Texas Caviar Party Dip

I went to a catered Christmas party a few years ago and had this for the first time. It is so easy and fun and serves as a conversation piece. If you've ever had it, you may not even need a recipe since the ingredients are pretty obvious. At least I hope they are since, I've never really had a recipe either! In any case, here's how I do it. If you have another version, email us and let us know!

Texas Caviar Party Dip
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, such as Rotel
1 14 oz. can black-eyed peas or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. can shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed
3 green onions, or to taste, chopped
1 8 oz. bottle Italian dressing, such as Wishbone Italian (you won't need it all)
scoopable corn ships, such as Frito's Scoops, for dipping

Combine first 4 ingredients. Add Italian dressing in small amounts until everything is coated, but not soupy (you don't want the other ingredients swimming). Store in fridge until ready to serve. Pour off any excess dressing prior to serving.

Classic Spinach Dip

We food lovers who entertain or take appetizers to parties are familiar with the classic spinach dip recipe. I needed something holiday-ish in a hurry last year, so I made the dip, which is a lovely shade of green, and stirred in chunks of gloriously red bell peppers. I dumped it all into a bread bowl surrounded by hunks of bread, and adorned the whole thing with a few red pepper rings and viola! A holiday party pleaser was born. It is so easy, I'm almost ashamed to post it, but I really was surprised by the response at the party. Apparently, people like the familiarity of a classic very easily dressed up to look festive. Here's the recipe I used for my Classic Spinach Dip. Try it next time you're in a party mood or holiday crunch. Make it the night before for the absolute best taste (but a few hours before the party will work in a pinch!).

Spinach Dip (image shown without garnish)
1 envelope vegetable soup mix, such as Lipton or Knorr
1 small package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed "dry"
1 16 oz. container sour cream, such as Daisy
1 c. mayo, such as Duke's or Bama
3 green onions, both white and green parts, diced
1 can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced into large chunks
1 small red bell pepper sliced into rings for garnish
1 bread round bread loaf (I love sour dough with this), center removed and inside torn or cut into chunks for dipping.

Combine sour cream, mayo, and soup mix. Add thawed, drained spinach and stir well. Add onion, water chestnuts, and diced red bell pepper. Mix. Refrigerate. Spoon into bread bowl prior to serving. Place bread bowl on a large plate or platter and surround with bread chunks for dipping. Place 2 or 3 pepper rings over lapped on top of the dip as a garnish and scatter a few on top of the dipping chunks.