Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(61)

“That’s right.”

“What do you dip in it?”

“Almost anything. It’s my friend John’s recipe. We rented rooms in the same house when we were in college, and we used to all get together to watch hockey games on television. John always made his dip and the girls brought something to use as a . . .” he paused and glanced at Hannah. “What do you call potato chips when you have them with a dip?”

“Potato chips,” Hannah said with a perfectly straight face.

Everyone laughed and Dick gave a little sigh. “I should have known better than to ask it like that, but I still want to know.”

Hannah thought about that for a moment, and then she shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I guess you could call them dippers or scoops, but that doesn’t sound very appetizing. And if there’s a culinary term for them, I’ve never heard it. Why don’t you just sidestep the problem by putting whatever you’re using in a bowl or a basket and serving it along with the dip? People are used to eating dips, and they’ll know how to use whatever it is. You could even say something like, ‘Here’s a bowl of whatever-it-is to use for dipping.’ ”

“Okay, that’s easy,” Dick said, glancing at his watch again. “I’ll get your drinks now, and then I’ll serve your dip.”





JOHN’S HOCKEY PLAYOFF PIZZA DIP (An Appetizer) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



8-ounce package brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature (I used Philadelphia in the silver rectangular package)

? teaspoon dried oregano

? teaspoon dried parsley

? teaspoon dried basil

1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese

? teaspoon onion powder (or 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh onion)

? teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic)

1 cup spaghetti sauce with meat (I used Prego)

2 ounces of pepperoni slices

2 to 3 Tablespoons sliced black or green pitted olives

1 small can of button mushrooms

1 loaf store-bought garlic bread (the kind wrapped in foil) (or 2 packages of refrigerated soft bread- stick dough)





Prepare your pan(s) by lining a pie plate with foil. (If you chose to use the tubes of refrigerated breadstick dough, also line a cookie sheet with foil.)





In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly.





Hannah’s 1st Note: If you’ve just taken your package of cream cheese out of the refrigerator and you need to soften it in a hurry, simply unwrap it, place it in a small, microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. Let it sit in the microwave for a minute and then try to stir it smooth. Repeat as often as necessary until you achieve a smooth texture. Then take the bowl out of the microwave and mix in the oregano, parsley, and basil. Mix thoroughly.





Spread the cream cheese and herb mixture out in the bottom of your prepared pie pan.





In a separate bowl, mix the shredded parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheeses together.





Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can use your impeccably clean fingers to mix the cheese together.





Sprinkle HALF of the shredded cheese mixture on top of the cream cheese and herb mixture.





Measure out the cup of spaghetti sauce and place it in a small bowl.





Mix the onion and the minced garlic (or the onion powder and garlic powder) into the spaghetti sauce.





Spoon the spaghetti sauce mixture over the top of the contents of the pie pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly, but DO NOT MIX it in.





Sprinkle the remaining cheese mixture over the top of the spaghetti sauce mixture.





Arrange the pepperoni evenly on top of the cheese.





Place the sliced olives on top of the pepperoni.





Pat the button mushrooms dry with paper towels and then arrange them on top of the olives.





Bake your Hockey Playoff Pizza Dip at 350 degrees F., for a total of 25 to 30 minutes.





After your pizza dip has been in the oven for 5 minutes, place the garlic bread in the oven and bake according to package directions.





If you’ve decided to make the soft breadsticks instead of the garlic bread, cut each breadstick in 2 pieces, and follow the package directions to bake them. Coordinate baking times so that everything comes out of the oven at approximately the same time.





Slice your garlic bread, put the slices in a napkin-lined basket, and serve it with your dip. Since you’ve already cut the soft breadsticks in 2 pieces, simply place them in a napkin-lined basket.





Hannah’s 3rd Note: You might want to bake the soft breadsticks a bit longer so that they will hold their shape when your guests dip them in the Hockey Playoff Pizza Dip. Both the soft breadsticks and the garlic bread should be on the crispy side for ease in dipping. You can also use chips in place of the bread.