Happy birthday to us! To you! And to the kids at Maltby Food Bank

   Happy Birthday! Everyone gets one birthday each year, after all, and we'll be celebrating a special birthday all year long---Yakima Fruit Market is 75 years old this year. I'm now old enough that I've told children  I've worked here for 75 years, and they believe me, but please tell me that you don't!

   One way we're celebrating is to work with the Maltby Food Bank's Birthday Bag program. It's a fun way to help make a child's birthday a little more special: fill a birthday theme bag with everything needed for a festive party: decorated plates, napkins, balloons, cake mix, frosting and other special too-dads that would be appropriate for kids. The Birthday Bags are targeted for children between ages 2-12, and we're delivering our first two bags this month. Here's the Maltby Food Bank link.

   The best birthday party I've been to in a very long time was my granddaughter's second birthday last fall, where every food item on the menu was  a dip, because toddlers love to snack and dip, and are likely to try foods they wouldn't normally touch, if a crunchy breadstick and a messy dip are involved!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPINACH DIP!

   In a blender or food processor, combine and blend until smooth:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 envelope AJ's Dilly Ranch Dressing Mix (available, where else...at YFM)

3 cups fresh spinach

2/3 cup fresh green onion tops, chopped

   When mixture is blended, pour into a mixing bowl and add:

1 cup diced jicama

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

   Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Seattle Bagel Bakery's Savory Bagel Chips are the perfect vehicle for the dip, and, of course they are available, where else...at YFM! Makes about 3 cups dip.

   

   Fruitfully yours,

Karin

I too attended a two year old's party last fall that included this amazingly simple dip for fruit. It is so simple and delicious both myself and my own two year old can't get enough. I like it with apples and strawberries but I am thinking it would be an excellent cupcake frosting as well. 

KRISTEN'S SUPER EASY DIP FOR FRUIT

Ingredients: 

8 oz room temperature cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

Blend room temperature cream cheese with sugar and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth. Serve with your favorite fruit - I like strawberries and apples. 

My other new favorite dip is Ina Garten's smoked salmon dip. I made it for our family dinner last  night and it was a hit. We ate it with crackers but I just imagined it to be the perfect spread for making petite tea sandwiches on soft crustless bread.

Ina Garten's Smoked Salmon Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Directions

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudites and/or crackers.

Stay sweet, 

Alisa