A packet of onion soup mix, a tub of sour cream, and a big bag of ruffled potato chips and we were in dip heaven.

Just think how far the dip world has come, evolved if you will.

On one hand you could say not a lot has changed. I was just texting with a friend. He shared a picture of the smoked deviled eggs he made for the big game.

SMOKED DEVILED EGGS!!!

Hello Mister! After I got done oogling the egg picture I asked what else he was serving. He shared it was the only day he was allowed to have chop dip. Chop Dip?!! I had to know….

Point being, with all the fancy dip recipes out there it’s hard to beat a good Chip Dip. This French Onion Dip takes a little longer than opening the pack of powdered onion soup mix. But if you can make the caramelized onions in advance, you can complete this recipe in mere minutes.

Two thing you need to know about making caramelized onions is it takes a TON to yield a decent cooked portion and it takes patience. I have a post on this process here.

So while I have a soft spot for Hot Party Dips (and a rather nice collection) there’s something nostalgic about a good Chip Dip!

No matter what you’re drinking or your favorite dipping vessel, you’re going to want to make this French Onion Dip for your next Game Day or family gathering!

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French Onion Dip

No matter what you're drinking or your favorite dipping vessel, you're going to want to make this French Onion Dip for your next Game Day or family gathering!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 large sweet yellow onions small diced
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste
• fresh snipped chives for garnish

Instructions

• Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute for 15 minutes, stirring just a couple times. Then reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until onions become a beautiful deep brown color, about 25-30 more minutes.
• Remove onions from heat, add the vinegar and stir to combine. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer onion mixture to a bowl. Add the honey, mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir to combine. Season with salt & freshly cracked pepper. Garnish with snipped fresh chives.
• Serve with favorite chips and veggie sticks.

The post French Onion Dip is a Game Day Staple appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips {with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce}.

I’ve written before on the magnificent power of a chicken strip.  For that matter a chicken finger, nugget, or any form of tender juicy crusted chicken bites.  They are universally loved by carnivores, especially at gatherings that often involve televised sports aka Game Day!

We’ve used pecans to coat our Pecan-Crusted Trout, Sage-Pecan Pesto Encrusted Turkey Tenderloin, and Pecan Salmon Caesar Salad.  All were delicious.  Our Cheez-It Crusted Buffalo Chicken Fingers delivered awe-mazing.  So when we chose pretzels to crust our chicken strips, we got all the great crunch and flavor, with less fat and calories.  And they’re baked, so no oil required.  Are you feeling a WIN like I am?!

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Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips {with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce}

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For chicken strips…

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into1/2-inch thick strips
• 1 cup egg whites
• 2 cups flour seasoned with salt & pepper
• 3 cups crushed pretzels
• spray olive oil for baking

For honey mustard dipping sauce…

• 3 Tbl. honey
• 3 Tbl. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbl. mayonnaise

Instructions

For chicken strips…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheet with olive oil spray.
• Dredge chicken strips in seasoned flour, then into egg whites, then press into crushed pretzels. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips. Spray tops with olive oil spray.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once half way through cooking time.

For honey mustard dipping sauce…

• Combine all ingredients, adjust according to taste.

The post Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips {with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The inspiration for this Hot Cuban Dip was the Cuban sandwich I had enjoyed the day before.  With every bite I took I was reminded of how much I loved the flavor combination.

That sandwich was amazing and huge.  Took half of it home for inspiration.  When I suggested recreating those flavors in the form of Hot Cuban Dip, there were smiles all around.

Ingredients: shredded Swiss cheese, diced sweet ham & Spanish pork (available at your deli-counter), chopped dill pickles, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and fresh cracked black pepper.  Mix it all up (I wore disposable gloves and went in with my hands – so much easier).  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbly.

For my low-carb eaters out there….this ones for you!!  Meaty.  Cheesy.  Delicious.  For my Healthy Choices buddies, everything in moderation.

