Katie Noel's Cheese Fondue

2 cups chicken bouillon

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 C (1 lb) Swiss cheese, shredded

3 T cornstarch

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 loaf french bread, toasted.

Do not boil. Heat 1 3/4 c bouillon and garlic until hot. Add cheese, stirring constantly till melted. Cheese may not thoroughly combine with liquid.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and nutmeg with 1/4 cup cold bouillon. Stir into cheese mixture. When cornstarch is added, cheese will combine with liquid for smooth blend. Continue heating and stirring until smooth. Serve from fondue pot with cubes of toasted french bread.

Cheese Fondue

• Fondue:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• Paprika (optional)
• Sliced green onion (optional)
• Dipper Ideas:
• Thick Pennsylvania-style pretzels
• Toasted garlic bread
• Apples or pears
• Saltine crackers
• Favorite veggies (celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers)

Directions

1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour in melted butter and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk milk into flour mixture and constantly stir until mixture thickens and begins to boil.
2. Lower heat to simmer; stir in Ranch and cheese until smooth. Pour into a fondue pot and sprinkle with paprika or green onion, if desired. Serve with dippers.

Super Easy Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 cup artichoke hearts - chopped
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
dash ground pepper

Simmer spinach and artichoke hearts in a cup of water in a small saucepan for 10 minutes. Drain when done. Heat cream cheese in small bowl in microwave for 1 min or until softened. Add spinach and artichoke hearts and stir well. Stir in remaining ingredients and serve.

Mexican Layer Dip

This recipe and photo come from The Pioneer Woman's website. If you haven't checked it out, you really should. It's wonderful. I made a couple changes, but mostly used her ingredients. For the pico I went to Costa Vida & they sold me a container of it for about $4. I think it added a lot. :)

Ingredients

• 1 can Refried Beans
• Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
• 1 can Diced Green Chilies
• Ground Cumin (to Taste)
• ¾ cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup Guacamole
• ¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 can Black Olives
• 1 cup Pico De Gallo

Preparation Instructions

Begin by throwing the refried beans into a small pan over medium-low heat. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce and a small can of (undrained) diced green chilies. Stir well. Next, sprinkle a little bit of ground Cumin.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a glass bowl or high-sided dish. Over this sprinkle the sharp cheddar. Next, plop your sour cream. And spread it into a single layer, being careful not to disturb the cheese underneath.

The next layer is the guacamole. Spread it over the sour cream. Follow this with a layer of Monterey Jack Cheese and a nice sprinkling of chopped black olives. Lastly, place a generous layer of Pico de Gallo. You can also, if you have the gumption for it, sprinkle some diced jalapenos over top.

Enjoy!

Cream Filled Strawberries

8 oz cream cheese

2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Fresh squeezed juice from one orange

Strawberries (desired amount)

Whip cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange juice together to taste. Cut open washed strawberries and fill with cream cheese mixture using a pastry bag. Chill until served. Enjoy!

Cheese Ball

2 8-oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion salt
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients. Roll into a ball. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight. Unwrap and roll in chopped nuts. Rewrap and refrigerate 4 more hours.

Pineapple-Lime Fruit Dip

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup sour cream
½ cup raspberry yogurt
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp. grated fresh lime peel

Combine all ingredients. Cover & refrigerate. Serve with apple slices, strawberries, kiwi, and any other fruit. Serve in a hollowed-out fresh pineapple (just cut a fresh pineapple in half lengthwise; cut and remove center of pineapple).

Spinach Dip

1 10 oz. box of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg. vegetable soup dip
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Mix ingredients together, cover, and chill for 2 hours. Can be served in a round bread bowl. Serve with bread, cut up vegetables or crackers.

Artichoke Dip

8 oz. sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 can drained and chopped artichokes
8 oz. cream cheese

Mix altogether and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes (stirring every 10 minutes). Serve with Fritos, tortilla chips, or bread.

Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4

4 cups (2 cans) chicken broth, divided
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or dried)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

Reserve 3/4 cup chicken broth and pour rest into large sauce pan. Stir the salt, ginger, and chives into the saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.