"crudites" news and stories

• A look at the cuisine of Iceland.
• How to make a meal out of what you can buy at your small local grocer.
• Can hard cider make a comeback?
• It's holiday party season, and how about trying a crudites platter?
• Here's a gift idea for the cook/sports fan in your family.
• This week's recipes: Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, Mango-Red Pepper Salsa, Roasted Chicken Parts, and Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party at your house this weekend, the last thing you want is to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else yells at the TV and eats all your food. I've made a quick list of items you can prepare ahead of time, which will leave you with more time to cheer for your favorite team.

Vegetables: Whether you are making a crudités platter or using them in other dishes, cut your vegetables the day before. Just make sure you wrap them separately and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to use them.

Dips: If you have been following along, we've been posting a Dip-a-Day here at Slashfood, and almost all of them can be prepared the day before.

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Super Bowl Sunday is just over a week away. Almost everyone tunes in to the main event, whether they're watching the actual football game or just the commercials, making it the most-watched few hours of television all year. The Super Bowl is also one of the biggest snacking days of the year, and while pizza, hot wings and chili all popular choices, nothing flies off the supermarket shelves faster than chips, salsas and dips. You're probably better off using those store bought chips if you're going to be entertaining a crowd, but homemade dips can be even tastier and not much more difficult to make than store-bought. Here are eight great ideas for your Super Bowl munchies from around the blogs, but we'll be counting down a Dip a Day until the big game here, too:

• The Quick and Easy Artichoke dip from Simply recipes has four ingredients, is served hot and is ready in under 15 minutes.
• Mango Salsa has a fresh, Southwestern flavor from mango, corn, red onions and chilies.
• Similar to the salsa above, this Black Bean Salsa has corn, onions and peppers mixed in with black beans, for a heartier dip.
• Roasted Strawberry and Tomato Salsa is another fruity, but savory, dip. It features deep flavors from the roasted berries and heat from chipotle peppers.
• Susan's Artichoke Hearts and Roasted Red Pepper Dip is almost like a variation on hummus, made with tahini and blended until smooth, though it includes no beans.
• Spinach Parmesan Dip is always a hit at parties. Serve it with crackers or blue corn tortilla chips.
• French Onion Dip (pictured) is made from packet mixes all too often. Even though it's easy to use the pre-mixed spices, those versions won't compare with this homemade one.
• Too Many Chefs' Spicy Peanut Sauce is a great choice for dipping crudites, providing something a little different from standard ranch-type dips. It can also double as a dip for chicken wings.