Can you believe it is October?  Football, tailgating, Halloween parties…..I have the perfect dip recipe for you!When I met my sister in law Melaine some 27 years ago, she was a senior in high school.  Now she has a daughter in high school and one in middle school.  When did my nieces grow up and where has the time gone? Melaine created this beautiful cream cheese dip that was somewhere between a pink and orange color, and it’s a 2 ingredient dip!!!  I’m going to say this again, only 2 ingredients!  For years I struggled with the color and consistency, I failed each time to get it just right.

Melaine assured that if I kept adding the Catalina dressing to the softened cream cheese in small amounts, I would eventually achieve the proper hue to the perfect dip, she was correct.  Beginning with softened cream cheese certainly helps the process, and patience is a must.  This has long been an easy favorite “chip dip” in our family,  perfect for game watching parties, any occasion really.

This recipe is simple but oh so tasty.  I suppose you could dip carrots, celery, or some other healthy vegetable into Melaine’s famous Catalina Cream Cheese dip, but the salty crunch of a potato chip (with or without ridges) enhances the sweet of the catalina dip.

Catalina Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese softened (room temperature soft)

Catalina salad dressing

Potato Chips

Directions

1. Bring 8 ounces of cream cheese to room temperature
2. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of Catalina salad dressing
3. Stir with fork until smooth
4. Continue to add 1 tablespoon of dressing at time, stirring between each addition, until the desired colored (deep salmon) is reached (total amount is about 1/3 to just shy of 1/2 cup)
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve
6. Serve with Potato Chips

*Refrigerate leftover dip (HaHa, there won’t be any left over)