Nothing to write home about

This weekend my best friend, Mrs Thunder, had a get together where everyone brings a snacky dish to pass. I thought I'd bring a warm dip and maybe some cookies.

Originally, I wanted to make a type of cookie that uses puff pastry. When I went to take the puff pastry out of the freezer, much to my dismay, I discovered the package was pre-cut in circles and I needed the kind that came in a sheet. Doh! So I sifted through the recipe stack and picked out a shortbread cookie. I began to grab ingredients and discovered I was almost completely out of powdered sugar. Grrrrr! I went back to the recipe stack and settled on Big Red Kitchen's Cake Mix Cookies. I tested a few as they came out of the oven. They were OK, but I didn't think they were good enough to share with my friends. Mrblocko and I came to the conclusion that they did not taste homemade. They reminded us of a cross between Chips Ahoy and something you might get from a grocery store bakery. Don't get me wrong, I like store bought cookies, but homemade ones are so much better. If I'm going to take the time to bake cookies, I'd like them to taste like it. I won't make this recipe again. I haven't completely written off the cake mix cookie concept. I have a recipe that uses lemon cake mix I'm still willing to test.

The Cheesey Bacon dip fared better, although it didn't turn out as wonderful as I had hoped. I wound up substituting the Parmesan for Gruyere. I don't think this had anything to do with the outcome. The crackers crumbled on top made the dip taste really dry, and the cheese got clumpy and oily. I am going to give this recipe a 2ND chance. I plan on omitting the cracker crumbs, and increasing both the garlic and cayenne pepper. I think I will use a package of pre shredded Mexican blend cheese. I think that will melt better. It melts so nicely on quesadillas. I also think using a total of 8 oz vs 12 oz of cheese may make the dip a bit more spreadable as well.

Cake Mix Cookies From Big Red Kitchen
1 cake mix- I used yellow
2/3 cup regular oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips

In large bowl, mix 1st 4 ingredients til dough comes together, add chips. Roll into a little bit bigger than an inch balls and place 2" apart on sheets. Bake 375° for 10-12 min. Cool on racks. Makes about 30 cookies.

Cheesy Bacon dip from Buns in my Oven
8 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
8 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup mayo
8 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ritz crackers, crumbled

Preheat oven to 300.  Chop bacon into small pieces and cook over med heat til crisp. Drain, reserving 1 T grease. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate. Dice garlic and add to bacon grease. Cook over low heat for1 min. Do not allow garlic to brown. Stir together cream cheese and mayo. Mix well. Stir in bacon, chopped green onions, garlic, cheddar and parmesan cheese, and cayenne pepper. Bake 10 min. Remove from oven and stir well. Sprinkle crumbled ritz crackers on top and bake for 10 mi. Serve warm or cold.