Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Tis the season for holiday parties, which means it is also the time for yummy appetizers. I don't know about you, but appetizers are always the hardest for me. I never know what to make. I am never sure if I should try and bring something warm and in return have to keep it warm. Do I just grab a bag of chips? Oh what to do.

Well, this is the appetizer that fixed all my woes. This Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is by far our favorite holiday appetizer.

The prep is fairly easy. Chop, mix, and let it set overnight. Then put it all on top of a layer of cream cheese. Then you just dig in and eat it with some crackers.

This dip has been a hit every time we have made it. The next time you have an appetizer assignment for a party, bring this and all the guests will love it and will henceforth declare that you be the bringer of the appetizers from that point on.

Click HERE for printable recipe

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Recipe Thursday: Guacamole AND Pico de Gallo

Years and year and year ago, my very cute and somewhat blonde sister (blonde in her youth naturally and now not so naturally) gave us many opportunities to reflect on her blondness.

One instance was a funny little phone conversation that went a little something like this--

Me: "So Sister Dear (yes I am proper and affectionate like that), when is your next day off of school?"

Sister Dear: "Um not like until October." (I totally added the like. She may or may not have said that).

Me: "Oh, do you have Columbus Day off?"

Sister Dear: (in a know-it-all tone) "Uh...Rissa...I don't live in Ohio (at the time we lived in Ohio)." You could almost hear the DUH!

Me: "Uh Sister Dear, Columbus Day is for Christopher Columbus...not Columbus, Ohio."

Sister Dear: "Oh...hehehehehe...I should probably know that."

Another Sister Dear blond moment has much more to do with this post.

During a trip through the drive through with my dad, my dad happened to be saying something about guacamole and about how it was made from avocados.

To which Sister Dear said, "Oh really? I thought guacamole came from guacomolies."

Insert Silence. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

Followed by some serious laughter.

Dad: "Uh no." (as he wipes tears of laughter from his face).

Thanks to my Sister Dear I will always think of guacamole coming from guacamolies.

Truth be told for most of my adult life this amusing little tale was all that I liked about guacamole. I am not a huge fan of avocados. Therefore, guacamole never appealed to me. Which is CRAZY because I love, love, luh-ve tortilla chips and salsa.

Which should of course reason that I would also like guacomole. Alas, it didn't seem to matter how much I liked tortilla chips and dips into which to well dip them...I just couldn't appreciate guacamole.

UNTIL now.

Goosh! I love this guacamole. Like scarf down half the bowl "checking" it to see if it tastes good enough to serve guests.

My guests didn't get much. Hanging head in shame.

So how does a girl who doesn't like guacamole even decide to make it.

Well see there was this Mexican Fiesta First Birthday party...oh you remember it? Yeah I went a little overboard.

My menu was more for 40 people instead of the 15+ that we had. I wanted to cover all of my Mexican food bases.

So guacamole was made. The great news is that this recipe also required me to make another tortilla chip favorite...Pico de Gallo.

So today I am sharing with you not one, but TWO recipes. To tortilla chip favorites. Two dips.

We are DOUBLE DIPPING in a completely socially acceptable way.

This is a super easy and basic recipe. You shall have some yummy dip before you know it. Now grab that bag of tortilla chips and get ready to munch. Mmmmm. Now I wish I had some tortilla chips and some of these dips in the fridge!

Happy snacking!

Guacamole AND Pico de Gallo
The Pioneer Woman 

Printable Recipe

Pico de Gallo:
equal amounts of the following:
chopped cilantro
diced white onions
chopped Roma tomatoes

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
lime
salt to taste

The cilantro, onions, and tomatoes once chopped and/or diced should be in equal quantities. Basically that means if you have two cups of tomatoes, you need two cups of both onions and cilantro.

Seed the jalapeno. Very finely dice the peppers.

Mix the cilantro, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the ingredients in the bowl.

Sprinkle with salt. Stir to mix everything together.

Taste to make sure the flavor is good. Add more salt if needed.

Use in the same day.

If making guacamole (and I really think you should), set aside the pico de gallo.

Guacamole:
6-8 avocados
salt
1/2-3/4 cup premade pico de gallo
lime

Slice and remove the pit from the avocados. Scoop into a medium serving bowl. Salt and then mash with a fork.

Add in a heaping pile (1/2 + cup) of your reserved pico de gallo. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lime over the guacamole. Gently fold in the pico de gallo to the avocado.

Taste. Add more pico de gallo if necessary.

Don't forget to check out my other RECIPES.

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