Layered Basil-Roasted Red Pepper Spread

I confess. I'm a bit of a recipe snob. Totally guilty of it. If a recipe comes off a box, there is almost no chance in hell I'll try it. "Why is that?", you ask? I have no idea. Maybe because they usually call for ingredients that are pre-made and I feel it's cheating. Maybe I feel that I need something more "original". Who knows.

That being said, there are actually a lot of great recipes on boxes that I'm missing out on! This one didn't come from a box, but rather nabisco.com. I tried it at someone's house at least a year ago and loved it so much, I asked for the recipe. I expected some gourmet chef to be behind this crazy-delicious dip, but nope, it's Nabisco. (OK- maybe there is a gourmet chef behind it, but still.... it's Nabisco!)

Is this blog just oooooozing snobbery? I hope not!


Here are the instructions on how to recreate this amazing dip. Give it a try and serve it to your friends... I guarantee you'll impress them!


Ingredients
*Slight variation- I increased the basil

1/4 cup roasted red peppers
5 pitted black olives, chopped
1 tub (12 oz.) Cream Cheese (Or, one brick and something to use as a mold.)
1/3 cup lightly packed  fresh basil
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. Sliced Almonds, toasted
Crackers


Using the pulse setting on a food processor, thoroughly combine the basil, garlic and cream cheese. Line a clean mold (or cream cheese tub) with plastic wrap and fill with the cream cheese half way.

Mix together the olives and red peppers and add on top of the cream cheese layer.

Top with remaining cream cheese, pressing into the mold so it's nice firm.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with sliced almonds if desired, and servce with crackers (or veggies!).

I'm already thinking about the many possibilities this recipe holds! You can blend the cream cheese with pineapple and use mangoes for the center layer, or blend the cream cheese with kalamata olives and use sun-dried tomatoes as the center layer? Split up the ingredients so there are two layer? The options are endless!

Happy eating!