Friday, December 11, 2009

Cheer, gifted and sparkling

- It just wouldn't be Christmas without this Santa that belonged to my Aunt Grace. After she passed away several years ago, my mother asked me if there was anything from her house I would like. Just that Santa that sat under the tree. He gets moved around to different spots of my home and brings Christmas cheer.

- More cheer in the form of this appetizer dish that my sister gifted me with when I saw her last week. She saw it and thought it would be perfect for my Mexican dip recipe that I love to make because it is good and easy. An unexpected gift is so much fun.

- Here it is all loaded up with the dip and ready to go to my Circle party last night. Great food, laughter, hugs and the awe inspiring sparkling holiday decor of friend Shelley's home. The dip was a hit! Would you like the recipe? OK.

Hot Mexican Dip

1 16-oz carton sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 box (which contains two packages) dried Lipton vegetable dip mix
1 can chopped water chestnuts
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 can Rotelle tomatoes (drained)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients and store in refrigerator overnight before serving with tortilla chips or vegetables. I use reduced fat sour cream and mayo, but never fat-free.


Have a wonderful weekend - I hope it is filled with good things!

27 comments:

Brian Miller said...

oh, thanks for the recipe, always in for a good dip and some festive cheer!

Lynn said...

Brian -

You are welcome! The dip fits in nicely with other food because it is so spicy.

Lance said...

Mmm...chips and dip! And that sounds delish!!

Cathy said...

what a thoughtful gift! thanks for the dip recipe--sounds great!

TALON said...

That Santa has an antique sort of look to him that is completely charming!

What a thoughtful gift! And what a delicious sounding dip - I'll be trying that one out!

Meredith said...

Aww, that Santa is so lovely, with such a real expression on his face. You have great taste, Lynn. He's a classic!

And what enticing dip pics! I'll have to try that one. We are big fans of Mexican -- and F. loves anything spicy :)

Lynn said...

Lance -

It is delish!

Cathy -

It was thoughtful - we so often don't even cross paths as caregivers to my parents, that the best gift was seeing her.

Talon -

I think he is an antique and certainly charming. Let me know if you try the dip.

Meredith -

Thank you for the compliment! That dip is my go-to recipe for when I am short on time. Everyone goes to a lot of effort for the food for this party and so I was in a quandary about what to make - then I just thought "the Mexican dip." Easy and good. Let me know if you try it.

Jannie Funster said...

I agree on the reduced fat mayo and sour cream -- but never fat free!

Recipe would be perfect for our family with maybe just a couple dashes of the red pepper, Kelly and I do not do spicy very well. And a bit of guac on the side. UMMM, Ummmm.

I can see why you like that Santa -- he's just bursting with happiness.

Blue Bunny said...

my jannie bot me my own smal santa too! I calling him fred.

Lynn said...

Jannie -

Isn't he? Yes - I cut the pepper in half for the Circle gals last night and it was only a bit spicy. Let me know if you make it.

Blue Bunny -

I would like to see a picture of Fred - please send.

G-Man said...

Mui Caliente'

The Dip...AND You!!

Lynn said...

Why G-man -

Gracias!

Maude Lynn said...

That dip sounds delicious!

Riot Kitty said...

The dip sounds yummy! I miss eating chips. :(

Lynn said...

Riot Kitty -

It is delish, as Lance says. That's right - your dental work. Never a good time for that, RK!

My sister told me about the Tostitos Tortilla Strips - I had to really look in the chip aisle to find them. My brother-in-law vows that they were made must for him. He can put them right down in the salsa jar. :)

Lynn said...

Mama Zen -

I am giving up custody of the dip recipe for my blog friends. :) Make it sometime - always a hit.

Snaggle Tooth said...

Yep, your Auntie's Santa seems so animated! I love those sentimental items. I adore my Nanny's xmas angel collection.
What a nice gift from Sis- El Mexicano Dip reading got me hungry again! Sounds yummy- Water chestnuts an interesting addition-

Lynn said...

Snaggle -

I move him around my place. Right now he's on the buffet in the dining room, but he'll be in the kitchen with me when I'm making cookies, etc.

If you have an occasion to make an appetitzer for, that is a great one - everyone always loves it. But I do cut down on the crushed red pepper - depending upon the audience.

A funny story about this dip, I printed it in a little cookbook my graphics group at BellSouth sold for charity. The woman who gave me the recipe worked for the company, too, so I wanted to give her credit. I called it "Billie B______'s Hot Mexican Dip." My sister got one of the cookbooks and made the dip so much that she started referring to it as "Billie B______" - her teenagers and their friends just shortened it to Billie. I was talking to her on the phone one day and one of the kids came in and exclaimed, "Billie!" and hugged the bowl. :) They live in North Florida, and the gulf now so the recipe is traveling and everyone is still calling it Billie. :) So I ran into Billie at the grocery store a couple of months ago and asked if I could take her picture. She posed with a big smile and I emailed it to sis and the kids with the subject "This is Billie B______" - my sis forwarded it all her friends who make the dip and niece Abby sent a message back, "Aunt Lynn, this is hilarious!"

Kim said...

That dip looks very tasty, I love a good spicy dip! And the dish is fabulous, too! What a nice sister! :) Great story, too!!

Lynn said...

Thanks Kim! I hope you are having a good holiday season and weekend! I rang for the Salvation Army this weekend and felt like a popsicle - but I believe I have finally thawed out. :)

Jamie said...

That sounds great, I will try it for Christmas ever...thank you!

I love your pics, they are always so great. :)

Lynn said...

Jamie -

It is an easy recipe which takes some stress away when you are having to make food to take places. Easy is good.

Thank you for the compliment on my photos - I just snap away. I am sure my camera will do more than I realize. One of these days I will peruse the manual. :)

Liara Covert said...

Found you through Lance's blog. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
You mentioned not being familiar with Dan MIllman and the Peaceful Warrior. I invite people familiar with his book and film to reflect on lessons they have learned here:

http://blog.dreambuilders.com.au/journal/2009/10/21/dan-millman-extraordinary-lessons.html

Reading this may nurture your interest in reading it.

Blue Bunny said...

oh noes, sweety the dog ate my fred. hoo-boo.

Lynn said...

Liara -

Thank you for visiting my blog. And I will certainly check out the link you posted. I thought that was a wonderfully powerful film that Lance posted today. I like to look for good and positive things around me and I believe that film reinforces that.

Blue Bunny -

Bad Sweety!

Cookie said...

What a fun dish! I'm sure your sister bought it because she wanted to make sure that you would make more of that dip!

Lynn said...

Cookie -

Could be, but she is thoughtful that way.