Salsa Dip and Brownies

Due to the success of last month's workplace potluck, I'm trying to make it a monthly event for our department. Today marked our second potluck and again, it was a rousing success!

I volunteered to bring to an appetizer and a dessert (natch). To be honest, I dragged my heels on making something during the weekend (since the weather was so nice) and since I didn't get home until 9 pm last night from the gym, I opted for two very easy choices:

Salsa Dip


and Melanie's Brownies:



Recipes for both follow below:

Salsa Dip

Ingredients
1 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
1 jar of chunky (not watery) salsa - I ended up using the Tostitos brand since it was on sale
1 package of Mexican blend shredded cheese - I usually go with Sargento's 2 cup bag (I can't remember how many oz this is, perhaps 8?)
1 package of taco seasoning

Directions

1. Spread cream cheese on bottom of glass pie plate (I find that microwaving the cream cheese for 25 seconds makes it easy to spread if you forget to bring it to room temperature).
2. Strain chunky salsa with pasta strainer and spread what remains on top of the cream cheese.
3. Sprinkle cheese evenly as the top layer and sprinkle taco seasoning on top (I usually only use a small portion of the seasoning, around 1/5 of the package).
4. Top with Saran wrap and microwave for two to three minutes before serving.

Melanie's Brownies (back story on how I got the recipe referenced here)

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 4 squares of Baker's unsweetened chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Melt butter and chocolate on stove on low in a small saucepan.
3. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a medium bowl lightly
4. Add white sugar, salt and vanilla - mix well until blended.
5. Add melted butter and chocolate to egg mixture, mix well.
6. Finally, add flour and mix well.
7. Bake in greased 13" x 9" pan for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I love the thick, even texture of these brownies - they slice so cleanly, unlike any other brownie I've made.

In addition to these two items, my coworkers and I feasted on:

• Homemade fried chicken
• Shrimp and broccoli risotto
• Eggplant Manicotti
• Egg rolls
• Pulled pork sandwiches
• Salad with a homemade Greek yogurt and lemon juice dressing
• Homemade hummus and pita chips
• Seven layer bars

I think I'm still full from this lunch. And I'm already in the midst of planning our May lunch.