The 4th of July is coming up quickly! I love the 4th of July! I love…Americans celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence…Americans celebrating with family and friends…Americans waving the Red, White, and Blue…Americans listening to Patriotic Songs…Americans watching fireworks exploding in the night…The 4th is a day of celebration.
This 4th of July will be special for our family as we are celebrating with longtime friends…friends that we don’t get to see very often. Our kids grew up spending the summers together in Cashiers, NC… Hiking, boating, water skiing and celebrating many dinners together. Between going off to college, graduating and getting jobs in various locations, starting families….it seems that the times we can all get together are rarer…
We’re looking forward to getting together on the 4th and the dinner menu is coming together.
With the summertime heat, cold dips are perfect for picnics and summertime suppers. And these are especially good for a crowd.
Here are 2 of my favorite dips
Greek 7 Layer Dip…a repeat…but this is sooo good! And healthy!
Friend, Joy Georges McCabe featured my recipe on Knoxville’s WBIR Live at Five at Four in her cooking segment. Joy used store bought hummus and substituted sour cream for the Greek yogurt. My recipe calls for homemade hummus, but I tried it with store bought the other night when I had to prepare something in a hurry and it was just as good. I did add a little extra lemon juice to the store bought because I like my hummus to be very lemony.
GREEK 7 LAYER DIP
Serving Size: 8-12
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces hummus (recipe below) or store bought
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons vidalia onion (sweet)
- 1 cup English cucumber diced
- 1 cup tomato, diced and seeded
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
- feta cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained (reserve a little liquid)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- garlic cloves, minced (about a teaspoon)
- 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste -found in the peanut butter section of your grocery store)
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice ( 2 lemons)
- 1-2 tablespoons reserved liquid or water
- 8-12 dashes hot sauce (your favorite!)
- pine nuts for topping
Instructions for Hummus
- Place all ingredients in food processor and whirl away until coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning. Add pine nuts on top.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil if desired.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Instructions for 7 Layer Dip
- In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
- In a serving dish, layer the hummus, yogurt mixture, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, feta and olives.
- Serve with pita chips or baked corn chip
By KathyMillerTime
Recipe Printed from www.kathymillertime.com
Visit Joy’s website here to veiw many great recipes.
And since I will be celebrating in Cashiers with my California Huffmans, I wanted to include a dip inspired by my favorite BLT sandwich from Cornucopia (in Cashiers).
The avocado makes it “California”… I love avocados…
CALIFORNIA BLT DIP
Maybe served with some freshly crushed ice in my vintage Ice-O-Matics
AND SINCE OUR FRIENDS CELEBRATING WITH US ARE FROM CALIFORNIA….
CALIFORNIA BLT DIP
Serving Size: 8
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped Romaine lettuce
- 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, diced
- 3 tablespoons sweet Vidalia onions, chopped
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Toasted French bread baguette slices or mild chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese until blended well.
- Spread into large shallow dish.
- Layer with lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, onions and avocado.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Refrigerate until serving. Serve with sliced baguettes.
NOTES
My favorite BLT (sandwich) comes from Cornucopia in Cashiers, NC. They add add sliced avocados to make it a "California" BLT.By KathyMillerTime
Recipe Printed from www.kathymillertime.com
Happy 4th of July!!! Spend time with family and friends celebrating America!
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10 Comments
I love the BLT Dip. We leave on 30th and have everyone at Camp Winape for
4th of July. Your decoration ideas will be used for our tables. Many thanks.
Hope you have a great Family 4th.
Janet, I know you will have a great time at Camp Winape with your family!!!! Will you be in the dining hall or outside? Take pictures to share with me. Your food will be great!
Love your Greek Layered Dip! I’ll be making it for July 4th. I also can’t wait to serve it for UT tailgates this fall. Thanks Kathy!
James wants us to come to the UT/Fl game….Oh dear! Think this dip will be great at UT tailgates…and yours are the best!!!
I love this blog post because it’s about our families being TOGETHER for the holiday in the place that holds so many memories for all of us! We can’t wait to celebrate with you!! XO
We are so excited to see you!!! Just made it to Cashiers and am working on a menu. In the meantime I want to see you!
Love the HuffmansXO
Great ideas Kathy. Wish we were there to help you celebrate! Have a great time.
Wish you were here with us Joanne…Remember many 4th of July celebrations in Cashiers. At our house or the Symphony parties at Fairfield Lake with you. Do you remember the party and the fog rolled in and all we could see of the fireworks was….nothing? We heard them…and danced anyway!
Hi Kathy
Better late than never! Thank you so much for featuring the pictures of our Memorial Day Celebration at our lake house. I am going to have to try those dips!
Cindy
And I am late responding to you too!!! Love your blog and will continue to enjoy reading every post. Your Christmas decor was spectacular this year.