The following is a guest post by Green Panda’s husband, Blue Panda:

When going to a potluck dinner with friends or to a watch a big game, we naturally like to bring something tasty. Of course, we don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on it. Fortunately, one of our favorite appetizers is pretty easy on the wallet.

The dip is simply known as sausage dip, and while it may not look like much, it always has everyone coming back for more… if there’s any left.

Ingredients:

• 1-pound roll of sausage (I like to use Italian sausage)
• 8-ounce pack of cream cheese
• 1 small can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with chilies)

Preparation: Brown the sausage and drain it, then throw everything together and heat until the cream cheese melts. It’s ready.

The spiciness is controlled by the sausage and the type of chilies with the tomatoes. I’ve found that Italian sausage and mild chilies strikes right balance, at least for us. (I’ve also heard of a variant that uses beef, but I haven’t tried it.)

Usually, we make a double portion and throw everything in a slow cooker to melt the cream cheese. The slow cooker makes it easy to carry and keep it warm whereever we’re taking it.

How does it stack up, price-wise?

• Cream cheese: $1-2
• Tomatoes with chilies: about $1.30
• Roll of sausage: $2-$4
• Chips: about $3.50

We usually go to Wal-Mart and the double portion ends up being about $9-$10, plus a bag of chips. That can serve up to 15 people as an appetizer.

Do you know of any recipes that give a good bang for the buck?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

• Sunset Picnic Ah, what a nice and romantic idea. I want to thank Leo for the suggestions on how to be romantic while not spending too much money.  The headache is that it takes effort, right? No, it doesn't take a huge amount of work to set up and execute. It does......
• Throwing a Classy and Easy Dinner Party: Appetizers     What Do You Need to Set Up a Dinner Party? Decide how big you want the party to be. My suggestion? Try 6-10 guests for your first outing.  Decide who you want to have over. Don't just invite your same circle of friends. Introduce different people and......

• Essential Tips for Good Health Here is a look at ten essential tips for good health, which involve diet, weight loss, good nutrition, fitness and movement and other aspects of your health. Tie these ten essential tips together and you will have a picture of good health and wellness. Essential Tip #1 - You absolutely......
• Wet Burrito Recipe After eating at the Asian buffet the other night I figured it was time for a change. This Wet Burrito Recipe was my Son’s idea; I thought it was a good one so I decided to give it a try. I have never eaten Wet Burritos, and Mexican cosine......