Welcome to another round of Tailgating Thursday!!!

Today I have a dip that has very quickly become a favorite with my family and pretty much everyone else who has tried it. I made it for KING5 news last week, and I couldn’t keep the camera men out of it, and that was at 6 in the morning! I promise you will love it.

To enjoy at home, all of the directions are below for a delicious hot and cheesy appetizer. But, the thing that makes it perfect for tailgating is the fact that you can basically just pile all these ingredients into a small skillet or baking dish as far as the night before and cover it with foil or plastic wrap. The next morning just pack it in the car and take it to the tailgating party. Then, when the BBQ is pumping on high, just set the skillet (uncovered) in the BBQ and put the lid down. Cook until the cheese is all hot and melted and bubbly and then serve with chips, crackers or chunks of chewy French bread.

The other beauty is how INSANELY fast and easy it is to put together. You can literally buy everything you need for this hot caprese dip at Trader Joes. If you are an over achiever go ahead and make a homemade batch of pesto– or if you are just trying to make it as easy as possible, pick some up from the store and you are good to go!

Ok, now go enjoy!!!!

To make this Hot Caprese Dip, this is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In an 9” skillet or baking dish add the cherry tomatoes.

Evenly crumble the goat cheese over the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the goat cheese with the red pepper flakes. Add a layer of the slices of mozzarella over the goat cheese. Sprinkle with the bacon (if using) and drizzle the pesto over the top.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until very hot and melted. Serve immediately with pita chips or crostini.