Classic Cheese Ball
Cheese balls are an easy classic that you can put on top of crackers, bread or veggies. I mean, I think there are few things you can dip veggies in… maybe ketchup, but French fries exist. I digress. Cheese balls are certainly your grandma’s classic; she probably made an iteration of this for every occasion.
Classic Cheese Ball
Equipment
- Spatula
- 2 Pieces of Plastic wrap
- Cheese grater
- Flat dish
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 c cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- 1/2 t ½ t worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 t ½ t hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 t ½ t dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 t ¼ t garlic powder
- 1/4 t ¼ t dried oregano leaves
- Dash of ground black pepper
- 1/3 c bacon bits see notes for alternative coatings
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add cheese, green onion, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and spiced; mix well to combine.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and gather it into a lump. Lightly grease your hands and form the mixture into a ball.
- Place topping on a plate. Hold the cheese ball in one hand and scoop the topping onto the outside of the ball, pressing them in lightly and turning the ball to coat all sides.
- Cover the cheese ball in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow it to firm up.
- Take the ball out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften slightly. Serve with crackers, pretzels, vegetables, or other favorites!
Notes
Cheese Salsa
A zesty and creamy dip, cheese salsa is a summer staple for my family and has been my entire life. It’s quick, easy and makes approximately a gallon of dip. So, you can feed a small flight line.
Cheese Salsa
Ingredients
Supplies
- Electric Cheese grater
- Large Bowl with lid
- Spatula
- Mason jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb jack cheese grated
- 2 green onions
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped chopped
- Cilantro, minced to taste
- 2 pkgs good seasons Italian dressing mix
- 1/4 c Vinegar + 3 T
- 1/4 c Cooking oil
Instructions
- Add all canned goods, green onion, cilantro and garlic to the bowl. Mix oil, vinegar, and seasoning mix in mason jar; shake well. Add dressing to the bowl.
- Grate cheese directly into the bowl. Mix everything together and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips.
Easy Two Ingredient Fruit Dip
This fruit dip is a go-to recipe for me and my family in the spring and summer. Only two ingredients, and I’ve seen this work magic on people who don’t like fruit. Though, marshmallows are a magic ingredient. We’ll just blame the magic that is marshmallow fluff.
The earliest memory I have of this dip is 3rd grade, my elementary school had a luau for an end of the year party, and my mom made this and sent it with my dad. After that I remember it being at every end of school year party and summer barbeque we hosted.
Easy Fruit Dip
Equipment
- small container with lid
Ingredients
- 8 oz whipped cream cheese
- 8 oz marshmallow creme
- Fresh Fruit, cookies, pretzels to serve
Instructions
- Mix cream cheese and marshmallow creme in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
My favorite fruits to put with this fruit dip are strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and cherries. I have found that when using fruit like peaches, kiwi or other pit fruit, it works better as a topping with the fruit and pound cake.
This dip also works wonderfully as a topping for fruit pizza using a sugar cookie dough as the crust. This dip is a wonderful addition to any spring or summer cook out that you want to add some pizzaz to your fruit tray or dessert. Or just as a sweet treat on a hot summer day when you and the family are playing in the yard.
Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
This hot spinach artichoke dip is a cheesy combination of cheese, vegetables and seasoning that is served at many a holiday party in my family. It’s a warm cozy tasty classic while not being bland as spinach tends to get without the right amount of seasoning. This recipe uses my creamed spinach recipe for the creamed spinach component. If you have a different favorite feel free to use it.
This recipe might as well be a cheese dip between the Swiss, Monterey jack and cream cheese. However, that is what I love about it. I love cheese and I love a heavy dip in the fall and winter because it just feels cozy, especially when you serve it with little toasts or bread in general.
Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 c green onion, chopped
- 2 T butter
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 c creamed spinach
- 1 can artichokes 14 oz
- 1 c moterey jack 4 oz brick
- 1 c swiss 4 oz brick
- 1 T worcester sauce
- 1/2 t cajun seasoning
- 1/2 t minced thyme
- 1/2 t hot pepper sauce tabasco
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 c grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a small skillet, cook onions in butter until tender, set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Stir in onion, creamed spinach, artichoke, worcester sauce, cajun seasoning, thyme, hot pepper sauce, and garlic. Fold in swiss and monterey jack cheese.
- Transfer to a greased 2 qt baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 deg for 25-30 min or until bubbly around the edges.
- Top with parmesan and broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 3-5 min or until golden brown on top. Serve warm; refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
There is no wrong way to serve this hot spinach artichoke dip. Chips, toast, pita, it all goes. If a dip doesn’t fit the occasion, pile it in a scored loaf of crusty bread and baking it as a pull apart loaf topped with big shavings of parmesan cheese.
