Long time, no post, huh? I know I keep saying this but if you can just hang with me a little longer I promise that I will be back to posting 3-4 recipes a week. Promise.
Now, the occasion for this post…I’m participating in my very first virtual baby shower! A group of food bloggers are celebrating the upcoming arrival of Josie’s baby boy! I couldn’t be more excited for her. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know how much I love Josie and her blog, Pink Parsley. We’ve never met in person but for some reason I just know that we would be such good friends if we were close to each other. Josie lives in the Atlanta area so I’m hoping we can finally meet sometime very soon when I’m down there visiting my parents.
Since I’m a fellow Georgia girl, I wanted to make a Southern-themed recipe for the virtual shower. I actually grew up about 45 minutes from Vidalia, Georgia so when I spotted this Baked Vidalia Onion Dip in my Southern Living Cookbook, I knew it was the perfect thing! You can’t have a party without a dip, right?
The dip was so easy to assemble and I know it would be a crowd-pleaser at any get together (especially with football season coming up!). Since you sautee the onions first, it really tones down the onion bite and really brings out the sweetness in them.
The original recipe did not call for a breadcrumb topping but I thought it would be a nice addition. We enjoyed the dip with crackers but you could also try tortilla chips. Play around with the cheese mixture – I used a combination of cheddar and an Italian blend but I think it would be especially delicious with pepper jack or Swiss.
Big thanks to Annie for organizing the virtual baby shower! Please check out her blog to see all of the amazing things that everyone contributed!
Baked Vidalia Onion Dip
(Recipe adapted from The Southern Living Cookbook)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 Vidalia onions, diced
2 cups cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack, a mixture, etc)
1 cup mayonnaise (light is okay)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Dash cayenne pepper, optional for a little added heat
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup panko tossed with 1 tablespoon melted butter (for topping, optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a two-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add onions and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
In a separate bowl, stir together sauteed onions and garlic and rest of ingredients. Top with panko/melted butter mixture, if desired. Bake for 25 minutes and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
bakin' and eggs 