Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

2 jars of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
4 big cloves garlic, 2 big handfuls basil
~1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup walnuts –

Blend in a food processor. 

via KathEats.

Fresh Pesto

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INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic, cut into pieces

(I found swapping garlic powder was also good and made the garlic less potent)

2 cups solidly packed fresh basil leaves

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup Parmigiano Regiano

1 tbsp softened unsalted butter

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DIRECTIONS

In a food processor, place all the ingredients and blend to a smooth puree (don't overblend). Cover and set aside. At this point you can refrigerate the pesto and it will keep, refrigerated for at least a week.

While your pasta is cooking, reserve two tablespoons of the cooking water to stir in with the pesto. When the pasta is cooked, drain very briefly (don't allow to dry) and add to the bowl with the pesto, toss to coat evenly.

Sweet Thai Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons hot ground chili paste

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine everything, except cilantro, in a small sauce pan and mix. Once blended, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Annie's Buffalo Chicken Dip

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless chicken breasts, boiled & shredded
(or 4-6 cans of chicken)
12 ounces Franks Red Hot Sauce
2, 8-ounce packages cream cheese
16 ounces ranch or blue cheese dressing
2 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded
Celery sticks or Fritos for dipping

DIRECTIONS
Mix the chicken and hot sauce in a 13x9" baking dish. Mix and heat the cream cheese and dressing in a saucepan till smooth. Pour over chicken mixture. Top with shredded Monteray Jack cheese. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with nachos, fritos, celery or carrot sticks.

Debbie's Spinach Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (or (8 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella)
½ cup sour cream (or ½ cup reduced fat sour cream)
¼ cup (1 oz.) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
2 (16 oz.) block cream cheese, softened (or 2 (16 oz.) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened)
½ (10 oz.) packaged frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

To cut down on calories and fat in this recipe you can use part-skim or lite products for the cream cheese, mozzarella and sour cream.

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Combine 1 ½ cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 TBSP. Parmesan, pepper & next 5 ingredients in a large bowl, and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2–quart baking dish coated with
cooking spray. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella and 2 TBSP. Parmesan. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with baguette slices or tortilla chips.

Holiday Party Dip

Holiday Party Dip
Loaf of sourdough bread
5 oz of chipped meat (ham or beef)
2 cups mayonaise
2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon beau monde seasoning
dash of garlic salt

BLT Dip

BLT Dip

1 16 oz bad bacon bits
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions
Iceberg lettuce shredded
2 large vine-ripe tomatoes diced
Sea salt bagel chips
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp uncle dan's dip mix, if desired

Steps:
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, garlic powder, and dip mix in a small bowl with a snap-on lid. When well mixed refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve combine ingredients in a large serving bowl by placing one layer of the mayonnaise mixture then a layer of lettuce tomatoes and bacon. Repeat layering as desired. Serve with bagel chips.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve with bagel chips

7 Layer Dip

7 Layer Dip

1 can refried beans
8oz guacamole
8oz sour cream
1/2 pk taco seasoning
3 green onions, chopped
1 sm can black olives
3 sm tomatoes, chopped
1 8oz cheese, grated

Mix sour cream and taco seasonings. Layer in order of ingredients, reserving half the chopped green onions to sprinkle on top