May 21, 2012

A Cheesy Treat



A while back, at my part-time job, we had a "potluck" style meal that happened to fall on one of my shifts. Every once in a while the management team decides we are having one of these "potluck" meals and they assign a theme to the meal to streamline the food that is shared. On this most recent potluck meal, the theme was a Fiesta.


I signed up to bring chips and dip. For many years, I have had a recipe for Makeover Cheesy Bean Dip pasted into a cookbook . I had never made it before but its always looked awesomely yummy (the picture above is the original picture as well and I have it along with the recipe in my cookbook). I don't usually take food made from a new recipe to something like a potluck - my family isn't so fortunate though - but this looked safe enough and I'm fairly confident in my cooking ability.

The recipe was actually cut out of my mother's recipe magazine [Originally published as Makeover Cheesy Bean Dip in Light & Tasty October/November 2001, p21]. Whenever she would get a magazine in the mail or from the store, she would first peruse the recipes and make her selections, marking them with her initials, and then she'd hand it off to me to make my own selections. If we happened to both choose a recipe, then I would write it down in my cookbook which was simply a notebook that I either wrote recipes in or cut and pasted recipes into. If I found something that she has overlooked, then I was free to cut it and glue it into my cookbook. This was one that she had overlooked and I got to cut it out complete with the picture.

My version:

~ 1 1/2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
~ 1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
~ 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
~ 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies
~ 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
~ 1/2 c. sour cream
~ 1 T. taco seasoning
~ Chips for dipping

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the Mexican cheese blend and the cheddar cheese; set aside 1 cup for the topping. To the cheese mixture, add the refried beans, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cream cheese cubes, sour cream and taco seasoning.

I don't keep taco seasoning on hand and I haven't ventured to make my own blend yet. I usually just season taco meat and chicken with a blend of cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. I don't worry too much over making each an exact amount and I probably went over the 1 T. measurement specified in this recipe. However, the flavor turned out great and I appreciate that it doesn't have to be an exact science.

Go ahead and pour the cheese and bean mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to make sure the cream cheese is sufficiently blended in now that it is melted. Garnish the bean dip with the reserved 1 cup of cheese and place back into the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve with chips.

Everyone really enjoyed this dip! If you have a potluck or party to attend and need something yummy to take that will knock the socks off your friends or guests, then be sure to give this tasty dip a try!


♥Shari

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5 comments:

  1. You had me at Cheesy!! This sounds delicious, my family would love it! Thanks for sharing it

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  2. Thanks for stopping by Alecia! You're welcome on the recipe. Its a keeper!

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  3. Oh this looks awesome--I'm drooling now! Would you mind coming by my Creative @ Home Wednesday link up part and share it, I know my readers would enjoy it bunches!

    http://susangodfrey.com/frilly-hair-scrunchy-pattern-creative-home-wednesday-link-up-party/

    Blessings!
    Susan

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Susan! I went right over and linked up at your party! Thanks for the invite.

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  4. Thanks for participating in Creative @ Home Wednesday for 05/23/12! I hope you'll come back and join us today!

    http://susangodfrey.com/category/home-family/creative-home/

    Blessings!
    Susan Godfrey

    ReplyDelete

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