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.
