Little Dipper Cranberry Orange Dip


Day 362.

Raise your hand if you got a Little Dipper for the Holidays.

The Little Dipper is so much fun----here are all of the dips and things I've made this year: Little Dipper recipes. Except the chicken and brown rice casserole. I have no idea how that showed up in there. Weird.

Jen T. sent me this recipe, and the kids and I had it for lunch the other day. When it's cooked, it looks like a big pile of fluffy snow.

The Ingredients.

--8 oz cream cheese
--2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
--2 T apple juice
--1/2 tsp orange zest
--1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

The Directions.

Plug in your Little Dipper to get it started warming up. Shove the block of cream cheese down into it. You may need to squish it in with a spoon. I promise it will fit. Shred the swiss, and add it. Grate the orange and add the zest. Add the apple juice. Cover and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour. When the cream and swiss cheese have fully melted, stir in the dried cranberries.

Serve with your favorite crackers or apple slices. We're really liking the new nut and rice crackers Blue Diamond puts out.

The Verdict.

Delicious. The original recipe called for 1 tsp of orange zest, but we're not big fans of orange zest, so I only added 1/2 tsp. It was still plenty zesty for us, and I probably could have omitted it all together for us. But then I would have needed to change the name.

The swiss and cream cheese melted together beautifully and were a delicious combination.

Thank you, Jen!

Do you love this article?

Please share it with your friends!


Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at December 27, 2008

Sign up for the A Year of Slow Cooking newsletter and get the Top Ten Reader Favorite Recipes sent directly to your inbox!

What they say about this article

  1. YOM! that sounds soo good! love the note on the orange too lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not only did I get a little dipper for Christmas, but I got the matching 6 qt. crock pot too! LOL Mine came in red, to match my red 4qt. crock pot, red toaster, red tea kettle, red microwave and red under counter cd/radio. I am not as fond of the lid/depth of it as my old one that the twins broke, but I think they just make them that way now. Matter fact when I checked into replacing my old one, found out it had been recalled! Guess we got lucky.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Keep up the good work.

    Blessings, Beth Ann

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have to agree on the Blue Diamond almond thins! They are SOOOOO YUMMMMMYYY!!! I can't find them at the grocery stores by us anymore and that stinks! Costco had them about two years ago and I haven't seen them since. The note on the orange cracks me up! Thanks for all the recipe's this year your an inspiration for all crockpoter's everywhere!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh I forgot something...where can you find a Little Dipper for sale by itself? The only one's I see are with a big one and I already have the 6 qt. one. Do you possibly know?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who labels food in the house. However, I use a post-it. A marker may just work better because post-its fall off and then I get upset when said food is gone. A marker--that may just be the ticket! : )

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12/27/2008

    I'm a 22 year old recent college graduate and thanks to you, one of my christmas presents this year was my very own shiny, red crockpot! I can't wait to try out some of your recipes on it! Thanks for doing this blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that you wrote 'don't eat me' on the orange :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I solved the "mystery" of the chicken and brown rice post showing up on the little dipper search- you referenced your link on using it to heat up a can of soup.
    I miss blue diamond-I have yet to see any of their products in the South.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ::adding little dipper to my birthday list::

    I got a 6q crock pot for Christmas so I'll be visiting your site a lot! I only had the basic size before and for our family of 5 it was getting too small!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I did! I did! I got a Little Dipper AND an electric fondue pot.. wheeeeee!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Diamond Nut Thins are a staple of my no-gluten-no-soy-and-now-no-corn diet! I can't eat all the varieties, but some of them fit into my scarily shrinking list of "acceptable" foods. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh yum! I got TWO little dippers for Christmas and am trying to decide what to make for a new year's day shindig we're hosting. Definitely will be perusing your recipes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just wanted to tell you that I made your Crock Pot Cheese Cake for Christmas. Everyone said it was the BEST cheese cake they had ever had. They kept asking, "You made this in a crock pot? How do you make cheese cake in a crock pot?" Thanks for making this cheese cake the hit of the party!!

    Happy New Year!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ohhhh this sounds soooooooo good!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I got a little dipper too!
    Asked Santa for after reading your blog :)
    This sounds like a great recipe to try it out with.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous12/27/2008

    That's the cutest little crock pot I have ever seen - never knew they made those!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, man, one more reason I need to get a Little Diipper!

    Poor orange, begging for its life. Haha!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I found a little dipper at Goodwill and never would have thought about buying it before I read this blog. My friend has sent me links to your blog before, but I didn't start reading it until just before Thanksgiving. I'm kind of glad i wasn't keeping up because now I have a lot of treasure to discover. Now that your year is almost over, I hope you'll give us some food for thought periodically. Thanks for the great ideas. Especially the yogurt--that's a lifesaver!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous12/27/2008

    So...would you serve this as an appetizer?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous12/27/2008

    This sounds so wonderful I may just have to go buy a little dipper! I love your blog so much, I hate to see the end of the year come. I refer to you so often, as I love my crockpot and you have done so many things you can't find in a slow cooker cook book. LOL. I'm so glad you'll leave this site up after you've fulfilled your resolution.
    I would like to give back a little, so please visit my "Merry Christmas Happy My Birthday" page for a few gifts. ldbeams.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. MMmmmm this sounds sooo good. Anything with cheese gets an A+ on my list. Thank you!

    Erin

    ReplyDelete
  22. Question:
    Did the mixture of Swiss and Cream Cheese stay mixed together, or did it "break" after being heated for a long period. (Assuming that it had the chance to be around for a long period....)

    ReplyDelete
  23. You can buy the nut thins on Amazon.dom for $34.16 for a case of 12

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous12/28/2008

    OMGosh! Does that ever sound good. I'm lovin' your blog and can't wait to check out all the previous recipes. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous12/28/2008

    Thanks for making me famous, lol!

    I'm glad to know we aren't the only ones who write on food. My kids love when I write them notes on bananas and send them to school.

    In answer to if it breaks, the answer is no, but it will start to brown around the edges if left for several hours. Really more of a cook and eat asap. I made it as an appetizer for Christmas and everyone loved it.

    Glad you liked the dip!

    ReplyDelete
  26. golly I can't believe I forgot to put a Lil' Dipper on my list!!! Well I'll just *have* to buy one ASAP!
    Everything I've made from your blog has been winners. Thanks for all your hard work.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tried this recipe today for my Mom, Dad, and Aunt, they loved it. My aunt actually took the leftovers with her. Thanks for all the great ideas. This was actually the first time using my little dipper and I've had it for 3 years.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Did I just see craisins and cream cheese in the same recipe??? You are officially in my will, now. Goin' on my New Year's Day eat-junk-food-til-we-puke grocery list.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have to say that because of your site, my fellow book club member gave all the rest of us Little Dippers for Christmas (and copies of some of the recipes). Thanks!!
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  30. somehow I got 2!!! :-) love how you wrote on the orange I do stuff like that too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous11/17/2009

    Delicious :D
    i was happy to see your blog especially my cooking knowledge is ZERRo so ihope to have delicous cooking here :D

    ReplyDelete
  32. From Canisteo, NY12/29/2011

    I agree, the note on the orange made me chuckle. I will have to try this recipe soon.

    ReplyDelete