Roasted Red Pepper & Bacon Cream Cheese Dip ~ #NaturallyCheesy

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We are counting down the weeks to Christmas! I don’t know about you, but my household is in full on “entertaining” mode. I feel like every weekend we have guests over for some holiday cheer, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Since I love having friends and family over, I’m always searching for simple food solutions for holiday entertaining! Luckily I have found a way I’m able to create delicious appetizers, meals, and desserts to make entertaining this holiday season that much easier.

I’m a working mom and time isn’t always on my side. That is why when I’m looking for holiday recipes, I prefer ones that provide those time efficient holiday solutions. I don’t have hours upon hours to work away in the kitchen before my guests to arrive. Thanks to amazing products such as Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, I’m able to cook some holiday cheer that not only tastes great, but is easy to create too! One of my favorite appetizers to make is Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Cream Cheese Dip. It’s quickly become a favorite among my guests who come for holiday visits.Check out below for a detailed tutorial of how to make my Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Cream Cheese Dip.

Ingredients

1 package of cream cheese, softened (8 oz each)
1 roasted red pepper finely chopped
1 large jalapeno finely chopped
4 chopped up bacon slices
1 tablespoon of milk
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
1 tablespoon of honey

Directions for Cream Cheese Dip

First off, in reference to the roasted red peppers, you can usually fine them in a jar (or canned) at your local super market. This definitely saves on time if you are able to purchase your peppers already roasted! However, if you decide to use a fresh peppers, there is a simple way to roast them. Place them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Use tongs to turn the peppers over to their other side, and roast for another 20 minutes. Then use a food processor (or knife) to finely chop your pepper.Now let’s get that bacon going! Feel free to cook your bacon as you deem fit. If you’ve never cooked bacon before, why not try chopping up the slices and cooking in a skillet with a little bit of oil, over medium to high heat for about 10 minutes, or until you reach your preferred “crispness”! Drain the bacon and set aside for the time being. At this point you may decide to go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take your cream cheese and stir until smooth. If you want to use an electric mixer, that will make the process go by quicker! Add in the milk, beating until combined. Stir in the roasted red peppers. Mix well!Once your cream cheese is smooth and mixed well with the roasted red peppers, add in your bacon and jalapenos. You can also add in your honey at this point.Gently fold in the goat cheese, and feel free to add spices such as rosemary or thyme. I’ve actually tried this dip with adding lump Maryland crab meat. It’s a delicious addition!

Next spoon the mixture evenly into 2 different 1 cup individual baking dishes or into a 1 quart baking dish. Because I like to place a smaller bowl on my chip plate, I do the individual dishes and swap them out as each one becomes empty.Place the dishes in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until you notice the top start to turn a golden brown.I love to serve the dip warm with french bread slices and rosemary flavored crackers. Honestly they pair well with any type of crackers, especially butter based ones!I just love the creamy texture and that nearly every bite has a hint of goat cheese, peppers, bacon, and subtle jalapeno flavoring! You can actually serve this dip warm or cold. My tutorial is on how to serve it warm, however if you’d like to serve it cold, just place the dip in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. I love that I was able to purchase everything I needed for this recipe at my local Walmart. I found Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the refrigerated Dairy section. Between now and February 13th, 2016, you can grab a coupon for $1.00 off two Philadelphia Cream Cheese packages.Don’t forget to connect with Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese on Facebook and Twitter!

You can find more awesome holiday recipes using Kraft products here! Also look for other great savings on Kraft Heinz products. You can save up to $13 this holiday season!

Now that I’ve shared one of my favorite cheesy recipes, what is one of yours?