Dip Dilemma

  I have a Dip Dilemma and I need your help!

This is the dip I made for Super Bowl Sunday.  It is missing a KEY flavor or taste and I can’t for the life of me, figure out just what that taste should be!  So here I am asking for your help!  And, so that I could have helpers that had actually TASTED the dip, I handed out samples to some of my foodie friends.

First of all, they all said they LOVED it and agreed it had the potential to be amazing.

Here are their suggestions:

~Less sugar. I TOTALLy agree, I’d say 3 T. instead of 6, is a good place to start.

~3 people suggested the addition of Cilantro (or as Ty’s teacher said in her darling accent: “CEEElantrooo”) {be sure to roll your r’s in your head when you read that part}

~Another friend suggested, chopped Mangos.  Mmmm!

~A more flavorful cheese like Herb and Garlic goat cheese or Mediterranean Feta

This has the potential to be reallyreally good!  If you come up with something clever, comment away, I want to hear it!

Chunky Black Eyed Pea Dip

• 16 oz. dry black-eyed peas, soaked and cooked according to package directions
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh corn (I used fresh-frozen from this summer)
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (this was the perfect amount of heat for me, but add more if you like it hot)
• 3 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 oz. feta or goat cheese

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves, then make the following dressing:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 6 T. sugar (VERY sweet, I’ll do less next time!)

Pour over dip and stir very well.  Serve cold with chips.

  It’s good, its hearty, its healthy, but it is MISSING SOMETHING! Help!!!!!

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    Now, this next dip got RAVE reviews! It’s my Aunt Regena’s recipe and it was a DELICIOUS!!!!  I will make it again as soon as possible! It is mild with a hint of sweet and is all kinds of good.

And look how pretty it is!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

(click title for easy printable)

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14 Oz Each) Shoepeg Corn
• 1 can (15 Oz.) Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
• 1 bunch Green Onions, Chopped
• 5 ounces, weight Feta Cheese
• ¼ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Apple Cider Vinegar
• ¼ cups Olive Oil

Rinse and Drain beans. Wash and chop green onions. Mix in large bowl with shoepeg corn and feta cheese. Combine sugar, vinegar and oil before pouring over everything. Let marinade several hours before serving with Tostitos scoops.

Delicious!

  Ok Dip Connoisseur’s, time for you to weigh in about Dip #1, I am listening!!!!

~T

Egg Hunts & Yummy Dips

With Easter rapidly approaching, we decided to go ahead and bring out the ol’ Easter baskets and plastic eggs this week.  We will spend countless hours hiding and discovering these eggs between now and Easter, but seriously?  You can only hide 24 eggs in the same living room so many times!  Oh well, the kids love it, so we are all for it.

   To make things easier, and to keep fighting to a minimum, each child has their own set of eggs to find.  Avery has shiny eggs, Tylan has sports eggs, and Destiny has print eggs.  Paxton has regular, which he seems to think are quite delicious.  He made sure to taste test each color in his basket right away.

 

  Once the kids had their jammies on, the First Easter Egg Hunt of the season began…..

  They had a lot of fun but all too soon, it was bedtime for everybody.  Especially Paxton.

  Pax had been entertaining himself on the floor during all the festivities.  This being his first Easter, he was quite fascinated with his furry basket and the contents therein.

 

  Suddenly, the ducky basket was NOT so fun, and he began to feel a bit distressed…..

  He quickly spotted his “Ma-ma” and crawled over to me for comfort, and in true Paxton form, quickly tried to grab and ingest my camera lens.

  This is the part where I informed him, oh-so-kindly, that I did NOT want his sweet but slobbery little fingers on my lens.

He was not impressed.

 

Hey, are you still watching how sad you made me?

Good, cause I am getting a bit sleepy here.  {YAWN}

  Are you SURE I can’t touch this pretty lens just one teeny little bit?

  Still a no-no, huh.

Even if I put on my CUTEST pouty face and shed a tear?!?!?!?!? 

{SIGH} Fine.  Take me to bed, that was exhausting.

Goodnight sweet baby Pax!  XOXO

   Now that all the little ones are tucked snug in their beds, I have 2 yummy recipes to share with you: 

Dips! 

Oh, how I love thee.

  We do a Sunday Night Snack supper each week, as has been tradition since I was a little girl.  It’s the perfect time for me to try new appetizer recipes without waiting for a party invite! Yay! 🙂 

  In addition to whatever appetizers I am wanting to try at the time, Dale always makes his infamous seasoned popcorn in our stir-crazy popper, and we have it with fresh fruit, orange julius’s or something equally yummy! 

 

   Sunday Nights are fun, since we do something together as a family.  My mom comes over, and we play board games or watching the kid’s favorite show, America’s Funniest Home Videos……all while eating in the LIVING ROOM! {Gasp} What a treat!

  Here are 2 of our favorite dips, one an old favorite, one brand new:

Corn Dip

(click on title to print on TK)

16 oz. Hyland’s Chive Sour Cream Dip

2- 11 oz. cans Mexicorn, drained

1 – 10 oz. cans Rotell, drained.  Use half a can of Original, and half Hot. Dale likes all hot, but then no one else can eat with him. {HEY! Maybe that’s the POINT????? Turkey.}  You can freeze remaining Rotell for next time!  Drain corn and rotell well and mix with Chive dip in a medium bowl. 

Chill until serving to allow flavors to blend.  Serve with Frito Scoops. (no substitutes)  

Cucumber Cracker Spread from The Country Cook

Ingredients:

½ Cucumber (peeled and cut into chunks)
3 Green Onions (trim Off Roots)
1 block (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
⅛ teaspoon Salt

Chopped fresh tomatoes for garnish, optional but delicious!

Finely chop the cucumber and green onions.  In a medium bowl, combine chopped veggies, softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce and salt.  Beat until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, it’s WORTH the wait!  Serve on crackers. 

(Or on an Everything Bagel, which I have not yet tried.  There is none left! Maybe next time?)   🙂

  Have a great weekend!

~T

 

Linking to: Easter Traditions Bunny Blog Hop

And So Sweet Sunday’s

Thanks Patti & Kim, for inviting me to link up with your blogs!