Appetizer #15 - Hot Wing Dip

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #15 - Hot Wing Dip

    I have a Braum's Recipes for the Holidays recipe pamphlet.  There are a few recipes I'd liked and this is the first one I've made.  I did not use the brands they suggest (It's brands they sell in the Braum's markets inside their shops).  They suggest Braum's cream cheese and Frank's Red Hot sauce.  I served this dip with crackers, but it would be good with anything you want to dunk. This was good and had a kick from the hot sauce. Try using 8 oz of ranch dressing for a thicker spread instead of a dip. Try celery, potato chips, tortilla chips or crackers. 

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

12 oz hot sauce (I used a store brand hot sauce; you can use your favorite)

20 oz canned chicken, drained  

16 oz ranch dressing 

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until completely combined. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Serve with 'dunker' of your choice. 

Hot Wing Dip 
on Crackers

Appetizer #1 - Potpourri Cheese

 The Year of Appetizers

Number One: Potpourri Cheese

    This recipe is in my second printing copy of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, published in 1963. All I can say is this definitely is a 1960's era dip.  The consistency I ended up with was like a Pimento Cheese. I didn't know what to expect over all, but I think it tasted fine and I was good with the consistency (I just kept mixing until I liked it).  I am hoping that it tastes good after sitting covered in the refrigerator. You know that some things just taste better after the flavors have had a chance to "settle"? I am curious to see how it tastes on Tuesday.  I made this for my church ladies group potluck on Tuesday, so I will report back on how they like it (or not) and if I like it better after the flavors have "settled".  The original recipe says you can keep this in covered jars and that it keeps for weeks.  I tried it out on some crackers. I'm not sure that I would make this again, but I am glad I tried it (that is the goal of this blog; to try out recipes from my collection of cookbooks). You may like it a bit more than I did.  My notes in italics. 

Ingredients:

12 oz beer

1 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 lb crumbled blue cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp Tabasco (I didn't have Tabasco, so I used the hot sauce I had on hand)

crackers for serving

Directions:

Open beer and let stand. Mix cheeses, salt and mustard. Blend in butter, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Add beer slowly, with an electric hand mixer, until creamy. Store in a covered jar or dish. Makes about 5 cups. Serve as a dip with crackers or you could possibly use this as a sandwich spread. I am intrigued by the thought of making a grilled cheese sandwich using this in the middle.

The mixing did not go easily. After mixing the butter, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cheeses, salt and mustard, I used my mixer, but I was making a mess, so I ended up using my potato masher to blend the ingredients a little better and then I used my hand mixer on medium to high until I was "happy" with the consistency. It is creamy, but with little chunky bits.  I think the consistency is a lot like that of Pimento Cheese. I tested this with butter crackers and it was fine. Even though this has not been my favorite recipe, you might like it! So, if you try it, let me know what you think.  

Potpourri Cheese 

Potpourri Cheese 

White Bean & Roasted Garlic Dip

 White Bean & Roasted Garlic Dip

 I've adapted this recipe from "dip it!" by Rick Rogers. Printed in 2002. This dip is pretty much like hummus.  I really liked it. It is good on crackers, pita chips and could be used as a dip for veggies or even as a sandwich spread on pita bread. 

Ingredients:

2 cans {15 1/2 to 19 oz) cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (the original recipe calls for a large head of garlic roasted)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (the original recipe calls for fresh herbs like, sage, thyme, rosemary, a combination of the three, or Italian seasoning)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used fresh squeezed, which I recommend, but in a pinch, you can use botttled)

1/8 teaspoon or to taste crushed red chili pepper flakes (I think I used 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil as needed (I didn't have olive oil, so I used a little bit of canola oil)

salt to taste (I didn't add salt to mine)

Directions:

    Open your cans of beans and rinse well, retaining the juice from the cans. You're retaining the juice, in the event that your dip is a little too thick.  The dip may thicken if you refrigerate the dip overnight or you may just want a little bit thinner dip. Me? I refrigerated overnight and I wanted to have a little thinner dip anyhow, so I mixed in some of the reserved liquid the next day. 

    I roasted my minced garlic until soft, on a pan which I'd sprayed with a little non-stick cooking spray. I don't know how long that took exactly. I just know how soft I wanted the garlic.  Either way, if you use minced garlic or if you are using the whole garlic head (you're going to squeeze the garlic from the skin), add the garlic to your food processor with the beans, herbs or seasoning, lemon juice and the chili pepper flakes. Process your ingredients until smooth, adding enough of the oil to make it into the consistency you want.  

    Serve in a little bowl or on a chip and dip tray with crackers, pita chips or veggies.  You could sprinkle a little extra seasoning on top before putting your bowl/tray out, to make it pretty or just if you want to when serving just on crackers.

A plate of crackers with dip and as you can see my canine "helpers" were waiting to see if they were needed for a taste test. 

Close-up shot of one of the crackers.