Category Archives: Dip

Appetizers, Dip

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip – Unusually Delicious

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Cranberry Jalapeño Dip sounds like an interesting combination, doesn’t it? This dip consists of tart cranberries alongside spicy jalapeños, cilantro, scallions, cream cheese, lemon juice, and cream cheese. The way the ingredients meld together is just extraordinary. This Cranberry Jalapeño dip recipe is the perfect holiday appetizer. It’s such a pretty dish of red, green, and white, it really screams festive holiday dip! Your guests will be drawn to the colors and will be amazed at the contrasting flavors that blend together magnificently in in what seems to be more than a dip, but a cranberry jalapeño salsa.

Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa

This Cranberry Jalapeño Dip also referred to as a creamy Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa. It has many of the same elements found in salsa, like those spicy jalapeño peppers. I’m pretty obsessed with spicy food. I don’t know why, but I just can’t get enough heat on my food. I even love a good spicy margarita from time to time! If you can’t handle spicy, you can tone down this recipe by cutting the number of jalapeño peppers in half and/or eliminating the seeds of the peppers. The seeds are what brings the spicy kick so taking those out of the equation, makes a big difference. Further, the cream cheese acts as a cool down process for those spicy bites.

If you eliminate the cream cheese from the recipe, you will have a fruity, yet spicy salsa. And that spicy salsa happens to pair well with crackers, tostitos, bagel chips, or anything with a salty crunch.

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip Recipe

This cranberry jalapeño dip recipe is one for the books. For real. It has the savory, sweet taste that is highly addictive. If you have a food chopper, you will find this appetizer recipe very easy to make. If you do not have a food chopper, think about purchasing one like this Cuisinart Stainless Steel Chopper. Without a chopper, this recipe is still doable so don’t be upset. However, it will be trickier to cut up the cranberries.

Ingredients

  • 9 oz Cranberries chopped
  • 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 cup Green Onions (scallions) chopped
  • 2 Jalapeño Peppers cut up
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese softened
  • 3/4 cup Sugar

Instructions

  • Use hand food chopper to chop cranberries. If you don’t have one, try your best to do it with a sharp knife (be careful!) – a food processor is not advised as the cranberries will be too juicy.
  • Chop green onion, jalapeño peppers and cilantro.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, add chopped cranberries, green onion, cilantro and jalapeños.
  • Add sugar, lemon juice and salt on top of cranberry mixture and stir gently until blended.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
  • Take cranberry mixture out of the refrigerator and stir all ingredients together. Strain out all liquid using a strainer small holes.
  • Soften cream cheese and spread cream cheese over bottom of a small/medium sized glass bowl (it’s pretty dip so it’s nice to see the colors).
  • Pour cranberry mixture on top of cream cheese and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Holiday Dips To Serve

If your holiday favorite dishes consist of appetizers and desserts, I’m with you! I could skip the main dish and just eat hors d’oeuvres, dessert, and a delicious drink or two! Some MUST TRY dips this holiday season are the easy to make appetizer, Spinach and Artichoke Dip. As well as the yummy, Cannoli Dip, for dessert. Just serve with some appropriate chips; toasted bagel chips for the artichoke and spinach dip and cannoli chips for the cannoli dip. Easy & DELICIOUS!

Cannoli Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Holiday Appetizers

The holidays are coming and it’s time to start searching for yummy holiday appetizers. Look no further! If you need something in addition to the cranberry jalapeño dip featured here, consider the following appetizers to serve up. These are easy recipes that taste AMAZING! Ready to check them out?

Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza

Charcuterie Boards

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Cocktails

Where there are appetizers, there really should be cocktails! Here are some exciting martinis that are sure to please everyone’s palette. Skip the boring gin martinis or vodka and soda cocktails. Give your guests (and yourself!) something different – and just think, you could save yourself from making a dessert with this tasty dessert style martinis.

