Hoagie Dip...Super Yummy

Today is the first day of Spring.  Spring makes me think of baseball.  Baseball makes me think of summer.  Summer makes me think of backyard parties.  Backyard parties make me think of food.  Food makes me think of…well, right now, all I am thinking about is food.

Have you ever tasted hoagie dip?  It’s delish (I hate that word).  This is one of my favorite dips, but for some reason it’s not one that I often make.  It’s pretty simple to put together – it just requires a trip to the deli.

Hoagie Dip

Ingredients

• ¼ lb Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 1/4 lb cooked ham, thinly sliced
• ¼ lb pepperoni, thinly sliced
• ¼ lb American cheese, thinly sliced
• ¼ lb Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise (may need more, depending on your preference)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 12 hoagie rolls, torn into pieces for dipping
• 2 tomatoes, diced

Directions:

• Slice the deli meats and cheese into bite size pieces, and place in a large bowl.
• Add the onion, oregano, and tomato to the meat and cheese mixture
• Add the mayonnaise, and mix until everything is well coated.  You may need to add more mayonnaise (it all depends on what you like)
• Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve
• Serve will hoagie roll pieces

**Some people add shredded cheese to this dip, but I don’t because wet lettuce grosses me out.

Backyard parties remind me of my family, and if you have been following me this week, you know that I have been writing about my family.

Today I am highlighting my cousin Lauren.   Not only is Lauren my cousin, but she is also my God-daughter.  That’s a big deal in my family.  It’s like being runner up in the Miss America contest.  In the event her parents can’t fulfill their duties, I have to step up and take responsibility.  That was a huge thing, considering I was 18 and just about to head off to college. 

Here’s what you need to know about her:

Her hair style and hair color can change at any minute.  At.Any.Minute.  I know this sounds silly, but I see that as being courageous.  I have had the same hairstyle since I was 18.  I fear change.

She's hip.  She speaks a different language.  Sometimes I think she makes words up, but I spot check her.  She speaks the truth.
     

Halloween in Disney World

She's smart...real smart.  Sometimes I wish she could use her knowledge for good, just like a super hero.

Goofing off in the Magic Kindgom

      She has a wide taste in music.  She listens to bands that I never even knew existed. Truth be told, I don’t think the bands even know they exists.  Some of them seem so obscure and off the wall.  Just like the language she speaks, I find myself spot-checking the bands in Rolling Stone magazine – just to be sure they are real.  And they are.  Funny fact -- I remember when she loved Hillary Duff.  She reminds me of John Cusack’s character in High Fidelity (a movie I LOVE)…don’t bother talking to me if you are going to buy that crap music. 

  

I sometimes think of her like a little sister.  For a brief time in 2000, after my mother passed away, I moved in with her family (Lauren is Mary Kaye's oldest).  We all fell into a familiar routine.  Each night, my husband (then fiance) would prepare her lunch for the next day.  They would work side-by-side in the kitchen, and she made him always cut the crust off of her sandwiches.  I'm pretty sure she invented Uncrustables.  Each morning she would wake up early, and we would have breakfast together before I left for work.  And when I say early, I mean early....6:30 a.m. is early for the Ellis family.

From the way back machine....2001

Another day....another cousin.....Back to the other part of this post.  Give this dip a try, and let me know what you think.  I will let you in on a little secret -- there are plenty of delis that already have this prepared.  Go pick some up, put it in your own bowl, and serve it at your next party.  Just pretend you made it!

Until next time....