Storing this dip is also easy. Let it cool, cover with plastic cling wrap and place it in the fridge. To reheat, put a portion into a microwave safe bowl and microwave until hot or heat oven to 350 degrees and put the whole dish in for five to ten minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Cold Spinach Dip
Cold spinach dip is one of those dips that is beyond not scalable purely because it’s so easy to make. It’s dump and go, make ahead; just all around a staple take with you food. I swear it is one of those recipes that everyone has, no one knows where it came from and it is always a hit.
My recipe for it happens to come from my Grandma Kathy Smith. Why specifically Smith? Because I grew up with chosen family and her son was actually the one I grew up around. His name is Lance; my god father is also Lance. His mother? Also Kathy (spelt the same way too). So the Smith was important, for us at least. Any way Kitchen lore aside, Grandma Kathy Smith is the epitome of southern lady, to me. She is where I got my gumbo, red beans and rice, bread pudding, and many other of my recipes from.
From personal experience, this dip is addicting if you are a fan of creamy dips. I have found that it does not work as well if you try to alter it to make less.
Cold spinach dip can be served with more than bagel chips or pita chips. I’ve found that slices of baguette, rolled in tortillas and regular saltine crackers work amazingly with the dip as well.
Cold Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 3 c frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
- 1 can water chestnuts 8 oz drained and chopped
- 2 T chopped green onion
- 1 pkg dry Knorr vegetable soup mix don’t use spring veg
- 1-1/2 c sour cream
- 1/2 c mayonnaise
Instructions
- Mix everything together and refrigerate for 4 hrs. Serve with bagel chips or pita chips.
Easy Blender Salsa
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Blender salsa, or red sauce as my family calls it out in the Southwest, is a quick and easy smooth salsa that tends to be spicy. It is mostly brought out on camping trips or with our breakfast burritos.
I’m not usually the one who makes the blender salsa that shows up at events. My “uncle” Mikey usually brings it down with him from up north where he has a salsa lady. Yes, Arizonans have salsa ladies and tamale ladies. But tamales are a Christmas/thanksgiving food.
But for when I don’t see Mikey to steal some of his salsa, I have my own recipe, a little less spicy than the one that shows up to jeep events. I call it the salsa my mom used to make when she worked food management.
Burritos, cheese crisps, tacos or just on some chips this blender salsa is a staple for Arizonans and campers alike… Or at least the ones I hang out with. This topping is best when you let it sit for at least an hour, but I usually make it the day before I plan to eat or use it.
Easy Blender Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cans roasted diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1/4 c white onion chopped
- 1 t Garlic Powder
- Salt to taste
- Cilantro to taste
- 1/2 t Lemon juice
- Pickled jalapeno juice to taste optional
Instructions
- Blitz onion and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Add in tomatoes, salt, garlic powder and lemon juice; blend until smooth.
- Taste for salt and spice. If you’d like it spicier, add a splash of jalapeno juice and stir. Serve chilled.
Spiderweb Dip
Spiderweb dip is a quick and easy dip that has made guacamole haters hate it slightly less. Mostly because of the other ingredients layered on top. It is definitely within the three degrees of separation from being a 7-layer bean dip from the 70s.
I grew up having this dip at every Halloween party when I was little and sometimes on Halloween itself. It came from an old picture cookbook from the early 2000s. Pretty sure my mom bought it new. That means nothing other than the fact that I can now call it vintage.
This dip is best made in a pie pan, strictly because of the circular shape. I personally think that it presents better than anything else. Bonus points if you have a shallow, round Halloween-themed dish.
Now I usually eat spiderweb dip with tortilla chips, but it tastes just as good as a topping on spooky tacos or for French fry nachos. Spooky and cute it is sure to be a showstopper at your next Halloween party or if you feel like a guacamole themed dip for a snack. Happy Snacking.
Spiderweb Dip
Ingredients
- 1 package cream cheese 8oz.
- 1 jar salsa 8oz.
- 1/2 c prepared guacamole
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare Spooky tortilla chips, if you’re using them; set aside.
- Blend cream cheese and salsa in a blender or food processor.
- Spread cream cheese mixture in a round serving or pie plate; smooth guacamole over top, leaving ½-inch border.
- Place sour cream in a plastic food storage bag; seal bag and cut off the corner of bag. Pipe sour cream in circles over the guacamole. Run a skewer through sour cream to make “spider web.”
- Serve chilled with Spooky tortilla chips.
