Have I ever mentioned how much I love cheese? Well, I do, I do, I do-ooooooo. When I came across this recipe, I was unsure about it, simply because I needed something simple and easy to do all the while being extra delicious, for my friend’s New Year’s Eve/Birthday party. I will admit that when I started to follow the recipe… I decided to make a few changes. Then halfway through the process I was regretting it because I was afraid that no one would like it. Luckily for me, “like” was an understatement. 🙂 But, please keep in mind that when you’re making a new recipe never, ever, change the recipe the day you’re supposed to present it to a bunch of strangers. This will only make you feel queezy up until you realize whether it was a total success or an epic fail. And if it’s an epic fail, run for the nearest exit and don’t look back. Chances are they’ll never find out who brought it through the door anyway.
What you’ll need: Â
- A small 9 inch rectangular aluminum pan, of some sort (make sure it’s something you can stick in the oven)
- Cream cheese (I used an 8oz bar and half of another one)
- Mexican Style Four Cheese (I used a pack and I took some from another pack. Like I said, I love cheese.)
- Thick and Chunky Salsa
- Cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- Red, Yellow, and Orange Sweet Peppers
- Jalapeno peppers (I didn’t add it, because I wasn’t too sure how tolerant people were when it came to spicy… but let’s just make pretend I did)
- Half of a Lime
- Sour Cream
- Tostitos Lime Chips
- Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. About 30 secs or so.
- Mix the cream cheese with 1 cup of shredded cheese (which is pretty much half the bag)Â and some chopped up cilantro.
- Spread the mix onto the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in half a cup of the chunky salsa. Top with 1/2 of cheese.
- Repeat step 4 to create another layer… YUM.
- Bake at 350degrees for about 25mins or until the dip is heated through and the cheese is melted. ** Sidenote: I’m a firm believer in slow cooking, because a. I’m still a newbie and b. good things come to those who wait, even when it comes to food.
- While in the oven, chop up some cilantro leaves and the sweet peppers. I used one red, one orange, and one yellow because… I thought they were pretty. 🙂 **Slice them however you’d like. In strips or like I did, in full circles. They’re for decoration (and eating later!) so the prettier the better.
- If you know the likings of your guests then you can definitely use jalapeños. If you don’t know whether or not you will send someone to the hospital because of allergies… then I suggest you don’t. But, the jalapeños touch is phenomenal.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining ingredients in layers (whatever looks prettiest): cilantro, sweet peppers, jalapeños and some more cheese, LOL. Squeeze on the lime juice and throw it in the oven for another 10mins at a low temp, say 300degrees, just so that the cheese melts on top.
- On a side dish, place the tostitos chips and the sour cream.
You’re now ready to enjoy the cheesiest mexican dip you have ever had. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Yummmmy.
alittlelovinfromtheoven 