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Prone to Wander

Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip

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Loaded with three cheeses, shredded chicken, and pops of roasted poblano peppers, Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip is the perfect crowd-pleaser for any get-together.

Loaded with three cheeses, shredded chicken, and pops of roasted poblano peppers, Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip is the perfect crowd-pleaser for any get-together.

My love affair with poblano peppers continues. It began with Roasted and Poblano and Onion Quesadillas, and then it heightened with Pasta in Roasted Poblano Cheddar Cream Sauce. Now things are really ramping up with this Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip. Let’s be real here: you just cannot go wrong with a good dip recipe, especially as college football season heats up. But when that dip comes packed with three kinds of cheese, hearty shredded chicken, and the mild flavor of roasted poblanos? Then it becomes irresistible.

The dip is baked, which results in a dish of creamy, melty goodness. Once the dip is warmed through, you fire up the broiler to get the cheese on top especially gooey and golden. It’s awesome served warm immediately after baking, but you can also refrigerate it, either before or after baking. Whether you’re preparing it in advance or baking immediately, this Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip will be the recipe your friends and family can’t get enough of.

Loaded with three cheeses, shredded chicken, and pops of roasted poblano peppers, Cheesy Chicken Poblano Dip is the perfect crowd-pleaser for any get-together.

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Mexican Street Corn Salad

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With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

I first made this Mexican Street Corn Salad a few months ago for guests. The adults and the teenagers all raved about it, and not in a just-being-polite kind of way, either. In fact, at least a couple of them went back for seconds and thirds. I made it recently for a church potluck and, again, the salad got rave reviews.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

It’s not hard to see why this recipe is such a hit. With the sweet and smoky notes of charred corn, the hit of spice from chipotle chili pepper and jalapeños, and the cooling notes of sour cream and citrus, you’ve got a perfect summer salad that will transition right into fall. Sure, grilled corn is typically a summer staple, but the beauty of this recipe is that you capture all the favorite flavors of Mexican street corn without leaving your kitchen.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

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Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas

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They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

My local grocery stores don’t always have a large variety of peppers to choose from so, when I saw the crate of poblanos the other day, I grabbed a few without giving any thought to what I’d make with them.

I immediately roasted most of the peppers because I knew I’d want them that way for pretty much anything I would make. I ate some in a potatoes-and-eggs breakfast bowl and added a little more to a sandwich.

And then I made Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas. The idea wasn’t original, since I make fajita quesadillas all the time. I decided to keep these a little simpler, though, to let the veggies shine. Now I’ve made them three times in the last week. Okay, fine. Four times.

I just.can’t.resist. Poblanos aren’t spicy; sometimes they carry a little heat, but mostly they’re just full of flavor. In addition, onions are probably one of my favorite vegetables. Add in a little cheese, plus the crispiness of the corn tortilla, and I could eat these things all day long.

They be simple to make and require only five ingredients, but these Roasted Poblano and Onion Quesadillas are full of mellow vegetables and just the right amount of melted cheese.

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Toasted Peperoncini and Tomato Pesto Pita

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Need a last-minute appetizer or a quick lunch? Toasted Peperoncini and Tomato Pesto Pita, with two kinds of pesto, plump tomatoes, and the unexpected brightness of peperoncini, is the perfect easy recipe.

 Need a last-minute appetizer or a quick lunch? Toasted Peperoncini and Tomato Pesto Pita, with two kinds of pesto, plump tomatoes, and the unexpected brightness of peperoncini, is the perfect easy recipe.

One of the first vegetables I remember falling in love with is peperoncini. There were other veggies I ate, of course, but I don’t remember the first time I tried them. Peperoncini, though, I first tried on my sandwich at a popular sub shop. I immediately loved the mildly spicy flavor and the hearty crunch.

Now, I don’t order a sub sandwich without them. In addition, I always have a jar of Mezzetta peperoncini in my refrigerator. I love to eat them on salads, in omelets, and on these Toasted Peperoncini and Tomato Pesto Pita. Basically, I’m constantly looking for new ways to eat them. I even have a recipe that uses the liquid from the jar because I’m not about to waste even one little bit. Don’t worry, that won’t be a problem now that you have this recipe on hand.

Need another reason to love Mezzetta? They’re currently offering a sweepstakes with Chef’d to give away 52 meal kits! Plus, all entrants get a 10% off coupon.

 Need a last-minute appetizer or a quick lunch? Toasted Peperoncini and Tomato Pesto Pita, with two kinds of pesto, plump tomatoes, and the unexpected brightness of peperoncini, is the perfect easy recipe.

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Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream

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Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

My grandfather (Gramps) brought fresh corn to a family gathering last week. Like, picked-from-the-field-that-day fresh. He and my aunt tried cooking it using that cooler and boiling water hack. I’m not sure it worked, but seriously, it didn’t matter. The room temperature corn I devoured – sans butter, salt, or pepper – was divine. So divine, in fact, that I brought a bag of leftover ears home and immediately began dreaming of what I wanted to do with it.

I have several go-to corn recipes, but only one that I had all the ingredients for: Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream. Just like regular corn cakes, these guys are packed with juicy kernels and cheddar cheese. To add a Southwestern twist, I toss in sweet bell peppers and jalapeños. The resulting corn cakes are on the spicy side (I use a full tablespoon of diced jalapeño), so the jalapeño lime cream is the perfect cool relief.

