Football Party Archives - Insanity Is Not An Option

25-Minute, 5-Ingredient Pizza Dip Recipe

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried this 5-Ingredient Pizza Dip recipe. Be forewarned, this 25-minute appetizer is highly addictive so get ready to make a batch or two for your next gathering. It’s the perfect football party food!

This simple Pizza Dip recipe is a family favorite of ours. No, it’s not low sodium (at all) like most of my recipes. This easy 5-ingredient dip is the reason cheat days were invented – for us anyway. It’s our go-to addiction for just about anything. Football Sunday? Friends coming over? Having a bbq and the food won’t be ready for a while? Rainy, depressing Saturday and we’re stuck indoors? All of these scenarios always lead to the same answer…PIZZA DIP! Luckily this simple recipe only requires five ingredients plus some spices that I typically have on hand. It pairs with just about any hearty chip too, so that’s never a big deal. It’s ooey, gooey, and oh-so-good.

This pizza dip is all about the layers!

In case you don’t know, cheese is my favorite food group, and pizza is my all-time favorite food. That makes this simple appetizer the best thing since sliced bread (don’t get me started on bread and carbs…also favorites!). The beauty of this dip is not only how delicious it tastes, but how easy it is to make. No fuss here. Just start layering, put it in the oven, let the magic melting happen, and enjoy!

Layer 1: Cream Cheese

I use Philadelphia Spicy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread because we like things with a kick. If you’re not a fan of spicy, you can use plain or another flavor variety. Just layer it in the bottom of a baking dish.

Layer 2: The Marinara

Use whatever marinara you’d like for this. For pasta dishes, I always make my totally-from-scratch marinara and I use that if there’s any in the fridge or freezer. Usually, though, for this quick indulgence, I go with a jarred variety and always keep Prego Lower Sodium Sauce on hand.

Layer 3: My favorite food group!

Top the sauce with some cheese. I use a mix of mozzarella, colby jack, and parmesan, then I sprinkle a little Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning over the layer for added flavor. You can never have enough garlic!

Layer 4: More sauce!

Pizza isn’t pizza unless it’s saucy and this dip is no exception. That second layer of sauce is a must!

Layer 5: More cheese please!

As with all good pizza (dips), they need to be topped with cheese, glorious cheese. This final layer is the one that gets all crispy and bubbly which is always the best part! Then you just put the dish in a 350ºF preheated oven, set the timer to 20 minutes, then once the timer goes off, leave it in the oven for another five minutes because that’s when the browning happens.

Who’s hungry?

All that’s left to do is grab some bagel or pita chips or crackers and hope you can wait long enough for it to cool down before digging in. That last part is pretty important because this golden concoction comes out hot and bubbly. I may or may not have burned my tongue a couple of times…just to test the batch to make sure it was ready for everyone else, of course!

5-Ingredient Pizza Dip Recipe

Author: Christy

Recipe type: Appetizer

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Ingredients

1 7.5-oz cream cheese spread
1.5 cup marinara sauce (adjust to how saucy you like it)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded colby jack cheese
⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Optional: Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning to taste
For serving: Pita chips, crackers, or bagel chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 35ºF.
Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a baking dish.
Top with a layer of marinara.
Add a layer of mozzarella, colby jack, and parmesan.
Sprinkle with seasoning if using.
Add another layer of sauce.
Top with cheese mixture and sprinkle with seasoning again.
Place in middle rack in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow the dip to sit in the oven for another 5 minutes after the heat has been turned off, until the entire dip is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes, serve with chips and crackers.

There you have it. Your new favorite dip is as simple as (pizza) pie. If you’d like a meatier version, top with some pepperoni or precooked ground hamburger. You can also top it with your favorite diced veggies if you want to add even more flavor and texture. Just be sure to adjust the baking time up a bit if you’re adding more ingredients. I assure you, no matter how you serve it, no one can resist this simply delightful dip!

Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip

By Christy 2 Comments

This Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip is heaven on a cracker, baguette, or by the spoonful. With just seven simple ingredients, you can make this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y, restaurant-style dip at home!

I tend to have a flair for the dramatic. I don’t hide that fact and I kind of really love it. My life, my stories, my everything is just a little more fun because of my love for dramatic tales. However, when I tell you that this Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe is life altering, believe you me, I’m not being dramatic…at all! It’s just that good!

Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

You know that fancy-pants restaurant spinach artichoke dip you get when you go out? Yea, that’s got nothing on this. NOTHING! OK, maybe something, but this is so much better. Plus, you only need seven ingredients and a little bit of time to make this version…so there’s that too. I’m calling this a win and I want you to join my team. Stay home, save money, wear your jammies while you ~~gorge~~ eat your restaurant-style dip at home. No judging here!

