BLT Dip

Now that summer barbecue season is here, I thought I should start adding some picnic-related posts. I made many of the recipes in this, and subsequent posts, for this past 4th of July. The first entry, BLT Dip, is a great addition to any bbq, or party in general. I brought it to two different parties during the 4th of July weekend, and it was a hit both places. My pictures are a little crappy, I was so intent on getting everything done for the 4th that I often forgot to take pics until it was too late. Hopefully you get the idea.

The recipe itself is very simple, I modified it from a recipe by Paula Deen:




Ingredients:

• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1 C sour cream
• 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
• ~1 lb bacon
• Iceburg lettuce, shredded or finely chopped
• Tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes cut in half)
• 1-2 C shredded cheese, cheddar or other (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain and then crumble.
2. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese until well blended. 
3. Add in bacon and mix well.
4. Refrigerate until about to serve. (When I made this recipe, I put the mixture together in the morning, and it had about 4 hours in the fridge before I took half of it, topped it with lettuce and tomato and served it, and it was perfect. I took the other half of this dip somewhere the next day, and it was still delicious although the bacon had lost its crunchiness by the next day.)
5. Before serving (or taking it somewhere), layer chopped tomatoes and then lettuce on the top. It is okay to do this before you leave to go somewhere, you don’t have to do immediately before serving, but I would serve it within an hour or so of doing this. Conveniently, this is an appetizer, so it gets put out first.

A few notes:

• You can substitute turkey bacon if you want, but I would not substitute light mayo, sour cream, or cream cheese because the texture will be runny and it will not combine properly.
• Feel free to add diced tomatoes (fresh or from a can) directly to the mayo/sour cream/cream cheese mixture, in addition to layering some on top. Lettuce mixed in will get soggy, however, so I recommend leaving the lettuce on top.
• Shredded cheese (1-2 cups) is also a nice addition, either layered on or incorporated directly into the mix. This depends on your tastebuds, but I would recommend cheddar.

This dish is very simple, and requires minimal effort, but it is huge on taste. It is a great recipe to keep in your party repertoire, especially since it isn't really time consuming, except for frying the bacon. Like I said, I brought it to two different parties, and it was a hit both places, with many recipe requests.