Snacky Supper Anyone?

We got this cool little cheese lovers cookbook in our stocking, and here is the first recipe I have tried so far... its really similar to Mom's chili cheese dip, but more ingredients and its pizza instead of chili. Haha!!! Anyways, I had some leftover cheesy breadsticks (Papa Murphy's!!) and I made a half batch of bread's worth of breadsticks to go with it, and also picked up this tub of spinach artichoke parmesan dip stuff on sale at the grocery store that day... so I threw it all on a tray and made it look sort of fancy and took a picture, just for you guys! :) Mmmmm, we really liked it!

Layered Pizza Dip

1pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce (I used part of a can of spag sauce)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 package (3.5oz) sliced pepperoni, finely chopped

Toasted pita bread wedges to serve (or crackers, or breadsticks, or SOMETHING!! Maybe just spoons?)

Preheat oven to 350*. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Spread into a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate. Spread pizza sauce over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over pizza sauce and top with pepperoni. Bake about 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm with pita bread.

Yield: about 3 cups dip

P.S. Does anybody know why cookbooks always capitalize the P in Parmesan but not the M in Mozzarella? Just wondering...

Aunt Chris's Bean Dip

This is the best bean dip ever. Right? Right. And I think that everyone who didn't ask her for this recipe years ago, is nuts. We are talking survival food here. So, from a piece of "Clarion Hotel" paper, swiped from Aunt Janice's kitchen drawer, of her old house, and Aunt Chris's own handwriting, I copy the following:

1 large & small cans of refried beans
8oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
8-12 oz shredded cheese
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
minced onion 1/4

...and that's it!

OK, the rest of the instructions were verbal. And don't ask what "minced onion 1/4" means. 1/4 cup? 1/4 of an onion? I think which ever makes you happier. Hmmm. My memory isn't what it used to be... I think she said she usually started it on the stove-top, and transferred it to a crock-pot to keep warm, but you can do the whole thing in the crock-pot. She also stressed a couple times, that if you want it to be creamier, add more sour cream and/or cream cheese.
I usually skip any stove-top cooking with this, because who needs more dirty dishes?! When I'm in a hurry, I use the microwave, and throw it on the table in minutes. Oh, I do use onion powder then too, so's to avoid nasty hunks of crunchy onion. That would ruin everything!
Of course this stuff is wunderbar with tortilla chips, but it also makes great bean & cheese burritos. I used to always use the leftovers that way. Now: "...what leftovers...? The boys ate the bowl!"
Well Abby, it was only what, 6-8 months ago I promised to put this here? Not bad.