Dipping in the holidays

Snacking during the holidays is one of my guilty pleasures. It is too easy to grab a bowl of dip and chips, and soon I don’t realize where the time or the bowl of dip went. Of course my favorite main ingredient is spinach because I believe that makes it a healthy option — until I eat too much. I’ve also included a couple of quick main dishes to bake while I’m enjoying my dip. An after-supper drink just brings the end of the day to a wonderful close. Enjoy.

Dill dip seasoning mix   Theresa Guelker

2 tablespoons dill weed

12 cranks of ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

4 cranks of salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried pepper flakes

Mix together and store in a small glass jar. To make the dip, mix half of the jar of seasonings with one cup Mayo and one cup Greek yogurt. Stir together and refrigerate till ready to eat. Dip with veggies or crackers.

Spinach artichoke dip

14 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

 Mix all ingredients together in bowl (except use only 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese). Place in a greased pie plate or smaller casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm with crackers or chunks of bread.

You can make this in a crock pot on high for 2 hours. Stir well before serving.

You can also mix together and store in refrigerator for a day or two until ready to bake.

Knorr spinach dip

10 ounces frozen spinach cooked, cooled and squeezed

16 ounces sour cream

1 cup Miracle Whip

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 package Knorr Vegetable Mix

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for two hours. Serve.

One skillet supper

4 slices of bacon, cooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

15 ounces diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onion

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

3 cups bowtie pasta, uncooked

Dash of pepper

In a skillet, cook bacon. Brown onions until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat on high to boiling. Reduce to medium heat. Cook uncovered 10-12 minutes until pasta is tender and mixture is as thick as you want. Top with grated cheese.

Chop suey hot dish

2 pounds hamburger

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

Brown together. Drain.

Add:

1 can mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can shop suey vegetables, drained

1 can more or less of water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 can mushrooms

2 1/2 cups chow mein noodles

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes

Holiday Baileys

1 cup cream

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all in a blender for 20 seconds. Refrigerate. Shake well before serving. I like to add this to my hot chocolate, or just drink on ice.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.