Recipes - Party Dips and Treats

Super Bowl parties are known for the appetizer spreads - most notably wings, chips and salsa, sliders, etc.  However this year, our party was overrun by "dips" - every dip you can think of: buffalo chicken dip, layered bean dip, vidalia onion dip, jalapeno popper dip, along with the standard chips/salsa/queso dip and pretzels.  I'm not sure why we even offered dinner since we all filled up on the dips!  I have to say that Pinterest recipes were used for most of these dips in addition to the pretzel kiss treats that I made.  Oh how I love those Pinterest recipes!

Here are some of the recipes:

Jalapeno Popper Dip 
(original recipe from Simply Gourmet)

Ingredients:
2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, soft
1 cup of mayonnaise

4-6 jalapenos, chopped and deseeded.  The seeds will make it fiery hot.

1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup diced green onion

Topping:

1 cup of crushed crackers ( I used Ritz)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 stick of butter, melted

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Combine all of the ingredients into a medium bowl.  Stir well.

3.  Transfer to an oven proof dish. The size of the dish depends on how thick the dip is.  The thicker the dip the longer it may need to warm up.  

4.  Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle all over the top of the dip.

5.  Bake the dip for about 20-30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  Enjoy with crackers, pita chips or fresh baguette slices.

Vidalia Onion Dip

(Recipe via Rupa's Blog)

Ingredients:

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups Mayonnaise
1-8 oz bag shredded Italian cheese blend
2 Tbsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix all ingredients in bowl.
3. Transfer onion mixture to 8×8 casserole dish.
4. Bake 30 minutes until golden brown.
5. Serve immediately with French bread for irresistible yumminess.

Pretzel Kiss Bites
(Original recipe found here)

Yield varies 

Ingredients:
Small Twist or Square waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Hugs or Kisses
M&Ms candy, any variety

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. Set pretzels on lined cookie sheet.  Place an unwrapped Hershey's Hug or Kiss on top of pretzel. 
3. Bake oven for 4-6 minutes until softened (note: Hugs will soften quicker than Kisses).  Remove from oven and press an M&M candy into the center of each Hug/Kiss. 
4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then place in refrigerator to harden for 15 minutes to overnight.