Groovin' Reuben Dip: St. Paddy's Happy Hour

Last night, as we were walking home from the inn, the town was lit up with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and headware. You know what they say...everyone is Irish on March 17.

I may not be Irish, but I know a good Irish meal when I see one (for the record, you can get a mean corned beef and cabbage at Meehan's any day of the year). And I know that a great Irish lunch is a nice, messy Reuben.

We don't serve sandwiches at the inn, but I thought a reuben dip might be nice. We had some leftover from happy hour, and we served it to the wedding party last night (they were hanging out a while since the someone forgot the marriage license and they had to drive back to Ponte Vedra to get it!!) Now, the guests were pretty hungry by this time, but still...they raved about the recipe. Which makes me think it might be good enough to put on the rotation any time of year.

Try it for yourself, and let me know if you like it.

Reuben Dip

1/2 pound corned beef
1 cup swiss cheese (I couldn't find any shredded, so we just sliced it into thin strips so it would melt)
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T ketchup
1 T spicy brown mustard

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 1-quart glass dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and top browns slightly.

Serve with rye crackers or rye bread. All our rye crackers were eaten at happy hour, so I served it with a Ritz-style cracker at the wedding, and everyone loved it just as much!!