Party Dip Stuffed Mini Peppers

A few weeks back, my daughter Ava and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to have for dinner. Instead of making a full meal, she suggested we have ourselves a fun picky food dinner made up of different party dips. It was a rainy Saturday and we had no plans for the night, so we went ahead with this fun idea. Two of the dishes that Ava requested were Buffalo chicken dip and spinach artichoke dip, served with toasted bread. While this did sound fun and appetizing, I was in the mood for just a bit more. Something just a step beyond party dips. What I decided to do was use these dips as a stuffing with mini peppers. Not only did this combination kick the party meal up a few notches, it also became a fun way to actually serve the party dips.

With New Year’s Eve literally just a few days away, what better time to share this idea with you. It really is not so much of a recipe, but rather an idea, a concept and a fun presentation. While we went with Buffalo chicken and spinach artichoke, I could see a bunch of party dips working well with this presentation. Anything from smoked salmon and clam dip, to French onion, hummus and crab dip would make an excellent pairing with a pepper. I’m even thinking Italian hoagie dip would be pretty amazing….although I’m not sure I would serve those warm. The crunch of a fresh stuffed pepper may be the better choice there.

The dip recipes that I used were found online, and believe me there are a ton of them out there for you to follow. If you are not into making a dip of your own, use a container of store bought dip. Again, this is more about presentation and not so much about making it from scratch. The suggestions that I can offer are to use mini peppers, sliced in half and seeds removed. Use about a tablespoon of your dip, making sure to not overstuff. Bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. And there ya go.

I encourage you to take this idea and run with it. Make it your own, and it will become the hit of the appetizer table. Or just have it for dinner like we did…either way, you will enjoy!