Whatever dip - food for a godess

As many of you can relate - I have not had a hot meal since my daughter was born. I swear, the smell of cooking food must tweak her nose hairs and the sound of a knife on a cutting board must screech in her ears. The bell on the microwave and timer on the stove wake her up - even if she's in the other room - with the door closed - with a box fan running - and white noise music playing.

Often times, I end up skipping lunch or dinner to fend off tears - grab a granola bar "for now" and dive into chips, donuts, candy, pudding, ice cream, or anything else that sounds good once she goes to bed. Leftover dinner items need not apply.

I have been on a dip kick. I big dip kick. Since I had to eliminate peppers and onions from my diet for breastfeeding purposes, I had to say farewell to my beloved salsa addiction. *tear, sniff* Since a naked chip is an ugly chip, I've been inventing new dip combinations. Some are sinful and fantastic and others have a tinge of healthfulness. I call my dip "Whatever Dip." Why, you ask? Because it's whatever I have on hand because I forgot my list at home and decided to stock up on ketchup (when we have a 3 unopened bottles in the cupboard) instead of buying what I really need.

The dip ALWAYS turns out better if I'm at the store when I decide to make it - rather than after I return home from the store.

Below I list all the ingredients that have made it into the dip to date. In my opinion, they all go well together, but some may disagree. Feel free to mix and match!

Ingredients:

• Diced tomatoes (you can upgrade to Italian style for added flavor)
• Cream cheese (softened for mixing pleasure)
• Ground meat (I've used sausage, ground beef, venison, and combinations thereof)
• Cilantro (fresh. always, always fresh)
• Parsley (when I decide not to read the label on the bunch of cilantro at the market)
• Velveeta (used when I was out of cream cheese)
• Avocado (everything's better with avocado)
• Lime juice (fresh squeezed gives a nice finishing touch)

Of course, if your feeding situation allows you to add peppers, chilies, onions or hot sauce - be my guest!

Vehicles:

• Tortilla chips (these are my standby - they must be sturdy as this is a bulky dip)
• Triscuits (always dip with dominant ribs pointing down or they'll break!)
• Carrots (I do this when I'm feeling guilty - I usually set a goal: eat 2 carrots before busting out the chips)
• Spoon (why the hell not!)
• Finger (dishwasher friendly - it keeps the junk from crusting up on the inside of the bowl)

Enjoy! (Yes, the baby cries when she hears the chip bag, too.)