Dips

I'm in an entertaining mood, and dips and entertaining seem to go hand in hand.  It's not superbowl season anymore, but this is still a great list to keep on hand.

I'm all about the:
fondue (duh) Rub a small pot with garlic; add 1 cup white wine and simmer. Whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a splash of cognac, then 1/4 pound each gruyère and emmentaler cheese; add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve hot with apples and bread.  (I'm thinking I will do this a la Luna Park and make goat cheese fondue, obvi)
hummus variations:
Tahini Dip Puree 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 1 minced garlic clove. Drizzle in 1/2 cup hot water; puree until smooth.
Hummus Make a half batch of Tahini Dip (No. 2); puree with 1 can chickpeas, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 cup hot water.
Red Pepper Hummus Make a half batch of Tahini Dip (No. 2); puree with 1 can chickpeas, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup roasted red peppers and
1/2 cup hot water.
Tomato Tapenade Make Olive Tapenade (Pulse 1 cup black olives, 3 anchovies, 2 tablespoons each olive oil and capers, 1 tablespoon each lemon juice and parsley, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme and 1 garlic clove in a food processor. ) with 2 cups oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes instead of olives. Use white wine vinegar in place of the lemon juice and basil instead of thyme. Thin with water.
Romesco Dip Puree 1/2 cup toasted almonds, 2 roasted red peppers, 2 chopped seeded tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, 1 slice toast and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Add 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil; puree.
Slow Cooker Spinach Dip Mix 1 cup grated smoked mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 box thawed frozen spinach, 1 jar artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high, 2 hours.
Pepper-Rosemary Dip Sauté 1 minced garlic clove in 1/4 cup olive oil. Puree 1/2 cup jarred piquillo peppers, 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, 11 ounces goat cheese, half of the garlic oil, and salt and pepper; top with more garlic oil.
Onion Dip Sauté 1 each chopped yellow and red onion in olive oil over low heat until caramelized, 30 minutes; cool. Mix with 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 3/4 cup mayonnaise and chopped chives and scallions. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip  Cut the tops off 2 heads garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 400 degrees until tender, 45 minutes. Make Onion Dip (above) using the roasted garlic pulp in place of the sautéed onions. Add 6 slices chopped crisp bacon.
White-Bean Dip Fry 10 sage leaves, 4 chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes in 1/4 cup olive oil. Add 1 can cannellini beans and 1/3 cup water; warm through, then puree. Add a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Queso Dip Saute 3 tablespoons minced onion in oil. Add 1 can green chiles, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/3 cup beer, 1/4 pound each grated muenster and cheddar and a handful of chopped cilantro; cook until the cheese melts, then broil until bubbly.
Chorizo Dip Make Queso Dip (above); brown 1/4 pound sliced chorizo with the onion and replace the canned chiles with 1 diced jalapeño.
Ricotta-Tomato Dip Simmer 2 cups tomato sauce in a small skillet. Add 1 cup ricotta in dollops and warm through. Garnish with basil and drizzle with olive oil.
Pizza Dip Make Ricotta-Tomato Dip (No. 49) in a small ovenproof skillet; top with diced mozzarella and pepperoni, then bake at 350 degrees until bubbling.

And of course, guacamole.
Pile 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 to 3 chopped serrano chiles, 3/4 cup torn cilantro and a big pinch of kosher salt on a cutting board. Chop, then mash into a paste with the flat side of a large knife. Transfer to a bowl, add 3 diced avocados and mash with a wooden spoon until combined but still chunky. Stir in 1 medium diced tomato and season with salt. Top with more tomato, cilantro and onion.

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

That reminds me. Prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Another stupid easy dish, but people request that I make it at potlucks, so there you have it.

Clean and snap (you know that trick, right? If you believe the folks at America's Test Kitchen - that's totally unnecessary and a waste of plenty of good asparagus - they'll tell you just to cut an inch or so off the ends. The controversy rages on.) a bunch of asparagus or two, depending on how big a batch you're making.
Get enough prosciutto for each asparagus spear. You can use one large piece two spears (just tear it in half) but that's just wrong. More bacon!
I put my clean asparagus in a shallow baking dish and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic powder. I let it marinate in there for a little while as I do something else. Drink some wine, wash a dish, stare out the window, make whatever else I'm making to bring to the party. . . whatever.
Then I wrap a piece (or a half, if you must) of prosciutto around the asparagus - kind of like a barber pole; starting at one end and wrapping diagonally to the other.
I put these on a baking sheet and chuck into a 450 degree oven until the prosciutto looks brown and crispy and delicious, and Bob's your uncle.

Be prepared to fight off the hordes.