KellyMitchell is a long-standing partner to the United Way, and every year we dedicate two months to giving our time (May) and treasure (October). We’ll fill you in on what we’ve been up to for the month of May next week (stay tuned for that blog!); but, all the United Way talk this month has left us reminiscing about our favorite fundraising activity that we’ve done every October for at least a decade – DIP DAY! The premise is simple: everyone brings in a homemade dip, and as we sample them throughout the day, we put money in the jars of the dips we love the most. Of course, all the money raised from this activity (and others throughout the month!) go towards our local United Way organizations. With many of us spending so much more time at home (and in the kitchen!) right now; we thought we’d share some of the ‘winning recipes’ from some of our offices! Bon Appetit!
Gretchen’s Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
2 bricks of cream cheese, softened (very soft)
1 pkg dry ranch mix
Hormel real bacon bits
jalapenos and jalapeno juice
1/2 cup of beer
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Make sure the cream cheese is very soft (microwave it a tiny bit if not) and mix with the packet of dry ranch.
Add bacon bits and some jalapeno juice and chopped jalapenos to taste (I use 4 tablespoons of juice and a handful of jalapenos)
Add the 1/2 cup of beer (the mixture will be pretty soupy)
Then add 1/2 the bag of cheese and mix well
Once it is mixed you can top it with the rest of the cheddar cheese
You can top it with green onions too if you want
Serve with use pretzels for the dipping but you can use whatever you want.
Gina’s Biscuit and Gravy Dip
Ingredients
2 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
1/2 pound breakfast pork sausage
1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups whole milk
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 Pillsbury Grands Refrigerated Biscuits, cut into 24 pieces
Instructions
Cook bacon in sauté pan over medium heat.
When bacon is nearly crisp, stir in sausage and sage breaking up any chunks with a spoon. Cook sausage until browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer bacon and sausage to a bowl; reserve drippings.
Sprinkle flour into hot drippings while whisking to remove lumps. Whisk until mixture thickens and begins to brown. Whisk in milk. Cook gravy over medium-high heat, whisking until thickened and flour taste is eliminated about 8 minutes. Season gravy with pepper and cayenne. Stir bacon and sausage into the gravy.
Add gravy to the bowl of a stand mixer, along with cream cheese. Mix until both are fully combined. Add salt to taste. Pour dip into a small baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Prepare biscuits, placing each piece into a greased, mini muffin tin. Place dip onto a baking sheet and put it into a 350° oven for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, place biscuits on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. The dip and biscuits should be ready at the same time.
Serve dip alongside biscuits.
Amy’s Amazing Caramel Apple Dip
Ingredients
1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened)
¼ cup of sugar
1 jar caramel (Smuckers or Mrs. Richardson’s for ice cream)
¼ cup chopped pecans or nut of choice
Approx. 4 Apples (mix of red and green for color)
Instructions
Mix cream cheese and sugar.
Spread onto the tray.
Pour caramel over the top.
Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Serve with cut apples. Notes: To keep the apples from turning brown, you can soak them in cold water with a bit of lemon juice.
Zang’s Dairy-Free Spicy Jalapeno Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
2 (8 oz) packages dairy-free cream cheese softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dairy-free sour cream
3/4 cup artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1 (4.5 oz) can of chopped green chiles drained
1 (4 oz) can of chopped jalapeno peppers drained
1 (10 oz) box frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
1 cup grated vegan parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or more to taste
salt to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Start by mixing room temperature cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream together until smooth.
Next, stir in chopped artichoke hearts, canned diced green chilies and jalapeño peppers, spinach, parmesan cheese, garlic, garlic salt, cayenne, and salt, to taste
Place into a baking dish, bake for about 25 minutes, or until the middle is hot and the top has lightly browned.
Serve immediately with a sliced baguette, crackers, tortilla chips, or whatever vessel you prefer!
Taylor’s Killer Chili Cheese Dip
Ingredients
1 pkg cream cheese
15oz can chili with no beans
3 bunches green onions (chopped)
2 bricks shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions
Put in a 9x13 glass dish in the above order.
Microwave for 3 ½ minutes
Turn and heat for another 3 ½ minutes.
Serve with Fritos or Tortilla Chips. Notes: Optionally you can top with sliced black olives
Z’s Cheesy Bacon Spread
Ingredients
1 (10oz) pkg. shredded cheddar
1 (8 oz) jar Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 jar real bacon bits (or you can fry up some bacon – nice and crispy)
2-3 green onions sliced
1 small pkg chopped pecans
Instructions
Mix cheddar cheese, mayo, bacon, onions, and pecans
Chill and serve with Wheat Thins or cracker of choice
Torti’s Banana Pepper and Bacon Hot Dip
Ingredients
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
1/2 a small yellow onion finely diced (~1/4 cup)
1/2 cup heaping finely chopped pickled banana pepper rings see Notes
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
1-1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 clove garlic minced
pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup reserved juice from the banana pepper jar
pinch red pepper flakes optional
garnish: banana pepper rings and more crumbled bacon
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a small crockpot or slow cooker, and let it go an hour on high or 2 hours on low, stirring occasionally.
Alternatively, the dip can be made in the oven, baking at ~350F for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Or the microwave can be used as well.
Serve with tortilla chips. Notes: I used banana pepper rings so I did not have seeds. But whole banana peppers could also be used for this recipe if desired. Also, as this dip sits, it may firm up slightly as the liquid evaporates off. When this happened, I just added some more juice from the banana pepper jar, and the dip went right back to normal.
Straub’s Ako Poko Dip
We know, we know - this shouldn't really count. But the story behind it is pretty great. Straub's is a local grocer across the street from our St. Louis Office. Our CEO, Cassandra, had been traveling for work leading up to 'Dip Day', and was left scrambling. She decided to do a social experiment, and ran across the street, bought some Ako Poko Dip, and mixed into a baking dish and served it. Not surprisingly, Ako Poko Dip was pacing to be in the Top 3 of Dip Day and so she fessed up and pulled it out of contention. But, that doesn't make us love it any less. If you're in St. Louis, it can be found at ; but a copycat recipe is as follows:
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend, finely shredded
2 green onions sliced
1/4 cup jalapenos finely chopped and drained (optional)
Instructions
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning and salsa with a hand mixer until fluffy.
Fold in cheddar, onions and jalapenos if adding.
Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Notes: For variations follow the below instructions.
Veggies: Corn, diced peppers, chopped tomatoes
Spice: Hot sauce, hot peppers, a pinch of cayenne
Meat: Ground beef or sausage can ‘beef up’ this dip.
Toppings: Black olives, green onions, extra cheddar, cilantro
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