Monday, May 9, 2011

Bean dip, or how to make people think you're a genius.


I have been stupid busy these past few months. I started a new job, a much more demanding job than my last, and it is keeping me working longer hours and then sleeping in my free time. I'm exhausted. There's not been a lot of cooking, not a lot of sewing, not ever a lot of keeping up with other blogger's cooking and sewing. So now more than ever, I think it is the right time to share a fast and dirty secret. It's time to share a culinary masterpiece so delicious yet so simple it feels like you are swindling your diners. The secret... bean dip.

If you want to make friends quickly, be very popular, and also have people think you are a culinary genius, serve them bean dip. Seriously. The masses, they love it. They fawn over it. They gobble it up with looks of admiration in their eyes. They will even ask you how you made it, lingering a bit in the question as though worrying it might be too hard for them to reproduce at home. And when they ask, my answer is always the same:

"Open a can of refried beans. Mix with a bunch of salsa and a handful of shredded cheese. Add another handful of cheese to the top. Microwave until molten hot. Serve with chips, preferably the generic brand. They are saltier."

Yep, that's it. My highly coveted bean dip is that easy. That accessible. And it's about as far from culinary masterpiece as fast food is. And yet, every time I whip up a batch, I swear folks think I am a genius.

Plus, on those long work days when you are exhausted (like I am every day), or for those times when you just didn't get to the store for the prosciutto and figs appetizer ingredients like you meant to, this is a fabulous go-to. It hits the spot every time.

1 comment:

Jennifer Navarrete said...

Simplicity = Genius. <- Bravo!