Jalapeno Popper Dip!

If you love the taste of jalapeno poppers, you will definitely love this dip.  Actually, even if you wouldn't normally eat a jalapeno popper, like my husband, you will like this dip.  I didn't think he would eat it, since anything with jalapeno doesn't usually fly with him, but I withheld the name until he tried and he had to admit he liked it.   The other good thing about this dip is that it's so much easier to prepare than the actual poppers are and it serves more people for a party!  This will make an excellent Super Bowl dip! 

There are recipes for this all over Pinterest and food blogs it seems, but every one is a little different.  Mine is a mixture of my own preferences. 

  Here is what you will need: 

2 (8 oz. ) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar/Monterrey Jack blend

1/3 cup pickled jalapeno rings, chopped fine (can use fresh jalapeno, but I prefer the pickled in this)

1/3 cup green onion, chopped including some of the green blades

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce (optional according to how much heat you like)

7-8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

4 Tbs. butter, melted

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Blend the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the shredded cheddar, jalapenos, green onion, garlic powder, and Tabasco if using. 

Spread this mixture in a deep pie plate or quiche type dish.

Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the top.

Combine the melted butter, crushed Ritz crackers, and the other 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. 

Serve hot with crackers or tortilla chips!  We like it with Frito Scoops!





Cheesy Sausage Dip!

We have been making this cheesy, spicy sausage dip in our family for...well, I don't even remember when we didn't make it.  My mother always made it, and then, me and my sister made it and now our kids make it!  I guess it's the family dip...lol. Don't all families have those couple of recipes or things they always have when they get together?   

This concoction is something I always made when my son was growing up and he had boys stay over or come home from school with him.  If there were very many and as they grew into very large boys, I had to double the recipe.  Some of those boys, who are now grown, still talk about the sausage dip when we see them.   The things that make memories for kids.   When it involved our house, it usually had to do with food or some crazy thing my husband did to them.  He has always been the worst kid in the house!  This is so easy, it's stupid and I mean that in a good way!   Here is what you need:

1 lb. roll of breakfast sausage ( I use Purnell's medium sausage)

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1 8 oz. cream cheese (you can use light cream cheese)

1  10 oz. can of regular Rotel tomatoes

Crumble and brown the sausage in a skillet.  You can use mild sausage for less spice or hot for more.  I use Purnell's medium. I am very partial to Purnell's sausage and it is a Kentucky product, but you can use any sausage you like.

Drain the Rotel slightly and add to the pan.  At this point you can put the sausage in a slow cooker and add the other ingredients and cook on low.  The slow cooker is good to use if you taking this to a party because you can warm it back up and it will stay warm while you are there.   A skillet with a lid also works though.

Cube the Velveeta and cream cheese and add to the pan.

Cover and warm on low just until the cheeses are melted.  Stir to blend until smooth once they are soft and melty.  Make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom if you are not using a nonstick pan it could. 

Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops. This will disappear fast!



Barbeque Chicken Dip!

This is a great dip for a party or snack night...card parties, movie night, or those football parties that you will be having soon.  It's also a dip that the girls or guys will both enjoy.  It goes together really easy and you can make it up the night before and then bake it right your guests arrive.  I like to serve it with tortilla chips or Frito scoops, but it is also good on party crackers or pita chips and most of the ingredients are probably things you have on hand most of the time. 

Ingredients:
5 cups chopped chicken breast (you can use a rotisserie chicken or I used some left over grilled chicken breasts and they were excellent in this)
1 can Mexicorn niblets (with the red and green peppers), drained
1 can black beans (drained)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper (to your taste)
dash of Tabasco sauce (to your taste)

Mix chicken, corn, black beans, onion, 2 cups cheddar cheese, 2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese.

  In a separate bowl mix the sour cream, barbeque sauce, seasoned salt, black pepper, dash of cayenne, and dash of Tabasco sauce. 

 Combine the chicken mixture with the barbeque sauce mixture.  Spray a 2 quart baking dish or for a party you can also use two pie plates and divide the mixture between the two so that you have one for each end of the table or different areas of the room.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses over the top and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

Barbeque Chicken Dip!