Jalapeno Popper Dip

When J and I first got married, I had no clue how to cook. As a result, I bought plenty of processed foods. Among our favorites were some culinary delights called jalapeno poppers. They were in the frozen section, just waiting to be cooked for about 20 minutes or so. The box had about a dozen of these deep fried, jalapeno and cream cheese filled nuggets. We loved them. 

I hadn't thought about them in years until I recently saw this recipe and immediately went out and picked up the ingredients. By immediately, I mean that I had the ingredients and had made the dip within about 48 hours of seeing the recipe.  And oh-my-better-than-the-frozen-stuff.  

Annie suggests serving this dip with veggies. Yeah, right. This dip is meant for much more than a healthy veggie. I opted for my favorite pita chips (Stacey's), which I thought were perfect. But bagel chips, baguettes, crackers...anything along those lines would be good. Save your veggies for your cold Ranch dip. They are not welcome here.

For starters, this makes waaaay more than the little box.

You get to pick your own ingredients...much better.

And the results? Divine, I tell you.

Jalapeño Popper Dip
adapted by Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

1 cup mayonnaise (I used light)

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained

1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained

½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese (I used reduced fat)

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used reduced fat)

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches, I think mine was 9 x 7 or so).

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.