Sift in powdered sugar, combining well. Add the pumpkin and the spices, combining well. Enjoy this whatever you like! We love pumpkin bread, but cookies and fruit work well with it also.

Is it Buffalo or is it Chicken?

One of my close friends at work refrerred me to a recipe that her family recently enjoyed. On the way through my search to find the recipe, I came across this instead. It looked so good that I had to post it. By the way, in an upcoming post, I will also give you the other recipe that I was originally looking for. For now, enjoy this! You can also find this recipe in the current issue of Family Circle.

Buffalo Chicken Dip:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
6 Tbsp. hot sauce
8 oz. cream cheese, sliced into 1 inch chumks
1/2 cup Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Shred the cooked chicken. Place it in a skillet over medium heat along with the hot sauce. Heat through. Then add the cream cheese and dressing. Heat until well blended. Add 1/2 shredded cheese, stirring until melted. Place mixture in a serving dish. Top with remaining cheese. Serve warm with your choice of crackers.

Fruity Favorite

This is amazing, and my mom and I have both been making it for years!! It is perfect for a snack with any fruit, a brunch, and works really well for baby showers and bridal showers. Everyone always likes this.

Fruit Dip:

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1-7 oz. marshmallow creme
1 box sifted powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in marshmallow creme until well combined. Stir in sifted powdered sugar until it reaches your desired taste. Most often, we use about 1/2 of the box.

This fruit dip works well with any fruit..... strawberries, grapes, apples, pineapple, honeydew, and cantaloupe are all great companions!!

Fruit Dip

We love peanut butter. James likes sweet things that include peanut butter, and I like peanut butter with apples. So, we found this recipe for fruit dip and we stole it from a lady we do not even know. We thank her though, because we really did like it a lot.

Fruit Dip:

1 cup french vanilla yogurt
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients until blended. It is best served with apples, but bananas work well too.