You would be silly not to add these two simple, quick and delicious dips to your recipe book. Guests rave whenever I bring either to a party and that is before I tell them that each contain four ingredients or less.
The first dip is my twist on a Southern staple, pimento cheese. Most often this cheese spread is served on cheap, white bread, but for my recipe I opted for something much fancier – the humble Ritz cracker. There is something about that crispy, buttery cracker that I cannot resist. Please note, if your only experience with pimento cheese is store bought plastic tasting stuff in a plastic tub, you are in for an epiphany with my homemade version. I use homemade pimentos, extra sharp cheddar cheese that I shred but do not mash up completely and finally bring it all together with mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper. It ends up being one of those, “it’s so simple, how can it be so addicting?”, type of recipes.
Use the food processor to make short work of your shredding.
I love the texture of shredded cheddar cheese in the pimento dip – much better than the mashed up, processed orange goo you get in a store bought container…
Pimentos are super easy to make at home…
Skin is about to go all snap, crackle, pop…
Skin removed, ready to be diced.
Much better than what you can get in a jar.
Serve with Ritz Crackers or on white bread with the crusts cut off.
The second dip is even easier than pimento cheese. Cranberry and Green Onion Dip contains a whopping 3 ingredients: dried, sweetened cranberries, green onions and cream cheese. I like to serve this dip with Wheat Thins. The subtle sweetness, cool creaminess and slight acidic bite make this dip oh so freaking addicting.
Three ingredients and so delicious.
Serve this one with Wheat Thins!
Serve these two dips side by side at your next party and watch in glee as your guests gobble them up and babble on about how you should start a food blog because you bring such great food to parties.
Pimento Cheese and Cranberry & Green Onion Dip
Ingredients:
- Pimento Cheese
- 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup diced homemade pimentos (see recipe below)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Cranberry & Green Onion Dip
- 2 blocks of cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened
- 1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
- 1/3 cup diced green onions (about 6 green onions)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Pimento Cheese
- For the homemade pimentos: place a red bell pepper directly over a medium-high heat. Cook, rotating often until pepper is mostly charred. Remove from heat, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool 15 – 20 minutes. When cooled, remove charred skin. Dice into 1/4 inch pieces; set aside.
- In a medium bowl add all ingredients and fold well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.
- Cranberry & Green Onion Dip
- In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and fold to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.
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