Bacon Ranch Cheddar Cheese Dip

I think if your baby's face looks like this, it's safe to say,

"That's some good dip right there!"

Bacon Ranch Cheddar Cheese Dip

8 ounces Sour Cream
8 ounces of Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 packet (1 ounce) Ranch Dip Mix

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mix together until well combined. 

I actually use ranch from a large batch shaker. I think I use more than an ounce. Check the taste and add more if you like! 

Also, if it is too thick to combine, microwave it for 30 seconds or so until you can get it smooth. 

Homemade Pita Bread... Chicken Gyros

For the Pitas:

1 cup warm water
1 pkg dry active yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

In a small bowl, add the yeast to the water and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Pour the yeast and water into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Add the oil. Slowly add the flour and salt while kneading the dough. The dough should be tacky. Knead the dough in the mixer until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. Brush a little oil over the dough Cover and let rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface. Cut the dough into 6-8 pieces. Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little oil into the pan before adding the disks of dough. Cook the pita until bubbles start to form. Flip the dough over and cook until lightly browned. Flip the dough back over and cook for about a minute, until the pita puffs up. Remove from heat and cover with a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Chicken For the Gyros:

8-10 Chicken Tenders

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
2 tsp Lemon Juice

Pan fry the chicken until done. Add the butter and seasoning. Cook until lightly browned. Set aside.

Tzatziki Sauce for Gyros:

16 ounces Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 cucumber
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 teaspoon basil
3 tbsp lemon juicesalt and pepper, to taste

Peel the cucumber. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Grate the cucumber and squeeze in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, cucumber, red wine vinegar, dill, basil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to develop.

To assemble the Gyros:

Spread tzatziki sauce over a pita. Top with chicken. Add whatever veggies you like... Lettuce, tomatoes, black olives or green olives.

Cornbread Pudding

After my hubby's Grandmother passed away, two different churches in the family brought food over to her house which is a tradition in the South. One of the dishes that was most talked about was the Cornbread Pudding. My daughter-in-law asked me about it, and asked if I could get her the recipe. I decided it was the perfect recipe to share here! It is an awesome casserole!

Cornbread Pudding

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 stick of butter, melted

1 package Jiffy cornbread mix

Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in cornbread mix and seasonings. Pour into a greased 13X9 baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center. Serve warm. 

Pizza Dip

My son loves all things pizza, so I made this dip. It was perfect for him. I served it with bread sticks, but you could serve it with crackers or chips. The full recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and cheese until smooth.

Spread in the bottom of an oven proof dish.

I used a jarred spaghetti sauce and added hamburger.

Sprinkle with bacon and add mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper.

Add pepperoni and a little Colby Jack cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 or 20 minutes.

I used canned biscuit dough and shaped them into bread sticks.

YUMMY!

Pizza Dip Recipe

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup finely shredded Colby Jack cheese blend, divided

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 slices pepperoni
Crumbled bacon (2 slices)

1/4 lb hamburger cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl combine spaghetti sauce, garlic, onion, basil, salt and pepper. Set pizza sauce aside.

In another bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup of Colby Jack cheese.  Mix well until combined.

Spread cream cheese mixture in an even layer in a baking dish. Pour blended pizza sauce over cream cheese mixture and evenly distribute with spatula. Add hamburger and bacon.

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over pizza sauce. Top pizza dip with pepperoni. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Colby Jack cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Serve with Breadsticks.

Dilly Ranch Dip for Popcorn Chicken

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1/4 tsp garlic juice*
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.

*You can substitute a little garlic powder. I just prefer not to have chunks and bits of raw garlic in the dressing.

You can follow the recipe for Oven Fried Chicken for the popcorn chicken. You just cut some skinless/boneless chicken into small bite-size pieces. It's your call to bake or fry the chicken! :-)

Paula Deen Signature Porcelain 12-In. Chicken Fryer (Google Affiliate Ad)

Spaghetti Pie

I've had a lot of people asking for the recipe for this one, so here goes...

 Filling:
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb Spaghetti Noodles, cooked and cooled

Mix eggs, sour cream and cheeses well. Toss in noodles. Place in a greased 13X9 casserole dish.

Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder, browned and drained
1 - 24oz can Spaghetti Sauce, your choice
1 - 12oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

Combine the above ingredients and simmer 15 or 20 minutes. Cool and top the noodle mixture with the sauce.

Top with an additional 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

and 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes

or until golden brown and bubbly.

Slice and serve... maybe with a salad and some toasty garlic bread!

Twice Baked Potatoes

I was asked to write down and post my recipe for twice baked potatoes. Again, it depends on what I have on hand or what flavors I might be craving that day. This time I used the cheese that I had on hand which was a combo of cheddar and mozzarella. I also added a little garlic powder. Feel free to use your own add-ins such a chives, parsley or onion!

