Whether it’s football season, a holiday get-together, or a themed party for national Talk Like a Pirate Day, dips and chips are the ultimate snack that everyone can gather round. Have a fiesta with a 7-layered bean dip. Pimentos and Velveeta are all you need for a southern-style cookout. Raise the Jolly-Roger for your pirate party over a seafood dip no one can resist. Get creative and make your own cheese ball! I recently did that, and it was a huge hit. Homemade salsa is always a classic. Use a slow-cooker, chill one overnight, or find some quick-and-easy recipes for same-day fun. There is a dip for any occasion.

With New Years’ upon us, we’d better be prepared. New Years’ parties are times for snack foods. So grab your crackers, and pick a dip! What will you have? Ritz, Clubhouse, Fritos, Tostitos, potato chips, Wheat thins, or something else? Whatever your chip preference, there’s a dip for that.

I’ve mentioned the Seafood dip a couple of times already, only because it’s my favorite. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com as a layered seafood dip, and I wouldn’t change a thing! It’s been a staple at all my college parties back in the day. It was always a success. Are you ready?

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Ingredients:

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1 cup cocktail sauce

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

3 green onions, chopped

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

1 cup cooked crabmeat

1 cup cooked baby shrimp

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and cream cheese in medium mixing bowl.

In a 12 inch serving dish, spread cream cheese mixture across the bottom. Spread the cocktail sauce evenly over the mixture. Next add the bell pepper, green onions, and tomato. Top with the crabmeat and baby shrimp. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover and chill in refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

If you’re not a seafood fan, that’s okay. There are plenty of other dips to pick from. A hot spinach artichoke dip may be just the thing. It’s been trending on restaurant menus for the past couple of years. There are plenty of different recipes for it online, or just for a spinach dip. Sometimes artichokes can be hard to get a hold of. Although, I’d say it’s well worth it to get the artichokes, because they do make a difference.

Dips and appetizers are my favorite way to get a little taste of everything. It’s half the reason I love the holiday’s so much! Scrumptious food. Don’t be afraid to put out multiple dips. Depending on the party size, 2 may be enough, or for larger parties 4 to 5! This year at my family’s Thanksgiving table we had 2 different bean dips (one spicy, one not), a southern style dip, and a cheese ball. 4 dips for 20 people wasn’t too shabby. My roommates and I would put out 2 to 3 dips for groups of 10 to 20 people when we hosted parties in college – which was usually once a month. They were always well received. The best part was trying new recipes. The seafood dip was a staple, and we probably used it at every other party, but there was always room for more.

Make it healthy: serve your dips with veggies instead of chips. Make it fancy: serve the dips in a bread bowl, or stuffed in a large bell pepper or mushroom, if you’ve made guacamole, serve it in the avocado skin. Make it fun: Gather your friends, your family, and your games. Tell someone to bring a dip, and another to bring a chip, then just enjoy spending the quality time with each other.