Cape Cod: Sun, Sand, Loaded Baked Potato Dip & Pizza Dip

Now that the laundry is washed, folded and put away, I guess vacation really is over and it’s time to share some really fantastic food ideas from Cape Cod starting with 2 great appetizers: Loaded Baked Potato Dip and Pizza Dip.  One question though – how does laundry double from what you packed?  I have a theory that the salt air causes everything to expand.

I’ve always loved the Cape.  The beaches along the National Seashore are breathtaking and the sound of the surf really relaxes me even if driving to them can be challenging.  Yes, traffic on the Cape in the summer can be frustrating gridlock but we John someone seemed to have a problem, even with the help of GPS, understanding the basic layout of the Cape and the concept of East-West-North-South.

If you aren’t familiar with Cape Cod, it’s a long arm of land in the Atlantic with one major highway (Rt. 6) running down the center.  On the north side you have the scenic Rt. 6A, on the south side you have the winding, scenic Rt. 28.  Connecting those three main routes are a number of small roads going north and south – take almost any one of them and eventually you’ll end up back on Rt. 6, 6A, or Rt. 28.

Since we were staying on the north side of Rt. 6 in Brewster almost every place we were heading other than our first stop in Falmouth , involved going east.  So tell me – why did we end up heading west on Rt. 6 (back home) so many times even with the suggestions of the nice GPS lady who spent a very frustrating week of “recalculating your route”?  I swear, at one point I heard her get a little snippy and say “recalculating your route, againnnn….”  I’m not trying to pick on anyone of Italian heritage but I’m thinking this is genetic.  Look what happened with Chistopher Columbus when he tried to find his way aross an ocean – same deal with John and he had GPS making some very good suggestions.

Our first stop was in Falmouth to watch Niki and a group of friends run in the 40th Falmouth Road Race on Sunday.  Saturday night had been a downpour and the race was slightly delayed while they cleared flooding on the route, but the skies did clear.  Great for us watching, not so great for the runners because once the sun hit, the humidity was incredible.

I give them all a great deal of credit for starting the race, never mind finishing.

We’d positioned ourselves at the top of the final hill right before the finish line and somehow managed to miss every one of Niki’s friends and our own daughter.  Oh well, we did catch up with them later after the finish line and moved on to a fantastic post-run feast at Niki’s friends’ beach house.  Kudos and thank you to Cate and Jules who pulled it all together.

I can’t take credit for the creation of these appetizers that Niki made (adapted from myrecipes.com) but I can take credit for scarfing up more than my fair share, especially the loaded baked potato/bacon dip.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip
Prep time: 10 minutes

I had to call Niki on this one because I couldn’t find the potato in the recipe.  There is none, the potato part comes from the potato chip that you use to scoop up as much of this as the chip will hold.  The name comes from all the most wonderful things that you could possibly put on top of a loaded baked spud which makes this about the easiest, fastest dip you can put together.

16 ounces sour cream
16 slices (12-ounce package) bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup thinly chopped scallions or chives
Couple dashes of Worcestershire Sauce 

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to meld together. Garnish with extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chives. Serve with Ruffles (sturdy) potato chips. If there are any leftovers (unlikely) they can be refrigerated for up to a week.

And, in case you don’t get your fill of the Loaded Baked Potato Dip, give this one a try:

Pizza Dip
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 20 minutes

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup pizza sauce
2 oz. sliced pepperoni
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
Add just about anything that you like on a pizza to create your own combo.

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a 9″ baking dish.  Top with ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
3. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cheeses, and then top with the remaining ½ cups of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
4. Top with pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper
5. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with toasted French bread slices.