Delightful Dips and Spreads

By Brenda Hyde

With the arrival of warm weather I always get out the dip and spread recipes. They are easy and delicious, whether serving them to company or for your family on movie night. The trick to really getting the most out of a dip or spread is serving it with a variety of breads, crackers and vegetables. Cheese dip is great with pretzels for instance. You can spread it on the big soft pretzels or scoop it up with mini pretzels, rods or sticks. The kids love it! I try to avoid potato chips and corn chips because of the fat.

Baby carrots are another family favorite and go well with seafood dips. Other options are bite size pieces of bagel, whole grain crackers, celery, green pepper slices, radishes or other raw vegetables. You can also make your own pita or tortilla crisps by cutting the bread into triangles, spraying with butter flavored cooking spray on both sides, sprinkle with seasonings such as onion powder, garlic powder, or seasoning salt and bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned. The recipes below are easy and quick, plus they don't require cooking!

Italian Dip with Crackers and Veggies

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Caesar dressing

Baby Carrots

Crackers-whole wheat variety is good.

Beat cream cheese , Parmesan, and dressing with electric mixer until smooth. Place in a pretty bowl, then center the bowl on a platter with the crackers and baby carrots surrounding the dip.

Snappy Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

1 stick butter or margarine

2 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Beat cream cheese and Old English together. Add butter, sour cream and horseradish and beat well again. Serve with crackers, breadsticks or pretzels.

Liptar Cheese

Ingredients:

8 ounce cream cheese

1/2 stick margarine, softened

5 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tsp. minced onion (works well using processor)

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon unto bowl and serve with crackers, pretzels or chips.

Cream Cheese Clam Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 small can minced clams (reserve 1 tablespoon juice)

3 tablespoons chopped green onion or chives

dash garlic powder

Combine cream cheese, clams, reserved juice, onions, and garlic. Blend well. This is especially good with whole grain crackers, baby carrots or bagel pieces.

Salmon Dill Dip

Ingredients:

1 can salmon, drained, flaked and bones removed

1 cup sour cream (light or no fat is fine)

2 tablespoon chopped green onions

1 lemon

1 Tablespoon fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried

1/4 tsp. salt

optional: diced green pepper

Mix all ingredients together, squeezing the juice of the lemon into bowl. Mix well and chill. Serve with carrots, celery or other crunchy vegetables or crackers. A great after school snack!

India Spread

Ingredients:

8 ounce package cream cheese

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup finely cut dates

1/4 cup finely chopped chutney

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add next 4 ingredients and mix together well. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts. Put in serving dish, sprinkle with remaining nuts and chill. Serve with crackers or pita chips or apple slices.

Dilled Shrimp Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

2 pkgs (8 oz. ea.) cream cheese softened

2 cans (4 1/2 oz. each.) shrimp, rinsed, drained, and chopped

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic salt (or powder)

1/4 tsp. dill weed, or 1/2 tsp. fresh dill

Blend milk and cream cheese. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic, and dill. Cover and chill for at least one hour. Serve with vegetables, crackers, or bagel chips. It also is great for spreading on mini bagels. Makes 3 cups. Note: I also use the frozen salad shrimp.

Avocado Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

8 ounce block cream cheese

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Blend all ingredients well and chill. Serve with tortillas chips, or pieces of fresh tortilla.

Ham and Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

2 blocks cream cheese (8 ounces)

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

1 envelope Ranch or Italian Dressing Mix

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup minced ham

Cream together the cheeses and dressing until combined. Mix in the parsley and ham. Place in a container and use as a spread for crackers or bagels.

About the Author

Brenda Hyde is Mom to three hungry kids and wife to a husband who loves to snack. She is also a freelance writer and editor at Old Fashioned Living.

About The Author

Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her
husband and three kids. She is also editor of StandBesideHer.com and has a family friendly blog, On the Front Porch.

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