Happy Hour Appetizers – 3 Favorite Hot Dips
Don’t you just love happy hour? Appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, and hot dips are among my favorite foods! I can easily make a meal of a charcuterie platter and a bottle of wine. Happy hour by the pool with a cocktail and appetizers gives an ordinary day a vacation vibe. When you do something special on a Friday evening, the whole weekend feels longer, and by Sunday night, you feel like you’ve had a real break, even when you never left the house.
When we travel, happy hour is one of my favorite vacation activities. We come back to the hotel after a day of exploring and pop into the lounge for a cocktail and appetizers. It’s the perfect time to review our day together, and we always end up meeting great new people! Sometimes we end the day right there at the bar, and other times we will head to the room to clean up for a nice meal somewhere special. Happy hour is such a fun tradition. I toast to whoever invented it.
When we entertain, we always greet guests with a glass of champaign and an appetizer, or two. For casual gatherings there’s nothing easier than chips and salsa, or potato chips and dips. I keep these in the house for last minute visitors. We can always throw together an easy cheese plate with crackers, as well. For dinner parties, I usually keep the appetizers on the lighter side, with crudité, or a small cheese tray to complement the meal to come.
But cocktail parties are my favorites. I love to place hot dips and chips or crackers in various locations to encourage mingling. In addition to my three favorite Hot Dips, below, here’s a link to some of my Favorite Summer Citrus Drinks to enjoy at cocktail hour.
3 Favorite Hot Dips
My very favorite hot dip is a recipe that an old friend published in a cookbook my chorus compiled for a fundraiser. My friend has long passed away, but I toast to her each time I make it, which is nearly every time we have people over. So here is Sally’s Hot Artichoke Dip
Sally’s Hot Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz canned Artichoke Hearts water packed (not marinated), Trader Joe's has them at a great price.
- 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons for topping. the better the quality, the better the dip. I like the fresh shredded, rather than grated.
- 1 cup Mayonnaise Best Foods, or Hellman's
- 1 6 oz canned diced Green Chili peppers
- Tortilla Chips to serve
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small baking/serving dish. Sprinkle an additional couple of tablespoons of shredded Parmesan on top. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 30 – 40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Top with scallions. You may serve this with crackers or veggies, but I like it best served warm with tortilla chips.
My step-mom used to make an hors d’oeuvre that she called Josephinas. They’re a yummy combination of butter, hot peppers, mayo, and cheddar cheese all spread on toast and broiled bubbly. I love these, but they keep you in the kitchen making round after round of them. So I decided to try them as a dip. They are wonderful!
Hot Josephina Dip
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tbls Hot Chili Peppers, minced Find the jar in the pickle aisle. Use gloves when mincing these, or put hands in plastic bags. (use less if you don't like things super spicy, or add more if you do.) Taste the dip as you add, until you're happy with the heat.
- 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a small baking/serving dish, adding the peppers last so that you can taste and adjust the heat. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve with toasted baguette rounds. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and crumbled blue cheese, if desired.
My former boss, who was Vice President of our Sales Division, went to culinary school and had worked as a chef and caterer before his career change. One of the best possible performance rewards we could receive from him was an invitation to dinner. On one such night, he served this easy appetizer. I asked how he made it, and he gave me a rough how-to over several martinis. This is my approximation of his delicious Roasted Feta and Tomato dip. I think it’s a pretty close match.
Baked Feta with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 8 – 10 oz brick of good quality Feta Cheese
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved I like a mix of heirloom cherry and pear tomatoes, in all colors
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chopped fresh herbs such as Oregano, Thyme, or Rosemary
- fresh ground Pepper
Instructions
- Place the slab of feta into a small baking/serving dish, crumbling it up a bit. You don't need to spread it out on the bottom of the dish, just break it up some. Sprinkle the halved tomatoes on top and around the feta. Drizzle with a good quality olive oil, sprinkle with herbs. Top with fresh ground pepper, and place in the oven at 400-degrees for 30 minutes.Serve with toasted baguette rounds, or your favorite cracker.
This long summer at home is the perfect time to try out new recipes. Up the fun factor by starting a new tradition of Friday night happy hour. Once we’re able to mingle again, it’ll be easy to invite friends home to kick the weekend off with your new happy hour tradition, and hot dip appetizers.
Do you have a favorite way to kick off the weekend? Let me know in the comments.
Baked Feta with Tomatoes…yum! Going to try this soon. Thanks for sharing.!
It’s so good! Let me know how you like it. xojd