3 large baking potatoes 

¼ cup butter 

¼ cup bacon bits 

¼ cup sour cream 

1 ½ cups Colby Jack cheese 

2 T milk 

Salt, to taste 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Spray them oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 1 hour. Pierce with a fork to check for doneness. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into a mixing bowl. Leave a small rim of potato. Be careful not to break the shell. Place the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.

Smash the potatoes while adding butter, milk, bacon, sour cream and salt. Add 1 cup of cheese; mix together well.

Fill the potato shells with the filling. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and fresh ground black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown.

Tzatziki

I love the idea from Betty Crocker for Greek Salad Kabobs! I would rather have a tzatziki sauce to go with it than a honey yogurt sauce. But that's just me... I never follow the rules! Tzatziki usually is finished off with mint... me? I use basil! Yeah! I'm twisted that way! :-)

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 cucumber

Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced and zest
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 cloves garlic, peeled
5 basil leaves, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste

At least 8 hours before making the Tzatziki, place the yogurt in a paper towel lined strainer over another bowl and leave it in the fridge 8 hours or even  overnight. This makes the yogurt the perfect consistency. This step is not necessary if using Greek yogurt, but check the consistency to insure that it is thick enough.
Peel and seed the cucumber. Place the cucumbers on a tea towel sprinkle with Kosher salt. This will leech out a lot of the water and help assure you have a thick sauce. After the water has leeched out, squeeze the towel and ring out the water.
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients. Process until well-combined.
Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor, over night is suggested.

Beef Stroganoff

When I cook this for my Wednesday Night Church Supper crowd, I am on a very tight budget. So, I substitute Ground Chuck for the Round Steak, but check the sales for your favorite cut of beef. You can sub any cut you want.

1 pound Round Steak 

Salt, Pepper & Flour 

¼ cup Shortening or Butter 

½ cup Onion 

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can sliced Mushrooms 

½ cup Sour Cream 

Cut steak in thin strips, salt pepper and flour. Brown in shortening or butter, add onions. Cook til tender. Add soup and mushrooms. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add sour cream and simmer 15 minutes. Serve over egg noodles. 

Vidalia Cornbread  is the perfect companion for beef stroganoff!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

I made this for the first time this week for a crowd of 160 at VBS. If you serve this to a bunch of kids, and they like it... it must be good. When a teenager asks for the recipe... GOLD!!!

4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can Cream of Mushroom (or Chicken) Soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 sm pkg real bacon bits
1/2 t salt (to taste)
1/4 t pepper (to taste)
1/4 t garlic powder (to taste)
1/4 t basil (optional)
2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients except the cheese. Spray a casserole dish with oil and pour chicken mixture in the dish. Bake at 350 degrees until warmed through. Top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and begins to turn brown.

Optional biscuit topping...
Mix ALL the ingredients together and warm. Top with biscuit dough and cook until golden brown.

Optional Cracker Topping...
Fix as directed above, until cheese is melted. Combine 1 sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers and 1 stick of melted butter. Toss, then sprinkle cracker mixture on top of the casserole. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes... watch so the crackers don't burn.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

I love this casserole! You can use leftover baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or even a box of those creamy scalloped potatoes. This time I actually used Hungry Jack's Creamy Scalloped Potatoes. You can use any brand that is "Creamy" or in a white sauce.

6 oz box Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temp to soften
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 pan with oil. Place potatoes in the bottom of the pan. In a bowl, mix the sauce packet and 2 1/2 cups of water. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and half the bacon. Spoon mixture evenly over the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 5 more minutes to melt cheese. Serve immediately.

Pasta Salad BLT

I'd have to say that my favorite sandwich... Those of you that follow me know it's a Reuben and don't get me started! LOL... But my second favorite sandwich is a BLT. I've done blogs about the sandwich, dips,  stuffed bltomatoes, etc. This is another form of the wonderful flavor of the BLT...

8 oz of pasta, cooked and cooled

8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

8 - 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

Pinch of basil

Cook your favorite pasta (here I used rotini). Rinse and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine pasta and bacon. Add in mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, pepper and basil—mix until fully combined. Carefully stir in lettuce and tomatoes. Serve room temperature or cool in the frig until ready to serve.

Dill Dressing/Sauce

This dressing is so good and so versatile! You can use it on salads, as a dip for veggies, on roasted vegetables even as a sauce on fish or seafood.

Dill Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp garlic juice*
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.

*You can substitute a little garlic powder. I just prefer not to have chunks and bits of raw garlic in the dressing.

Do you throw away the heels off your loaves of bread? Why not use them for home-made croutons? It's easy and only takes minutes!




Home-made Croutons 


Cube leftover or day old bread and arrange on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil or vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried basil. Bake at 275 degrees until dried and lightly browned.

Crab Rangoon Dip

Have you ever eaten Crab Rangoon at a Chinese Restaurant and wondered what's inside those wonderful little golden brown packages? Well, that's what this dip tastes like... This filling for Crab Rangoon! In the picture, it's in the metal round chafer dish and it is oh so yummy!