Whether you’re tailgating, just enjoying a day of appetizers and small bites instead of a big meal, or headed to a pot luck, this recipe is for you! All of this cheesy, creamy, spinach-y, artichoke-y goodness dipped on a cracker or smeared on a baguette is simply irresistible. Plus, spinach + artichokes = healthy snacking, no? Maybe not, but it’s OK to treat yourself from time to time and this is the treat I choose!

Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip

Author: Christy

Recipe type: Dip / Party Food

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Ingredients

2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 10-oz box/bag frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and liquid removed
8 oz (one block) cream cheese, softened
⅔ cup sour cream
2 tbsp light mayo
2 tbsp minced garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, artichokes, and spinach. Stir to combine making sure to break up the spinach to avoid clumps.
Add softened cream cheese and stir to combine completely.
Stir in sour cream, mayo, and garlic.
Transfer to an 8x8" or round clear baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the top is starting to brown.
Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips, or baguettes.

That simple, that good, and no need to get dressed up or spend a lot of money. Enjoy this dip for all of the special (or not so special) occasions in your life. When you serve this Life-Altering Spinach Artichoke Dip, every day’s a party. Enjoy!

Fall #HarvestFun for Island Dwellers: M&M’s Bark and Mott’s Apple Cider

By Christy 6 Comments

I should tell you that I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. As always, all opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own.

Can you believe it’s almost fall? Football season is here. Soon the leaves will be turning and the weather will be getting cooler. Oh wait. That doesn’t happen here until late December.

And the leaves never change colors. Sometimes I miss that.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t miss the cold temps at all. I hate them for the brief time they visit the island each year. But I miss the seasons that I knew as a child. I remember raking leaves, jumping in piles to mess them up, only to rake them up again. I remember brisk Halloweens bundling up under my costume to Trick or Treat. I remember football games during high school, cheering while I shivered. And I remember hot apple cider and warm baked fall treats.

But I live in Southeast Texas. We don’t see the leaves change, palms stay green all year. We don’t do a lot of “hot” treats. My kids really don’t know what seasons are other than hot, and cold for a couple of months. There’s no in between. So I wanted to bring some colors of fall to our home and I wanted to do it Texas style.

In Texas, fall is all about football and fun. It is what it is. Hook ’em Horns. Go Texans. So this weekend, I brought fall home since it doesn’t technically visit us.

When I was shopping at Walmart, I found the elusive M&M’s White Chocolate Candy Corn Candies I’ve been searching for. THEY DO EXIST! I had a fun treat in mind to keep the kids happy with the colors of fall and their favorite candy. These little guys were the star of the show. And the beauty? Since it’s hot here in the fall, I didn’t have to bake to make this sweet treat.

I found a recipe card in a magazine and revised it quite a bit to suit our tastes. The kids and adults alike loved this Fall Harvest Fun Bark and it was so simple to make it’s ridiculous!

What You’ll Need:

2 tspn no salt butter
1 1/2 lbs white candy coating
1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
1 cup M&M’s White Chocolate Candy Corn Candies
1 cup peanut M&M’s
3/4 cup milk chocolate M&M’s
3/4 cup peanut butter M&M’s

Line a 15x10x1 inch baking dish with foil. Grease the foil with butter. Melt the white candy coating in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and spread in lined pan. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and press into candy coating. Let stand for an hour. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator (if everyone doesn’t gobble it up immediately).

Now let’s get back to this hot apple cider from my childhood I told you about earlier. That cider was great when I was a kid. It was really cold in the fall in Upstate New York. But I’m grown. And it’s not cold. So here’s my take on fall not-so-hot (in temperature but pretty hot in the taste arena) apple cider.

First, let me explain, good cider starts with good apple juice and there is none better than Mott’s 100% Apple Juice. So let’s start there.

Fall Apple Cider – Texas Style:

What you’ll need:

1 gallon Mott’s Apple Juice
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
8 cinnamon sticks

Mix all of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. We do it on the grill because, well, that’s what you do in Texas. Everything tastes better on the grill. Once you have a good boil, remove and let it stand until cool, funnel into bottles, and chill. This makes 3 full bottles which should last you a good, long time. Enjoy.

And there you have it folks. A true Texas fall (with an upstate NY twist). Happy fall y’all!

How do you enjoy the seasons? Do you have any favorite fall recipes you’d care to share? What are your family traditions? What’s football season without some snacks and a little cider, right?

For more awesome ideas for fall entertaining, head over to Pinterest to check these out.