Cheese Ball

Man have I been busy. I thought September was going to be a pretty low key month at work once we got month-end close out of the way. I stayed at home with my son on Monday since he had his 9 month appointment and shots. I came into work Tuesday and got hit out of the blue. First, the coworker I backup was out on vacation until this coming Tuesday and I'm always extremely busy when she is out. And secondly, we have internal audit here for 3 weeks.

Wow

Needless to say I have not had a spare moment until now all week. (they just left to fly back home for the weekend).

I hate it when work interrupts my previously scheduled blogging.

Anyway, believe it or not this is the last recipe from Carson's baptism weekend. I feel like I've been blogging about it forever, which I kind of have since it happened over a month ago now.

Cheese ball

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese spread, softened
2 Tbsp blue cheese dressing, room temperature
1 Tbsp onion, grated really fine
1/8 - 1/4 tsp garlic powder salt (optional)
Chopped pecans

1. Let both cheeses sit until they are room temperature, about 2 hours. Mix together until well blended.
2. Mix remaining ingredients (except pecans) with cheese mixture until well blended. Put in refrigerator.
3. Once mixture becomes firm, roll it into a ball and then roll to cover in chopped pecans. Serve with crackers.

Source: my mother-in-law

Garden Garbage Dip

I love "hiding" veggies in things. Mostly since I've become a Mom. Carson hasn't really fought any veggies yet but I know the day is coming. So whenever I make something that incorporates getting more veggies into my diet I'm game. I've thought of the easy things like spaghetti sauce, meatloaf/meatballs, etc. Then I saw this recipe and thought, "Hmmm ... so I can make a dip with veggies to dip veggies in?" Excellent!

And before you look at the recipe and think "Holy cow that's a lot of chopping!" Remember, if you have a food processor you can let it do all the work for you. That's what I did.

Garden Garbage Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped radishes (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (4 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried dill weed, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into 1-quart serving bowl.

Source: Kim's Kitchen

Honey Yogurt Dip

I knew I wanted to have a fruit tray at Carson's baptism and I immediately thought of this dip. I had seen it on this blog and thought it sounded absolutely delicious. Let's just say that it did not disappoint. Absolutely fabulous! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I served it with both green and red grapes, strawberries, blueberries and sliced granny smith apples. I think the strawberries were my favorite to dip in it but everything tasted just great.

Honey Yogurt Dip

1 (7 oz) container 2% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
Ground cinnamon, to taste

Combine the yogurt and honey in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth and well combined. Add a very small amount of cinnamon, taste, and adjust accordingly. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with fresh fruit.

Source: Annie's Eats as adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Buffalo Chicken Dip

We hosted two other couples at our house on Saturday night and over the next few days I will be highlighting the recipes that we served.

I selected one of my favorite dip recipes to start with. Buffalo Chicken Dip. I had gotten this recipe from one of my friends a couple of years ago and everytime I have served it people have enjoyed it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 (10 oz) can of chicken, drained
1 (8 oz) bottle ranch dressing
1/2 to 3/4 cup hot sauce (I typically use 2/3 cups)
2 (8 oz) bricks cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (this time I used a mix of sharp cheddar and white mild cheddar)

Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet until heated through. Add ranch and cream cheese and mix until well blended. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until blended. Place in crock pot and cover with rest of cheese. Cook on low until it bubbles and is ready to eat (I skipped this step altogether. Since I already had stuff cooking in the oven I transfered my dip to a casserole dish, covered with remaining cheese and heated in a 350F oven until bubbly). Serve with celery, tostitos, or crackers. (I prefer tostitos with this dip, but I ate some leftovers the other day with Fritos and they were FABULOUS!)