2 cups Crab meat
1 8oz cream cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 T Mayo
2 1/2 T Sour Cream
2 T green onion, chopped
1/2 t basil
dill (just a sprinkle... optional)


In a crock pot, mix ingredients well. Heat until warm. Serve in a chafer or your crock pot to keep warm.
Serve with crackers, toast points or chips!

BLT Dip

This recipe can be used in a lot of different ways. Use it as a dip for crackers, chips or toast points. Use it as an appetizer mixing everything together except the tomato and stuff cherry tomatoes with the dip, or use it as a spread on subs, sandwiches and even burgers. There are all kinds of ideas for this tasty recipe! Enjoy and have a safe weekend!

Here I used cored, seeded tomatoes 

sliced into chunks to eat with the dip!

BLT Dip


6 slices cooked Bacon, crumbled

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup chopped, seeded plum Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lettuce
Crackers for dipping


Mix bacon, sour cream, mayo, and tomatoes. Cover and put in frig for about an hour. Hollow out a tomato and spoon dip into it. Place on the lettuce leaves and surround with Crackers.

Note: You can substitute a 3 oz jar of real bacon bits for sliced Bacon.

Here is another cute way to serve this dip! :-)

***You can also use canned diced tomatoes to thin the 
mixture down and use it as a salad dressing!

Crab Crisps

Another very simple, tasty treat :-)

6 1/2 oz. Crab meat
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 T onion soup mix
1/4 t black pepper
Toast points or Melba rounds
Red Bell Pepper and Green Onion, diced

Combine first five ingredients. Mix well. Spread on toast or rounds. Broil about 6 inches from broiler for 2 or 3 minutes. Garnish with pepper and onion... Enjoy!

Fried Mushrooms

These are so yummy! I could make a meal of them. Try one or both of the sauces with them too! Mmmmmmm!

1 to 1 1/2 lb fresh Mushrooms
2 cups Bisquick Mix
2/3 can of beer (or 8 oz Club Soda)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder


Clean mushrooms with a dry paper towel. Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk. Add beer (or soda) until batter is about the consistency of pancake batter. It should be just thick enough for dipping. Dip dry mushrooms in the batter and fry in a deep fryer or electric skillet until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 170 degree oven until ready to serve.

Dill Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt & Pepper, to taste

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings; mix well. Chill for 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketsup

1 T hot sauce, or to taste

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T Horseradish sauce

splash of lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl combine ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bad Weather Food... Soups On!

Tornado and Severe Weather Warnings out today... It has been unseasonably warm, but with the bad weather comes cold rain and wind! These soups are wonderful to have on the stove staying warm until you're ready to eat.


Baked Potato Soup

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream, sour cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.




Cheeseburger Soup

2 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock
1 cup milk
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb hamburger
2-3 T flour
lettuce & tomato, largely chopped

Saute the onions in butter until translucent. Add 2 cups beef stock and 1 cup milk. Add cubed Velveeta and stir until melted. Cook hamburger. Add about 2 - 3 tablespoons of flour to the hamburger. (This will make a slurry when the flour combines with the fat off of the hamburger.) Add the hamburger mixture to the soup. Bring soup up to a high simmer. If the soup is too thick, add a little more stock. When ready to serve, throw a handful of lettuce and tomato in a bowl and top with several spoonfuls of soup. Cheeseburger in a bowl!

Tuscan Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
3 (3.5 ounce) links spicy Italian sausage
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/4 cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste


Remove skin from sausage and crumble into frying pan. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Place meat in a large pot; add stock and potatoes. Boil until potato is cooked.
Add spinach. Continue boiling until spinach is lightly cooked. Remove soup from heat, stir in evaporated milk, and season to taste.


Reuben Soup
Could you get anymore twisted than Reuben Soup? This sounds so weird, but the flavor is outstanding! Unique and delicious!

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon
8 ounces shredded corned beef
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
3 cups half-and-half cream
3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
8 slices rye bread, toasted and cut into triangles


In a large saucepan, cook onion and celery in butter until tender; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in water and bouillon, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef, sauerkraut, cream, and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook and stir for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 ovenproof bowls. Top each serving with a slice of bread and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on top of each slice of bread. Place in oven under broiler until the cheese melts and lightly browns.

Cyndi's Artichoke Dip

A big thanks goes out to my friends, Cyndi McIntosh and her boys! They were sweet enough to take up the challenge I gave them to create a tasty dip recipe. I asked them to send me a picture and the recipe so I could share it with everyone here. I wish I could dig in right now! Yummy! Thanks again "Miss Cyndi", Cortland, Dawson and Walker!!!

Click on the picture to zoom in and prepare to drool! :-)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 oz. Cream cheese
1 cup Breakstone's zesty blends roasted garlic & herb sour cream

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.


As a lot of you know, I've been absent for a while due to surgery and a long recovery. I'm trying to get back to my recipes. So, if you'll bare with me for a little while longer, I should be up and back to normal soon! Thanks to Cyndi and all my friends for sticking with me through this, and thanks for participating by passing along recipes to share!!!