4 Dinner Dips and a Gingerbread

life is hard; food doesn't have to be #104 [vol3, 10.4] ‌

Ready or not, we’re rolling into party season. Here are 4 dips for dinner or to take to your next party. At the bottom is the yummiest and easiest gingerbread you ever did eat.

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Big Mac Dip

The official recipe calls it Cheeseburger Dip. It’s a crowd pleaser to be eaten with chips or over baked potatoes. I substitute jarred queso with a block or two of cream cheese.

Ranch Dip or Dressing

• 3/4 to 1 cup mayo (made with avocado oil is best)

• 1 cup sour cream or some part plain full fat yogurt 

• 1 t. dried parsley, or 2T fresh if you have

• 2 t. dried dill weed, 2-3T fresh if you have

• 1 t. garlic powder

• 1 t. onion powder

• 1 t. salt, add more to taste

• 1/2 t. black or white pepper

• dash red pepper

Combine above and taste.  Adjust flavors as needed. Refrigerate an hour. This makes a fairly thick consistency so if you are wanting a dressing, thin it with milk, buttermilk or water. 

Alternatively: use 2 c sour cream + 1c buttermilk (skip the mayo) for dressing.

Reuben Dip

• 1/2 pound corned beef, thin or shredded at grocery then diced

• 1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained well

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 T ketchup

• 2 t spicy brown mustard

• Rye crackers or rye bread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium size bowl mix all ingredients. Spoon into a pie plate or casserole dish.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with crackers or bread.

Optional: drizzle thousand island dressing on top for a bit of extra sweetness.

Double this for a party!

Meat/Cheese Dip (without Velveeta)

The recipe is super versatile; feel free to mix it up as you like. Add or subtract as your ingredients and family’s taste buds demand. This is on repeat at my house for dinner.

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground beef or sausage

• onion, chopped

• 3-5 cloves garlic, diced

• 2 blocks cream cheese

• 2 cans Rotel or substitute with salsa

• taco seasonings: 1-2t each cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, 1/2 t oregano

• salt - if your chili powder is salt free. Taste and adjust as you go!

• optional: chopped bell peppers or a handful of fresh spinach

• garnish: cilantro, chopped green onions

** if you have smaller eaters, use half the meat and only one can Rotel and one block cream cheese. This recipe freezes well if you have leftovers. I’ve frozen smaller portions for my mom to reheat.

Saute meat and onion until onions are translucent. Add chopped garlic. Cook until meat is no longer pink then add spices.

Of course you can use a taco seasoning packet. I prefer making my own taco seasonings because I can control the quality and quantity.

Once meat is thoroughly cooked and seasoned, add Rotel. I do not drain. Then melt cream cheese. Stir till combined. Consistency will thicken as mixture cools. Serve with tortilla chips.

Easiest Ever Gingerbread

While gingerbread is a quintessential Christmas cookie, it’s not exactly a delectable choice. Cute yes, chewy no. Until this recipe.

It’s the taste expected from gingerbread but the texture is chewy like the perfect brownie. Cut them in squares or be fancy and use cookie cutters.

If you make them you won’t be able to stop eating them. You’ve been warned. Take them to a party and everyone will want the recipe. This recipe is super-easy-no-fuss.

Ingredients

• 1.5 c sugar

• 2 sticks butter, soft

• 1 egg, room temp preferred

• 1/3 c molasses

• 3 c all purpose flour, I prefer unbleached

• 1 t baking soda

• 2 t cinnamon, rounded

• 2 t ginger, rounded

• 1/4 t each: cloves, nutmeg and salt

• optional: grate 1T fresh ginger to make it extra ginger-y.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine sugar and butter and mix until creamy. Add molasses and egg and mix until combined. Measure out all the spices and add them at once then add flour one cup at a time.

Press dough into 15x10” pan (ungreased and no parchment needed). I suppose another size or shape would work but texture and cook time will be different.

The pressing is the part that would be fun for kids. The texture at this point is like play doh.

Optional: sprinkle with decorator’s sugar or Sugar in the Raw.

Bake 17-20 minutes, depending on your oven and the metal of your pan. Much like brownies this recipe is forgiving but I much prefer under baking. Cool and cut with a plastic knife for perfect squares. Or use cookie cutters for shapes.

Want icing? Mix 1c confectioners sugar with up to 1/4c milk. Stir in enough milk to make a smooth but not too runny. Adjust with more sugar if needed. Snip a tiny corner of a plastic bag to pretend to be a professional baker and draw designs on your cookies.

Whatever you do, don’t ruin the gingerbread man by adding raisins as buttons or eyes.

Prep Some Now for Thanksgiving

There are 4 weeks until Thanksgiving. I’m trying to prep a bit each week so that it’s not so much the week of Thanksgiving when my Big Boy is home from college. I’ve a few meals frozen. Other things I plan to do before Turkey Day:

1. Review this post of mostly-make ahead Thanksgiving recipes from last year.

2. Soak and dehydrate pecans. Soaking initiates the germination process, making them more nutrient dense and easier to digest. When soaked and dehydrated they are so buttery and delicious. Highly recommended. More details in my Instagram post and Stories.

3. Make broth.

4. Double a few dinners now to freeze for the week of Thanksgiving prep.

Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,

Julie