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

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Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

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Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy,  Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy, Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

We had yet another school staff party a few weeks ago, this time celebrating our sweet school nurse and our rock star high school counselor. The Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip and S’mores Cheesecake Bars I’d made the week before were both huge hits, so I knew I had a lot to live up to.

This jalapeño popper dip is something I’ve wanted to make forever. I love real jalapeño poppers, so I knew there was no way I wouldn’t love an easy dip version. Also, I knew it’d be moderately spicy enough to appeal to a variety of preferences. Besides, who can resist a dish of oozy, melted cheese?

No one, it seems, because this jalapeño popper dip was gone by the end of the day. The secret to taking the dip over-the-top is the crunchy, cheesy topping. Breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese are tossed with melted butter and sprinkled over the cream cheese mixture. The whole thing is baked, resulting in a crispiness that mimics the real fried version.

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy, Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

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Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip

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Got a party? Game night? A regular Tuesday? No matter where you’re going or what you’re in the mood for, Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip is the perfect answer.

Got a party? Game night? A regular Tuesday? No matter where you're going or what you're in the mood for, Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip is the perfect answer.

We had a staff potluck at school the other day, also known as the perfect excuse to try a fun new recipe and pass the calories along to my coworkers. I typically bring two recipes to these shindigs because J and I teach at the same high school. Of course I had to make something sweet, but I wanted to make a yummy savory dip, too.

This recipe had me at bacon and cheese. The original version called for all mayonnaise, but I’m not a huge fan, so I included sour cream, too. I found the whole thing a little bland when it was all mixed up, but a few dashes of hot sauce a little garlic salt did the trick.

My Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip was a hit at the staff party! The bowl was empty by the end of the day, even though I doubled the recipe. It went quickly with the Town House crackers I brought along. One of the office secretaries spread some on a biscuit and raved about the results; clearly, this stuff would be amazing on pretty much anything.

Got a party? Game night? A regular Tuesday? No matter where you're going or what you're in the mood for, Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip is the perfect answer.

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Cheesy Mexican Corn Dip

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Packed with creamy flavor, this cheesy Mexican corn dip is the perfect easy appetizer for your next party, and it’s perfect for enjoying on game day.

Packed with creamy flavor, this cheesy Mexican corn dip is the perfect easy appetizer for your next party, and it's perfect for enjoying on game day.

This dip is kind of a big deal. By big deal, I mean it’s crazy addictive and I may or might not have eaten as a meal on more than one occasion. But corn is a vegetable, so it’s all good, right?

My mother-in-law has been making this recipe for several years; it doesn’t feel like a real game-watching gathering until the cheesy Mexican corn dip appears. I love college football, especially when the Bulldogs are playing, but I’d be lying if I said this dip- along with brown sugar bacon-wrapped sausages– isn’t the reason I look forward to Saturdays.

Like so many great dip recipes, this one couldn’t be easier to make. If you buy pre-shredded cheese, the only real prep you have to do is dicing the green onions. You can make that step even easier by cutting them with kitchen shears. When that’s done, all that stands between you and this lovely dip is a little bit of mixing.

The recipe is ready to be served immediately, but we think it tastes even better when the flavors get a chance to hang out in the fridge for a while. Make it the night before your party or game and you’ll have one less thing to worry about the day of.

Packed with creamy flavor, this cheesy Mexican corn dip is the perfect easy appetizer for your next party, and it's perfect for enjoying on game day.

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Cheesy Bacon Rotel Phyllo Cups

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Cheesy bacon rotel phyllo cups are tasty little phyllo cup bites stuffed with melted cheese, chewy bacon, and the spicy goodness of Rotel tomatoes.

Cheesy bacon rotel phyllo cups are tasty little phyllo cup bites stuffed with melted cheese, chewy bacon, and the spicy goodness of Rotel tomatoes.

These cheesy bacon rotel phyllo cups are hard to describe. They’re an instant hit with everyone who tries them and, considering all the baby showers, tailgates, and family gatherings my mother-in-law has made them for, that’s a lot of people. Bite-size appetizers are always appealing, but when you throw in bacon and cheese, they’re irrestible.

Don’t let the use of mayonnaise throw you. I don’t care for mayonnaise in general, but you don’t taste it in this recipe. Instead, it just serves as a binder for all the ingredients you can taste, like the melted cheese and the chewy, salty bacon. If you’ve never had phyllo cups, you’re in for a treat. This Greek dough is thin and crispy, making it the perfect vehicle for what’s inside.

Cheesy bacon rotel phyllo cups are tasty little phyllo cup bites stuffed with melted cheese, chewy bacon, and the spicy goodness of Rotel tomatoes.

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Tomato Black Bean Avocado Dip

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Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that’s as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that's as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

My mom made this tomato black bean avocado dip, among other things, for my little sister’s high school graduation party last June. There’ some sort of magic that goes into this recipe because, I have to confess, I don’t even care much for tomatoes, avocados, or black beans. Despite that, I could.not.stop. eating this stuff. If that isn’t the sign of a great recipe, I don’t know what is.

There was plenty of other killer food there that day, including cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting and a few other as-yet-unblogged recipes, but I kept coming back to this tomato black bean avocado dip. I enjoyed it with tortilla strips, but I can imagine how great it would be on pita, nachos, or tacos. Basically, it’s a dip and a condiment in one. I won’t even judge you for going after it with just a fork. It’s healthy enough you can do that guilt-free.

Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that's as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

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