RECIPE FOR FUN: KRAFT CHEESE FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES
What do you do when your wife plans a weekend with seven co-workers and their families? Hang on tight, and have fun!
We kicked off the beginning of the holiday party season with a multi-family getaway that included 14 adults and what seemed like 20-30 kids. I was never quite sure how many there were because they never held still long enough for me to count. Whatever the total number of mouths ended up being, we had plenty of food, and it was all delicious.
As the responsibilities for each meal were being divvied up, I made sure that my assignments included plenty of Kraft Cheese. I did this partly because we always have plenty on hand, but also because I knew that with such a variety of flavors and cuts I would still have plenty of flexibility with whatever I made.
My first food assignment turned out to be making lunch for the kids with all the other dads; the wives all disappeared for a “business” lunch at a fancy restaurant. The weather had been cold and snowy all day, so I needed something the kids would love. The obvious choice was grilled cheese! The kids mostly kept it simple (but still delicious) with Kraft Singles, but the adults mixed it up and improvised with Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, and even Aged Swiss. Some of us added avocado and tomato to give it an even more gourmet taste.
For dinner on one of the nights I was assigned to contribute two items to the appetizer bar. After perusing through the selection of literally hundreds of recipes at KraftCheese.com I finally settled on the Fiesta Baked Cheese Dip and the Awesome Artichoke Dip. They both looked absolutely delicious, and I knew could make them using ingredients that I knew we had available.
I made the Awesome Artichoke Dip first. The only difficult thing here was convincing my wife to let me use a can of her precious artichokes. After assuring her that she would still have plenty of artichokes for one of her legendary salads, she finally relented. I even found a cool bowl to mix and bake it in. By the time it came out of the oven it looked perfect, and it tasted even better! The Kraft Fresh Take made this dip so simple that I can see this becoming a regular part of our rotation at home.
The Fiesta Baked Cheese Dip was only slightly more complicated, and that was entirely my own fault. First, I couldn’t find a dish to make it in. Second, I misread the recipe and ended up having to double it (not necessarily a bad thing because that just meant we had more, right?). Lastly, I forgot to divide and set aside some of the shredded cheese. This didn’t affect the taste, but instead of having a cool-looking melted cheese crust all the extra cheese was already mixed in. Everyone seemed to enjoy it regardless!
The appetizer bar was a big hit, in fact it ended up being one of the highlights of the weekend. If you haven’t visited the Kraft Cheese web site, be sure to check it out the next time you need help with a recipe. My favorite part is the “Use What’s On Hand” tool that allows me to enter whatever ingredients I have available. The tool then brings up a list of recipes I can make using those items.
This weekend was just the start of many parties and get-togethers we’ll take part in this holiday season. Kraft Cheese played a big role in its success!
DISCLOSURE
I was selected as a Kraft Cheese blogger ambassador by Kraft Foods to participate in testing Kraft Cheese. While I have been compensated for my time, my opinions are my own, and I have not been paid to post positive comments.
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