I have got a wonderful food item to tell you about today – Stonemill Kitchens premium refrigerated dips. They sent me 4 varieties to try out, and I love each and every one of them! While you can eat these dips cold, they are even better warmed up – you can just nuke them in the microwave or they would be great warmed in the oven with a chance to get brown and bubbly on top too! One thing I noticed immediately about these dips is that you can actually see the ingredients in them – so for the ones containing artichokes, you can actually see pieces of artichoke and you have that texture while eating it. These cheeses are the same way even. With the cheap dips it is all just a white blog usually – but the Stonemill Kitchens premium dips are definitely superior in the quality of ingredients!
The Artichoke & Parmesan Dip and the Three Cheese Peperoncini Dip we ate just as dips. I loved these with Reduced Fat Wheat Thins and the Three Cheese Peperoncini was also great on 
New York Style Sea Salt Bagel Crisps. I would have no problem serving these to any guests in my home or taking this to someone else’s home. They are so flavorful, rich, creamy, and just downright yummy!
They also sent the Spinach, Artichoke, and Parmesan Dip. We tasted a couple of bites of this as dip, but most all of it I used to make my very first quiche! There is a fantastic and super easy recipe on the Stonemill Kitchens website for this Artichoke and Spinach Quiche. It is as simple as beating some milk and eggs, throwing in some cherry tomatoes, pour in a frozen pie crust, and dollop in the Stonemill Kitchens dip – then bake. I honestly had never had quiche before because 
I’m generally not an egg eater, but I thought I would try. Hubby and Taylor had never had quiche either. Guess what? We all now like quiche! Hubby just sent me a text saying the leftover quiche he took for lunch today was even great!
With the Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip I made up something of my own. I mixed the tub of the dip with 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the canned type), about 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and about 1 tsp dried Italian herb mix. Mix this all together well – it will be a thick paste consistency. Then I unrolled a small roast by cutting into it and spread the paste all over the cut side. Then roll your roast back up. Now slice the roast into slices about 3/4″ thick. Lay flat and bake in the oven at 375° F until your desired doneness. Make sure you let them rest a bit before removing from baking sheet. This stuffing mix would be great to stuff mushrooms with also I think – you could chop up the stems and add them in also.
Now some party planning tips:
- Set a budget – I’m bad about this myself, but in this economy we have to try. Decide how much you have to spend and stick to it. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to be a wonderful hostess.
- Say Yes to Offers – If a guest offers to bring something, say yes! If they ask what, try before hand to think of something of theirs that you really enjoy and suggest that. Or you could just suggest something sweet, a dip, a side dish, etc. Whatever works for your party.
- Prep Yourself – Yes, it is easy to buy already cut up veggie trays and such, but you pay SO much extra for that! Just buy your own produce, wash, and cut yourself. Keep a variety of serving platters – but not giant ones. The platters look prettiest when they are very full – so using a small platter to start helps. You can always refill.
- Go Green – Use your own dishes, glasses, silverware, etc. for serving. It is much cheaper than buying paper products and better for our environment. If you need to mix and match go ahead – just mix items as you set them out instead of grouping – that way it looks intentionally eclectic.
- The 2-Hour Rule – This is really important. Any food left out for more than 2 hours (not just meat) is susceptible to harmful bacteria growth and should not be eaten! You don’t want to get sick or make your guests ill do you? Play it safe! Over 76 million Americans get food poisoning each year; mishandling food at home is a leading contributor.
- Serve in small portions – This helps you follow that 2-hour rule and making the trays look prettier. Plus as you refill you can mingle and interact with your guests by carrying the tray around to offer them more.
Again, I highly recommend Stonemill Kitchens premium refrigerated dips to all of you. This is one of the best prepared food items I have had in a very long time. You can see all of their varieties on StonemillKitchens.com plus download a coupon, get some fabulous recipes for each kind, and even some wine pairing advice.
(I received the products mentioned to review)
