Christmas Notebook

Three Cheese Spread
This is the recipe I started with, but I changed some things…my version follows this one.

1 package (3 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken or turkey
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Crackers or tortilla chips

In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, bouillon and cayenne; mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Spread cream cheese mixture onto a 10-in. serving plate. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, bacon, tomato, swiss cheese, chicken and parsley. Serve with crackers or chips.
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Well, here I go changing recipes again…but I wanted a lot more than this recipe makes. So here’s my ingredient list.

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
less than 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
9 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
8 oz. freshly shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken or turkey [I left this out.]
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

I combined all ingredients in my mixer, except the tomato and parsley which I reserved to sprinkle on top when ready to serve.

I made the cheese spread the day before the party. I even prepared the tomato and minced the parsley ahead of time. I stored them in little ziptop bags. About an hour before the party, I put the cheese spread in the serving dish, sprinkled the tomatoes and parsley on top, then loosely wrapped it in plastic wrap and returned it to the fridge until time to put it on the table. I wanted to serve it with bagel chips, but there were none at the store. Remember…I live in a town with a Wal-Mart and an Aldi’s. Not much choice available. We have to drive an hour to get to any kind of large store. So we used four kinds of crackers for the party. Hearty, snappy crackers. I bought little bread loaves in the deli to use, too, but didn’t serve them after all. But the cheese spread was delicious on them the next day. What little there was left. 🙂 Thanks to my friend Susan who brought this recipe to our Home Extension Christmas party two years ago and who graciously shared the recipe with me!

~~Rhonda