It’s been a good week for a few reasons! I just got back from Chicago and had a great few days working in the office and seeing some friends. I finally got my camera back from Michigan (which is why I haven’t been posting much lately), and I got back into my kitchen! We’ve been doing a lot of little projects around our house so I haven’t had much time to cook. Mostly painting, but that involved a lot of wall patching and sanding and touch ups. We also just ripped up the kitchen floor to put in some new tile and our new appliances come next week. It’s exciting and exhausting at the same time. I love it!
But even better than all of that: It’s football season, y’all! Can you believe it’s finally here? To quote my brother after the Lions pulled off a surprising win last Sunday, “Super Bowl bound, baby!” I have to hand it to him for his optimism every season. It’s refreshing! Anyway, back to food. I love me some snacks when it’s football time. In honor of this year’s season, I made this warm Bacon and Cheese Dip. I love it served right out of the oven with melted cheese on top and with a scoop shaped chip like the fajita flavored chips I served with this recipe!
Warm Bacon and Cheese Dip Recipe
8 oz Laughing Cow Original Swiss (I don’t like cream cheese, but you could easily substitute that here!)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
3-4 slices bacon
1 jalapeño
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons milk
Green onions for topping
First, start by cooking up your bacon until it’s nice and crispy. My chosen method is in the oven at 400-degrees for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, chop into small pieces.
While you’re oven is hot, you can roast your jalapeños. I cranked up the broiler for mine to follow this tutorial from Tori Avey.
Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. I kept about half the seeds in mine because I like a spicy dip. Also note that I cooked 2 jalapeños and you only need one for this recipe. Place the jalapeño halves seed side down on a baking sheet and place them on the middle rack under your broiler. Keep an eye on them and once the skins have turned black, they’re ready! It takes about 3-7 minutes depending on your oven.
Take the blackened peppers and put them in a bowl with a lid for 15 minutes, you could also use a bowl with tin foil over the top. Once they’ve finished steaming, you can peel the skins off. I recommend wearing gloves for this. Please wear the gloves. An hour later you may forget you were handling the jalapeños and touch your eyes and I don’t want that happening to you! Once they’re roasted, chop them up into little pieces. Again, I roasted 2 peppers, but only used one in this recipe. I saved the rest for my husband; he puts jalapeños on everything.
Now on to the dip preparation! Add softened Laughing Cow cheese to a food processor along with the bacon, jalapeños, shredded cheddar, salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Pulse to start to combine. Slowly drizzle in your milk. You may only use 1 teaspoon, I ended up using 2. You want a consistency that is like a spreadable cream cheese.
Top with more cheese and then pop it in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes until it’s hot. When you remove it from the oven, top it with another slice of bacon and sliced green onions.
Good luck to your favorite football teams this year, but we all know who is going to be celebrating come Super Bowl time! (Hint: It’s the Lions fans!)
