hors d’oeuvres

Sun Dried Tomato Dip

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sun dried tomato dip

I needed a festive dip to take with me to a friend’s house, so I pulled out the recipe for my old friend, sun dried tomato dip (courtesy of Ina Garten). The dip originally appeared in my Labor Day Potluck Dinner post. After assembling the dip and the veggie tray, I realized how perfect this dip is for the holidays. The dip is a pinky red color, and I used several red and green raw vegetables. The finished product is quite merry and bright.

Need a quick bite for family members who will be milling around your house for Christmas or something tasty for football viewing? Sun dried tomato dip has got your back. Happy holidays and happy dipping readers!

food processing sun dried tomato dip

Ingredients

  • ¼ c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (get plain oil, any seasoning changes the dip flavor)
  • 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • ½ c. good mayonnaise
  • 10 dashes Louisiana hot sauce or Tabasco
  • 1 t. kosher salt
  • ¾ t. black pepper
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Directions

  • Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
  • Add the scallions and pulse twice. Set aside a pinch of scallions to garnish the top of the dip when serving.
  • Serve at room temperature with sugar snap peas, celery sticks, carrot sticks, pretzel sticks, pita chips, etc.

sun dried tomato dip bite

Notes

  • Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature to get the ingredients to blend together smoothly.
  • Sugar snap peas are my favorite raw vegetable for this dip.
  • Pita chips and Snyder’s pretzel dipping rods are my favorite cracker-y vehicle for getting this dip to your mouth.

sun dried tomato dip 2

Charleston Cheese Dip

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charleston cheese dip

We grilled hamburgers with a few friends after the Thanksgiving eat-a-thon last week, and I needed a little snacky bite while people were waiting for dinner. Since I had not consumed enough rich, calorie filled food prior to the hamburger dinner (ha!), I decided we needed a really good dip with lots of melted cheese. I made a Charleston Cheese Dip that is incredible. The consumption rate may have been faster than the Hot Vidalia Onion Dip, which I did not think possible.

charleston cheese dip pre baked

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (I used Cracker Barrel)
  • 1/2 to 1 c. Monterey Jack cheese
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 8 butter crackers, crushed (I used Ritz)
  • 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • Frito scoop chips, more Ritz crackers, or pita chips for serving

charleston cheese dip close

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, green onions, minced garlic, and cayenne pepper (if using).
  • Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish. I used a quiche dish. A 9-inch pie pan will work too.
  • Top the mixture with cracker crumbs and bake until heated through, browned on the top, and bubbly around the edges.
  • Remove from the oven and top with the bacon.
  • Serve immediately with chips or crackers.

charleston cheese dip bite

Sugar Bacon

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sugar bacon piece

Gather round, bacon lovers. One of my dearest friends from the ATL e-mailed me about my sugar bacon recipe. This unbelievably delicious treat has been off my radar for awhile. It is so good I actually requested it as a passed hors d’oeuvres at my wedding. I made a batch today and practically fell over while eating (the entire plate I might add– by myself) because it is so good. Let me know if you think it is as delicious as I do.

sugar bacon stackedIngredients

  • bacon (I use about 1/2 lb. for 4 people)
  • light brown sugar
  • dry mustard (optional)
  • Silpat, Tephlon bakeware liner, or foil to line your pan
  • jelly roll pan, roasting pan, or something with a lip

sugar bacon ingredientsDirections

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut bacon slices in half. Scoop about 3/4 c. of brown sugar into a wide, flat dish. Add a few dashes of dried mustard if using and mix with a fork, so the brown sugar is separated.

teflon liner

  • Line your baking pan with some sort of liner. I like the Tephlon bakeware liners or tin foil. You want the liner to come up around the edges of the pan, so carmelized brown sugar does not get on your pan. That makes the clean-up very difficult.

sugar bacon procedure

  • Pat each slice of bacon in the brown sugar on both sides. The bacon will NOT be thickly covered with the brown sugar.
  • Place bacon slices side by side in the pan. Try not to let the edges touch. The bacon gets very sticky while cooking.

sugar bacon pan

  • Bake bacon for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn slices over (tongs work best). Put bacon back in the oven and cook another 5 minutes until browned and crispy. Watch carefully after the first 10 minutes of baking because the bacon changes from slightly undercooked to burned in a blink.

sugar bacon finished

  • Remove the pan from oven and get the bacon slices off the pan immediately. Lay the bacon slices flat on a cooling rack or a non-stick cookie sheet. I put paper towel under my cooling rack. Do not put the bacon directly on the paper towel! Let cool to room temperature before serving.

sugar bacon coolingNotes

  • I like regular Oscar Mayer original slice bacon. I have tried fancy bacon or a thicker cut, and the bacon does not crisp as well or get the good candy texture.
  • These are great served at a brunch or party. Stack the strips of bacon like Lincoln Logs on a serving plate. Serve as finger food.

sugar bacon platter