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Hot Cuban Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 8- ounce block cream cheese softened
• 1 8- ounce block Swiss cheese shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Spanish pork sliced 1/8-inch think, then diced
• 1/2 lb. sweet ham sliced 1/8-inch think, then diced
• 1 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup mustard I used Dijon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• Cuban bread or baguette for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine all dip ingredients. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbly.
• Serve with sliced Cuban bread or baguette.

The post Hot Cuban Dip appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Who would’ve thought that eating a loaded hot dog could fall into a Healthy Choices category?  I’m here to tell you that the Chicago Style Hot Dog with it’s nine layers of flavor can easily weigh in at less than 250 calories (only 5 WW Pts+).

Not only did I have fun assembling our Chicago Style Hot Dogs, but once the pictures were taken I sat down and savored every bite!  Hats off to our Chicago friends for engineering this signature dog.

Yes, I said 9-layers, aka “The Works.”  Count ’em down.

1. Poppy Seed Bun ~ I can not lie.  I bought the lowest calorie hot dog bun I could find and ‘poppy seeded’ it.  I wasn’t going to tell you, but my conscience got the better of me.
2. Steamed All Beef Hot Dog ~ Ball Park brand were on sale, but Vienna Beef seems to be the favored dog.  I chose the lowest calorie beef frank (80 calories).
3. Yellow Mustard
4. Sweet Pickle Relish
5. Sliced Tomato
6. Dill Pickle Spear
7. Diced Onion
8. Sport Peppers ~ which for us meant a jalapeno straight from our Southern Hot Sauce jar.
9. Celery Seed ~ don’t skip this step, if the tomato and pickles don’t seem odd enough, celery seed surely will.  Yet each of these layers of flavor work together.

I was tempted to leave off the ingredients that I normally would never add to a hot dog, but I didn’t.  I wanted to appreciate a Chicago Style Hot Dog as the originators put forth.  Here’s a fun article on the story behind the Chicago Style Hot Dog and who those originators might have been.

Recipe inspiration came from Weight Watchers.

The post Chicago Style Hot Dog appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The Cuban Sandwich is a classic.  Made with roast pork, Virginia ham, imported Swiss cheese, dill pickles, mustard/mayo on Cuban bread….then grilled into amazing.

Recipe inspiration.  I walked into Publix Supermarket this afternoon starving (first rule of thumb, never grocery shop when you’re hungry).  I turned right to start my route.  Do you have a grocery store route/routine?  I always turn right first, my mom always turned left.  Anyway, I turned right and there she was.  The deli counter lady holding a plate full of Cuban Sandwich samples.  I believe that four-bite sample saved us $100 in unnecessary groceries.  Instead I picked up the makings for Cuban Sandwiches and headed home.  Note: our other local grocery store chain had Boston Butt Pork Roasts on sale for dirt cheap.  We cooked a 9lb. roast last night, most of which was waiting at home to be sliced for this fabulous sandwich.

It didn’t take but a few minutes to layer the ingredients and get this bad boy into the grill pan.  In our case that would be a cast iron skillet and a bacon press.  If you have a sandwich maker or Panini press those would work great as well.

I love sandwiches and it seemed my collection of Burgers & Sandwiches would not be complete without the classic Cuban Sandwich.

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The Cuban Sandwich

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 13 minutes minutes

Servings 1 -2

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Cuban bread French or Italian sub rolls work well too
• 2-3 ounces sliced Virginia ham 3-4 slices
• 2-3 ounces sliced roast pork
• 3 slices imported Swiss cheese
• 1 large dill pickle cut into slices lengthwise
• 1 Tbl. mustard
• 1 Tbl. mayonnaise
• 1 Tbl. butter for grilling

Instructions

• Cut Cuban bread to length 6-7 inches, then cut in half lengthwise.
• Spread mustard on one side and mayonnaise on the other side. Layer the pickle slices, Swiss cheese, ham, and roast pork.
• Melt butter in grill pan and grill sandwich 4-5 minutes per side, using a bacon press (or equivalent).
• Cut sandwich in half or into wedges to serve.

The post The Cuban Sandwich appeared first on Lemony Thyme.