Tiramisu Martini

Pistachio Martini

Bananas Foster Martini

Chocolate Amaretto Martini

Don’t forget to leave a reply below or share the recipe with on social media – sharing is caring!

cranberry jalapeno dip is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and makes the best holiday dip for an appetizer made with chopped cranberries, cilantro, jalapenos, lemon juice, cream cheese, green onions, and sugar
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Cranberry Jalapeño Dip

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and makes the best holiday dip for an appetizer!
Course Appetizer, Snack
Keyword dips, holiday
Prep Time 10 minutes
Overnight In Refrigerator 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author jenahoward

Ingredients

  • 9 oz Cranberries chopped
  • 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 cup Green Onions (scallions) chopped
  • 2 Jalapeño Peppers cut up
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese softened
  • 3/4 cup Sugar

Instructions

  • Use hand food chopper to chop cranberries. If you don't have one, try your best to do it with a sharp knife (be careful!) – a food processor is not advised as the cranberries will be too juicy.
  • Chop green onion, jalapeño peppers and cilantro.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, add chopped cranberries, green onion, cilantro and jalapeños.
  • Add sugar, lemon juice and salt on top of cranberry mixture and stir gently until blended.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
  • Take cranberry mixture out of the refrigerator and stir all ingredients together. Strain out all liquid using a strainer small holes.
  • Soften cream cheese and spread cream cheese over bottom of a small/medium sized glass bowl (it's pretty dip so it's nice to see the colors).
  • Pour cranberry mixture on top of cream cheese and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • ENJOY!
    cranberry jalapeno dip is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and makes the best holiday dip for an appetizer made with chopped cranberries, cilantro, jalapenos, lemon juice, cream cheese, green onions, and sugar
Appetizers, Dip, Snacks

Spinach And Artichoke Dip

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Easy Dip Recipe

Spinach and artichoke dip is an appetizer that many restaurants and individuals make. There are a variety of recipes for this simple, yet delicious hors d’oeuvre. Some use cream cheese, others use mayonnaise. And of course, there are substitutions for many of the creamy ingredients as well. My spinach and artichoke recipe consists of 5 key ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make. It is so simple that even a novice cook can whip this up without a problem. A great easy dip recipe that can be served as a holiday appetizer, an every day snack, or even a topping for steak or salmon at dinner.

Holiday Appetizer

Christmas seems to take over our lives with all the presents to buy, the baking to do, and the decorating. Oh, and let’s not forget all the WRAPPING – ugh – the wrapping is the worst! Anyway, with so much to do and so little time to get everything done, it is quite possible that you won’t think about all the holiday dishes you need to make. A quick and easy holiday appetizer that is sure to please everyone is this spinach and artichoke dip. It’s creamy goodness that is packed with nutrients found in both spinach and artichokes. And the best part is that it tastes DELICIOUS!

Spinach & Artichoke Ingredients

Spinach and artichoke dip is such an easy appetizer recipe! Just a few key ingredients such as frozen (yes, frozen!) chopped spinach, canned artichokes, a block of cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.

  • 10 oz Chopped Spinach frozen
  • 14 oz Quartered Artichokes undrained
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese full fat or reduced is fine
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper or more, if you prefer a kick
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Substitutions Are Okay

You can certainly substitute ingredients, if you prefer a healthier dip. For example, swap frozen spinach for fresh spinach and chop it up. Additionally, you could use Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese or opt for low fat cream cheese instead of the full fat.

Crushed Red Pepper – personally, I find just a dash of crushed red pepper brings this dip to a whole new level, but you can skip that, if you want. Just add a bit more cheese or a dash of salt to make up for it.

Instructions To Make The Artichoke Dip

This spinach and artichoke dip is very easy to make. If you can heat up soup on the stove, you can pretty much make this yummy appetizer. Additionally, if you are just learning how to cook, this is the perfect recipe to start with. And before you know it, you will be whipping up gourmet meals!

  • Add frozen spinach and entire can of artichokes to a medium pot (including the liquid in the can of artichokes).
  • Cook to a boil and then cook for approx 2-3 minutes longer, reducing the heat to low.
  • Strain the spinach and artichokes.
  • Add spinach and artichokes back to pot and add in the remaining ingredients.
  • Stir well.
  • Serve warm 

How To Serve Spinach and Artichoke Spread

It will probably come as no surprise that the most common way to eat spinach and artichoke dip is with crackers. And there are so many crackers to choose from these days. You could go with a regular cracker such as wheat thins, triscuits, or townhouse crackers (oh so buttery!). However, you might also consider pairing this spinach and artichoke spread on some other types of “bread”

  • Crackers – safe option
  • Tostitos – any type like scoops, multi-grain, cantina, etc
  • Breadsticks, Pita Chips, Bagel Chips
  • Toasted Bread or Baguette
  • Placed on a charcuterie board

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More Appetizers To Make

If you love easy appetizers or just love appetizers in general, you are probably on the hunt for more recipes like this one. Although the ones listed below don’t taste the same as this spinach and artichoke dip, you will appreciate the simplicity of the recipes. Oh, and you will also appreciate the taste factor – these are to die for!

Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Fig And Goat Cheese Pizza

Cocktails And Appetizers

Of course, you need delicious cocktails to go with your tasty appetizers, especially if you are enjoying this at the holidays! Here are some tried and true martinis that are crowd pleasers. They sound exotic and they kind of are. However, they are easy to make so don’t let the fun names scare you off.

Tiramisu Martini

Pistachio Martini

Chocolate Amaretto Martini

Bananas Foster Martini

Don’t forget to leave a reply below or share the recipe with on social media – sharing is caring!

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spinach and artichoke dip is an easy recipe for a dip to be eaten as an appetizer with crackers, bread, or breadsticks. You could also top salmon or steak with this dip for an upgraded dinner. A great recipe for every day or a special holiday app!
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Snack
Keyword appetizers, dips, holiday
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author jenahoward

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Chopped Spinach frozen
  • 14 oz Quartered Artichokes undrained
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese full fat or reduced is fine
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper or more, if you prefer a kick
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add frozen spinach and entire can of artichokes to a medium pot (including the liquid in the can of artichokes).
  • Cook to a boil and then cook for approx 2-3 minutes longer, reducing the heat to low.
  • Strain the spinach and artichokes.
  • Add spinach and artichokes back to pot and add in the remaining ingredients.
  • Stir well.
  • Serve warm with your favorite crackers, bread, or snack chips.
  • ENJOY!
Appetizers, Dip, Lunch, Sides, Vegetables

Cowboy Caviar

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Cowboy Caviar sounds like a strange name. What is it exactly? Basically it is a healthy dip full of black beans, black eyed peas, bell peppers, purple onions, tomatoes, and cilanto in a light vinagrette dressing. It’s kind of an oxymoron though. The cowboy part tells us that this is nothing fancy, however, the caviar description means that the nothing fancy IS, in fact, fancy! I can tell you firsthand that this is delicious!

Cowboy Caviar can be classified as a dip or salsa. It is loaded with healthy ingredients such as black beans, peppers, black eyed peas, purple onion, etc etc etc. You really could add/subtract whatever you want and make it spicy or keep it mild, you can tweak it to include whatever ingredients you want. To keep things simple, let’s stick with the recipe I know and love, shall we?

When To Serve

Cowboy caviar is a favorite among kids and adults. The recipe makes a huge batch, but you know what is crazy? At a family party, there are never leftovers! And if I make it just because for my family, it only lasts a day or two. It’s crazy how much everyone enjoys this healthy salsa. It’s great though.

I love making this for parties because it is a great appetizer that pairs well with Tostitos, especially Tostitos Hint Of Lime. The tangy lime chip really brings this salsa an extraordinary level.

I also love making this salsa for my family as a side dish to our dinners. You can serve this in place of a pasta salad and save the carbs for something else, maybe a yummy dessert such as a Cheesecake Cookie Cup. Sounds like an idea! Or you could pair cowboy caviar with homemade cheeseburgers. Skipping the fries and adding some veggies to your kids’ plates. And they will be happy about that! Did you think skipping french fries could be a good thing in their minds? It can!

Easy To Make

Cowboy Caviar is super easy to make. There is NO COOKING. Nothing! No need to preheat the oven because you don’t need it! Just chop up the veggies, wash the beans, and whip up the easy to make dressing and you are done. This is a raw salsa that consists of:

  • Black Beans
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Green Bell Peppers
  • Red Bell Peppers
  • Yellow Bell Peppers
  • Orange Bell Peppers
  • Roma Tomatoes
  • Purple Onion
  • Corn
  • Cilantro
  • Olive Oil
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Lime Juice
  • Honey
  • Chili Powder

The list of ingredients is pretty long (as far as I’m concerned), but since you don’t have to chop AND cook, it is okay. Just wash, chop, and combine. No cooking or baking skills required which makes this recipe a super-duper easy recipe!

How To Store

If you are lucky enough to have leftover cowboy caviar, make sure you store it in a container that is air tight. This salsa lasts a few days and actually tastes better the longer it sits. You could make it the day before your party (huge time saver!).

The flavors of all the ingredients break down in the bowl and merge together. When you go to re-serve it, mix it up well and taste a small portion. You might want to add a touch of lime or salt and then remix it up.

Family Favorite

Cowboy Caviar is super easy to make, delicious to eat, and it is such a pretty dish to serve. The peppers, onions, beans, and corn bring a variety of vibrant colors such as green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and black. It’s almost too pretty to serve. However, it’s too good not to eat!

