Blogging Runner

Posted: 05 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT

Doesn't that look heavenly?

Yesterday was the 4th (duh), so of course there was extra special food served to celebrate!

The appetizer that really did me in was the pizza dip. Sounds simple enough, right? I assumed it was just bread dipped in a little sauce and cheese. I thought I would have one taste and call it a day.

WRONG.

This dip, made by Megan, was crazy GOOD! I can’t even describe it!

Meg got the recipe from Pinterest. When I looked online today, I found a lot of variations in the ingredients and recipes. You really can make this dish fit your own personal taste, but thankfully Meg made everything as low in fat as possible by making some substitutions (noted below).

Low(er) Fat Version Ingredients:
12 ounces softened cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
1/2 tub of 15 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/3 cup pizza sauce (any kind)
1/2 cup turkey pepperoni slices, halved or quartered (turkey pepperoni is better because there is less grease)

Directions:
Combine cream cheese and ricotta with seasonings. Spread cheese mixture in 9-inch glass pie plate or 8-9 inch square oven-safe dish. Pour half of the pizza sauce on top of the cheese and spread evenly. Top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Drop the remaining pizza sauce evenly over the layer of cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cup of mozzarella on top of sauce. Arrange pepperoni (and any other ingredients like olives or onions) on top of cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Serve hot with crackers or thin slices of toasted bread.

I can’t tell you what a hit this dish was! Keep it in mind for your next party!

The only negative part is that I ate way too much! I think instead of subtracting .50 cents from my mason jar, it needs to be a whole dollar!

I splurged because it was America’s birthday!