New Kitchen!

I am so excited to report that we'll be getting new kitchen appliances today. After a lot of thinking and shopping, we've made our selections and are looking forward to cooking and entertaining with our new stuff. This makes me feel a little old - the fact that I am so excited about new kitchen appliances. However, I cook a lot and at least the money will be spent on something I use every single day. So, in honor of my lovely new kitchen items, I've included two recipes in this post. These two apps are ones I'm best known for, and plan on making for our Super Bowl party. I'll probably post more from time to time, so enjoy!

Tomato Mozzarella Dip (this is Brian's favorite!)
8 oz. cream cheese (I use fat free)
2 cloves of garlic
1 box of cherry/grape tomatoes halved, or cut up Roma tomatoes
Fresh basil (I grow basil, so we pluck it from our yard in the summer. If you don't grow it, you can pick it up in the produce section year round. For this dip, you have to use fresh, not dried.)
Shredded 2% Mozzarella Cheese
Feta cheese (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)
Balsamic Vinegar or Balsamic Vinagrette

Mix cream cheese and garlic until smooth. Dice the basil. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of a casserole/pie dish. Top with the halved tomatoes, basil, onions, feta, mozzarella cheese. Cover and refrigerate about an hour or so. Before you serve it, sprinkle the balsamic vinegar lightly over the top. Serve with wheat thins or Triscuits.


White Pizza Dip
1 package of Herb and Garlic Soup Mix
I cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
Pepperoni slices, diced to taste
Sliced french bread

In a mixing bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, sliced pepperoni and all cheeses. Transfer mixture to a 1-qt baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees uncovered. Serve with the sliced french bread, or with any kind of good bread from a bakery. I've served it with focaccia and that was the best!