Just writing about this recipe is making my mouth water, it’s just SO GOOD! I’m positive that this cowboy caviar dip/salsa, whatever you want to call it will become a staple appetizer for your family.

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Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar is a healthy dip full of black beans, black eyed peas, bell peppers, purple onions, tomatoes, and cilanto in a light vinagrette dressing.
Course Appetizer, lunch, Side Dish, Snack
Keyword dips, salsa, veggies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 people
Author jenahoward

Ingredients

Salsa

  • 1 Purple Onion chopped
  • 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped
  • 1 Orange Bell Pepper chopped
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper chopped
  • 4 Roma Tomatoes seeded and chopped
  • 1 bunch Cilantro chopped
  • 1 can Corn
  • 15 oz Black Beans rinsed and drained
  • 15 oz Black Eyed Peas rinsed and drained

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 4 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • 4 tbsp Lime Juice
  • 3 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tsp Chili Powder

Instructions

Dressing

  • In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk well. Set aside.

Salsa

  • In a large bowl combine all salsa ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well.
  • Add dressing to the salsa and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
  • Serve with corn chips, crackers, etc.
  • ENJOY!
Appetizers, Appetizers, Asian, Dip, Party Food, Rangoon

Crab Rangoon Dip

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*WARNING* Crab Rangoon Dip is highly addictive! And it’s so easy to make. That makes is a dangerous combination, but it is a recipe you need in your life! Once you try making this and taste the yummy goodness of it, you will see for yourself just how amazingly easy and heavenly this dip is! And then you will be addicted as well.

What Is Crab Rangoon

Crab Rangoons (sometimes referred to as crab puffs) are filled dumpling appetizers in most Asian restaurants. The filing is a cream cheese mixture that most times includes imitation crab meat and a few key seasonings. Typically, these delectable treats are fried. Definitely not a healthy snack, but so so good!

Of course the crispy wonton adds to the deliciousness, however, the filling is absolutely the BEST part of this appetizer! I mean, most people could eat just the filling and be very happy. With this crab rangoon dip, you can have just that. And then you can eat it with a spoon…or be more civilized and use your favorite crunchy chip, cracker, or wonton in place of a spoon.

Ingredients Needed

  • 2 cups Imitation Crab Meat
  • 2 pkgs Cream Cheese 8 oz packages, I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 4 Green Onions Chopped
  • 1.5 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

Making The Dip

As previously mentioned, this is a very easy to make recipe. Basically, you chop up the imitation crab meat and scallions, then mix everything together. You can eat it as-is at this point or bake it in the oven so that it gets warm and bubby. Mmm! Either way, you truly cannot go wrong.

You can take this dip to the next level by making actual crab rangoons with my crab rangoon recipe. It’s just one additional step to this one. You’re welcome!

Sorry, Not Sorry

Ever since I began making this incredibly delicious dip, I have been addicted. My entire family requests that I make this all the time. It seems as though they are addicted as well! The great thing about this recipe is that it is pretty easy to make and it doesn’t need to be cooked. Just mix up the ingredients and serve. Easy. Therefore, I don’t mind making this! And the fact that it’s so good, makes it even easier for me to agree to making this.

We really love eating this dip with potato chips. It isn’t the most elegant display, but does it really matter when you are sitting around your kitchen table in your pajamas at night and enjoying a tasty dip with your favorite potato chips? It certainly does not matter to me, that’s for sure!

This crab rangoon dip will become a staple appetizer when you are entertaining whether it’s at a superbowl party, Christmas party, or an any time snack in your home. You will find this HIGHLY addicted. You’ve been warned. Regardless, you NEED this dip in your life. You will hate me and love me for it. So sorry, not sorry! Enjoy!!

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Crab Rangoon Dip

Delicious Homemade Crab Rangoon Dip
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Snack
Cuisine Asian
Keyword appetizers, easy side dish, party food
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12 people
Author jenahoward

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Imitation Crab Meat
  • 2 pkgs Cream Cheese 8 oz packages, I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 4 Green Onions Chopped
  • 1.5 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

Instructions

Crab Rangoon Filling

  • First, soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about a minute, at 30 second increments so as not to overheat.
  • Chop the green onions and imitation crab meat.
  • Add sour cream, green onions, crab meat, worcestershire sauce, powdered sugar, garlic powder and lemon juice to the softened cream cheese and mix well.
  • Put mixture in an oven safe bowl and bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees. Serve warm with chips, pita chips, or fried wontons.
  • ENJOY!