Game Day Dips: My 5 Go-To’s During Football Season
Who doesn’t love a good dip? I think if I could survive just on dips, I would. They are usually easy (and quick!) to make, you know everyone likes to dunk a good vegetable, cracker or pretzel into them and they are what I like to think of as “drive-by” appetizers. Someone dunk a tortilla into some queso and pop it in their mouth in mere seconds if they are walking by an appetizer table.
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I’ve been attending Michigan State tailgates since I was itty bitty and more often than not, everyone is asked to contribute a dish. Sometimes it’s a noon game so the menu looks more like egg casseroles, cinnamon rolls, Scottish eggs and piping hot coffee. But lately, it seems most games (at least college football) have been starting around 3p, 5p and 8p. Which means you can go a little heavier on the apps. I usually try to bring one dip and one heartier app since I never really know what others will be bringing.
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Without further ado, here are some of my favorite dips for game day!
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Dips Everyone Loves on Game Day
Papa’s Queso
I had to list this one first as it’s near and dear to my heart. This my dad’s go-to dip that EVERYONE loves. And when I say everyone, I’ve never met a single person who hasn’t wanted to lick the bowl clean. The best part? It is wildly easy!! He didn’t used to share the recipe, but lately, he’s been spreading the love and is willing to share it out.
For game day, I like to keep it hot in a little portable cordless crockpot.
Blue Cheese Dip
If you know Babs, you know she’s the Grandma the internet loves! She is a wealth of knowledge for great life hacks, including some pretty darn good recipes. One that I go back to time-and-time again for tailgate or at-home football viewing parties is her 3-Minute Blue Cheese Dip with Hot Honey Pretzels. Below is my own version of a good blue cheese dip. The hot honey pretzels, linked here, take a bit more effort, so you’re not inclined to make them, you can always serve this blue cheese dip with anything from veggies to wings!
Million Dollar Dip
Originated by Neiman Marcus, the Million Dollar Dip lives up to its name. Think pimento cheese dip on steroids. While I do love a good pimento cheese dip, this one is a pretty darn refreshing take on a tried-and-true dip. Note: it does include slivered almonds so if you’re worried about food allergies you can either leave them out (but they do add a great texture) or put up a sign next to the dip letting people know it contains nuts. I like to serve this with your basic Ritz Crackers or, veggies (as they seem to work with just about every dip).
Homemade French Onion Dip
Once you have the real thing, you’ll never go back. I’ve made different variations of this dip. The first one I tried was from Nick DiGiovanni’s cookbook, Knife Drop. Since then I’ve played around with other recipes and they are generally pretty similar. The best to serve with homemade french onion dip on game day? Wavy, ruffled potato chips, ofcourse. Here is how to caramelize onions. You need to do this before you start the recipe!
Cowboy Caviar
I first learned of this when a friend brought it to a summer BBQ and I’ve been making it religiously ever since. Open up a couple of cans, dice a few things, dump it into a bowl. Then you make a super easy dressing and combine it all and you have an easy peasy (not to mention VERY healthy and protein-rich) game day dip. I like to serve this with Tostitos scoops.
I promise any of the above will have people asking you to share the recipe! And feel free to mix it up with what you serve with it… crackers, veggies, pita, bagel chips, pretzels – the sky is the limit! Any way to get the dip into a belly almost always works.
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