Veggie Dill Dip

We've been making this veggie dip for family gatherings and parties for over 30 years. Today I mixed up a bowl and will take a tiny container to work each day this week along with some beautiful
veggies. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow!

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp dill weed
a pinch of love

Mix and refrigerate.

New Cream Cheese Dip

We always looked forward to Mom's dried beef 
Cream Cheese Ball for the holidays. Like any cheese ball  the cracker usually broke as we tried to spread the hard mixture. I thought it would be nice to make a creamier mixture to dip and scoop with a cracker instead. This is what I came up with and now it's a family favorite!

1- 8 ounce pack of cream cheese, room temperature

1 jar chipped beef, rinsed, pat dry

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Miracle Whip

2-4 squirts Worcestershire

1- Tbsp horseradish or 1/4 cup Woeber's Horseradish Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt 

Rinse the salt off the chipped beef and pat dry with a paper towel, then chop.  Using electric mixer combine cream cheese, Miracle Whip, Worcestershire, horseradish and sour cream until smooth. Add chopped beef and onion. Pour in a liberal amount of love. Mix well. Keep refrigerated until needed. Serve with crackers.

Mom's Deviled Eggs

Mom makes the best deviled eggs... until this past Easter, when my father announced that mine are "better than your Mom's"! It took a lot of practice and patience because there was always something that didn't go right. Sometimes I couldn't peel the shells if my life depended on it. Other times I couldn't get all the lumps out of the filling. Often they were filled haphazardly or didn't have that tang. Finally, I got it right!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

A nice switch from the original cheese ball. This is great with graham crackers.

1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
 Optional: 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
5. Optional: Shape chilled mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic and chill for another hour.
6. Roll cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving.

Spinach Dip

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
1 package Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Thaw spinach and squeeze excess water.
Stir together soup mix, sour cream, mayonnaise until blended.
Add spinach, green onions and water chestnuts.
Cover; chill 2 hours. Stir before serving.

Dawn's Deviled Eggs

Photo from Pinch My Salt

A friend shared her Deviled Egg Recipe using Slaw Dressing, which creates a creamy, tangy filling.  I am fond of the Macaroni Salad recipe using Slaw Dressing so I know this will be a hit. We will try this along
with many other new recipes this Easter.

12 hard-boiled eggs, shelled 

1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

Squirt of mustard

dash vinegar

Sharon's Pimento Cheese Spread

I just love having my mom living in Ellet now. She is such a good cook and I've been able to get some of her recipes written along with much needed guidance. A couple months ago she made Pimento Cheese Spread and I fell in love with it. I would take a sandwich to school for lunch and zap it in the microwave for 10 or 20 seconds just to take the chill off it. Yum! She made it again last week and this time she wrote down the ingredients. Well...I tried to make it tonight and this is where I think I went wrong. First, I used finely shredded sharp cheddar instead of regular shredded. Second, I used Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise. Third, Mom said to drain the pimentos and I don't think I did that very well. Let's just say I think I need to follow this exactly next time to get a batch like Mom's.  

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Pinch of garlic powder

4 oz. jar of pimentos

In mixing bowl beat cream cheese, mayo and garlic powder until softened. Add cheddar cheese, mix until well blended.  Add well drained Pimentos, stir gently until blended.

Cream Cheese Ball

2 – 8 ounce packs cream cheese, room temperature

1 jar chipped beef, rinsed, pat dry

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Miracle Whip

2 squirts Worcestershire

1 – 2 Tbsp horseradish or fresh minced garlic

½ lb finely chopped English walnuts

With electric mixer combine cream cheese, beef and all ingredients

except walnuts. Form into ball, roll in chopped nuts. Refrigerate overnight. 

Cream Cheese Dip

~updated 1/1/2014

Veggie Bar

1 pkg Crescent rolls

1 – 8 oz cream cheese, at room temp

½ cup miracle whip

½ cup ranch dressing

½ cup each: broccoli, cauliflower, green/red pepper, crated carrot

Pat out rolls on cookie sheet. Do not stretch. Bake for 8 minutes at 400. Cool

Mix cream cheese, miracle whip, ranch dressing with mixer.

Spread over crust. Sprinkle with chopped vegetables. Press lightly.Cut into 2 inch squares.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 from Lora Bojorova (Christie's former student and adopted daughter)

2 – 8 ounces of cream cheese

¾ cup red hot buffalo wing sauce

1 cup ranch dressing

2 large cans chicken breast

8 ounce cheddar cheese

Mix everything in skillet until well blended and heated. Keep in crockpot. Use tortillas for dipping.           

Original Chex Party Mix

1 stick margarine or butter

1 TBSP Seasoned Salt

3 TBSP Worcestershire

3 cups of each- Corn, rice, & wheat Chex cereal

2 cups mixed nuts

1 cup pretzel sticks
1 cup garlic bagels or sesame treats

Place all cereal, nuts and pretzels, garlic bagels in large bowl. Melt margarine in microwave or saucepan. Remove from heat, add seasoned salt and Worcestershire. Drizzle over cereal mixture, turning with rubber spatula until cereal is well coated.

Place in 2 9 x 13 cake pans or large blue roaster.  Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 
Cool completely before storing in airtight container or baggie.

Blessing Mix

Bugles corn snacks as the cornucopia, horn of plenty.
Pretzels for arms folded in thanks and prayer.
Candy corn for the five kernels of corn that
The Pilgrims were each allotted during the winter.
Dried fruits for the celebration of the harvest. 
Peanuts represent the seeds of a bountiful harvest
for the next season if they are planted and well tended. 
Add other ingredients such as dry cereals, candies, 
Or marshmallows can also be added.

Make this mix as a family and eat while discussing each ingredient and how it relates to Thanksgiving.