Horseradish Cheese Dip

"You're welcome"!

This will be my response to your "Thank You" after you try this easy and tasty dip. There are oodles of horseradish cheese dip recipes out there on the internet. This particular version was thrown together by a good family friend. And her instructions to me? To use it as a base and build from there... try adding diced sun dried tomatoes, or perhaps artichoke hearts one time. Or mix in some lump crab, or even crumbled bacon! It is really great all on it's own though, and you can adjust the amount of horseradish to your particular liking. Serve it with crackers or vegetables, slather it on sandwiches, or make it a little saucier and serve it along side burgers or steaks off the grill. Again... "You're welcome"!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of sharp (or extra sharp) cheddar cheese, grated/shredded
• 4 oz of smoked gouda, grated/shredded
• 3 TBSP mayo
• 1/4 Cup white wine or beer
• 3-4 TBSP or horseradish (I like Kelchner's brand - it's locally produced in PA)

*Here is my hope and a plea to you... Please don't buy the pre-shredded cheese in the bags. It lacks so much flavor! Buy a block of nice sharp cheddar and grate/shred it yourself. The taste is nicer and the moisture content will be slightly higher, making it mix into the other ingredients more nicely. It really will make all the difference!

Directions:

• Shred your cheese. I use my grating blade in my food processor, but you can use any hand-held grater.
• Mix your wet ingredients and add them to the cheese. The long strings of cheese will begin to break down as you stir. I like to stir and "chop" with the edge of a wooden spoon.
• Serve with crackers or vegetables.