The Betty Crocker Project : Pizza Dip

It was an exciting night in Shannon household, full of heartbreak and drama.

Yes, as you can probably tell from the photo, our delicious pizza dip caught fire in the broiler. Not a big fire, really. It was more like a birthday cake. I put the rack in too high, and when I went to pull it out, I just had to blow on it to save our lives and property.

Don't worry, we didn't throw this little guy away. We don't waste food around here. The Celtics played the Lakers last night, and we had to eat something to take our minds off the whipping the guys in green got. It was a heartbreak of a game, with injuries and missed baskets here, there and everywhere. I hate it when they look so sad. But I have to say that if there's one thing I've learned sharing my life with Dan, and from all the sports media in our lives, it's that nothing makes the fans go crazy more than a redemption story. So let's all get really excited for that.

It is really too bad that the photo doesn't do this dip justice. This had all the potential of being a really great photo, with the diced peppers and olives and everything. What this photo doesn't really show is that even burnt, this dip was pretty good. Our dearest Chris Overton (pictured below), or The Ol' Rev Dino Arms as he came to be known at our wedding, said it had that "Pizza Hut burnt crust taste" - which actually had it's own charm. Although it would have been nice to really taste the fresh basil that was lost in the damage.

Here's to your dip having a better trip in the broiler - and to the Lakers tanking on Thursday!

Pizza Dip

• 1 Package of Vegan Cream Cheese (plain)
• 1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 10 Slices Vegan Pepperoni
• Handful Black Olives (sliced)
• 1/3 Cup Red Pepper (diced)
• 1/3 Cup Green Pepper (diced)
• !/3 Cup Red Onion (diced)
• 1/2 Cup Daiya Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
• Handful Fresh Basil
• Tortilla Chips for Dipping

Set Oven to Broil. If you want to bake it instead, preheat oven to 325.

In a bowl, mix Cream Cheese, Pizza Sauce, Garlic, Garlic Powder, Nutritional Yeast and Oregano with a hand mixer. Spread into a 9-inch glass pie dish. You're going to top the Cheese Dip Mix with layers of toppings in this order: Daiya Cheese, Pepperoni, Daiya Cheese, Peppers and Onions, Daiya Cheese, Olives and Basil, and then the last of the Daiya Cheese.

Put in the broiler or oven until the Daiya Cheese is melted. This should take around 1-2 minutes in the broiler, or 5-10 minutes in the oven. Serve immediately with Tortilla Chips.

I love this picture from the wedding rehearsal. We look like JCrew Pirates.

"Arrrrrr - We're here for your Sperry Top-Siders and Pizza Dip!"