Food Tube: Happy Chip & Dip Day!

At the wake for George's girlfriend's aunt, debate of a social nicety escalates into an all-out brawl when his girlfriend's brother Timmy calls him out for double-dipping. For what it's worth, George defends his choice: "I'll dip the way I wanna dip."

Ingredients
-1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
-2 cloves garlic
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
-1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
-Salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
-6 pitas
-1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

3. Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

4. Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

(from Food Network/Giada De Laurentiis)

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) waits in line at the department store to exchange the Chip N' Dip he and Trudy (Alison Brie) received as a wedding gift, since they already had one. But he can only get store credit... which leads to Pete gleefully purchasing a 22-caliber rifle.

Ingredients
-2 large yellow onions
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/8 cup vegetable oil
-1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions

1. Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper, and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

(from Ezra Pound Cake, adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Cat siblings Chip and Dip first appeared on Sesame Street in the mid-1980s; the raspy-voiced felines would play tricks on Oscar the Grouch.

Ingredients
-4 ripe avocados
-3 limes, juiced
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-1 garlic clove, minced
-2 serrano chiles, sliced thinly
-1 big handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-Extra-virgin olive oil
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Halve and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

(from Food Network/Tyler Florence)

In season 8's Thanksgiving episode (you might remember it as Brad Pitt's guest spot), Monica doesn't want to cook a turkey because she'll have to deal with the leftovers. Joey promises her that he'll eat the whole 19-lb turkey, but when Monica sees him chomping on potato chips, she scolds him for filling up too early. He responds, "Let me explain to you how the human body works. I have to warm my stomach first. Eatin’ chips is like stretching."

(Photo is from a different recipe.)

Ingredients
-4 medium ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-Salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
-1 tablespoon butter
-1 cup minced onions
-1/4 cup small diced red bell peppers
-1/4 cup small diced yellow bell peppers
-1 medium jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced
-1 tablespoon chopped garlic
-1 cup homemade mayonnaise
-1/2 pound grated Monterey Jack Cheese
-2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions, (green part only)
-6 small flour tortillas, quartered
-6 small blue corn tortillas, quartered
-1/4 cup chopped black olives

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rub each ear of the corn with the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the corn either on the grill or either on an open flame. Cook the corn for 1 minute on all sides. Remove from the heat and cool. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob. In a large saute pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the corn and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the jalapenos and garlic. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Turn the vegetable mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise and half of the cheese. Mix well. Stir in the green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a greased 6 cup oven-proof oval baking dish. Spread evenly and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Fry the tortillas in batches until crispy, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly for overall browning. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish the dip with the chopped olives. Serve warm with the chips.

(from Food Network/Emeril Lagasse)

You would think that foodies like Lorelai and Rory would have plenty of allusions to chips, but the best I could find was the bit from this episode in which they enjoy chocolate fondue. Hey, it's dip, so it counts! Because Gilmore Girls is all about the words, here's the exchange:

EMILY: This feels so decadent. Isn't this decadent?
RORY: Very decadent.
LORELAI: Are there more marshmallows?
EMILY: All you two have been dipping is the marshmallows! You haven't touched the kiwi, or the pineapple, or the tangelo slices.
RORY: But it's fruit.
EMILY: Fruit is good for you.
RORY: We're fondue purists, Grandma.
LORELAI: Yeah, we dip old school.
EMILY: The government says you should have nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
LORELAI: Imperialist propaganda.
RORY: I think Noam Chomsky would agree.
LORELAI: I bet Noam doesn’t dip fruit.
RORY: Or laugh. Ever seen that punim on him?
LORELAI: Easter Island.
EMILY: Luminista, please bring more marshmallows.
LORELAI: Bless you.

Ingredients
-12 ounces of dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped if from a block)
-8 ounces of heavy cream
-A pinch of salt
-Dippables such as strawberries, banana pieces cut into 1-inch chunks, dried appricots, candied ginger, apple pieces

Directions

1. Warm the cream over moderate heat until tiny bubbles show and begins to lightly and slowly boil. Add the chocolate and whisk until smooth and full incorporated.

2. Immediately transfer to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, or serve straight from the pot.

3. Arrange the dippables on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use a fondue fork, bamboo skewer, seafood fork, or salad fork to dip the fruit pieces and other dippables into the hot melted cream chocolate mixture. Eat immediately.

4. If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir. It will help it go a little longer. Eventually, it will cook down though and you may need to start a new pot.

Variations

Add a tablespoon or two of Bailey's Irish Cream to the chocolate. Other liquors such as Grand Marnier, Amaretto, or Kirsch are equally yummy.

Add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and ancho chili pepper for a nice Mexican Chocolate.

The contents of a vanilla pod or some vanilla extract are always a decadent touch to chocolate.

A good pinch of espresso powder can do wonders!

Orange zest or grapefruit zest is nice way to create a slightly fruity chocolate.

A few tablespoons of Torani flavoring syrups (the kind used for coffee or Italian sodas) can add a nice dimension of flavor as well.

White chocolate is always a nice change, and spiked with a little liquor or citrus zest becomes heavenly.

Steeping the cream for an hour beforehand and while heating it can add a nice subtle flavor, lemongrass for white chocolate or a bag of Earl Grey tea for dark chocolate are particularly stylish and contemporary.f

(from Simply Recipes)

TLC's bizarre wedding reality series invited women to be bridezillas, but in the form of snarkily critiquing each other's weddings. In this episode, Jessica (second from the right) had a fairly low-key ceremony, but got points off from the other brides for having chips and dip at her reception. Jessica explained that while neither she nor her husband were huge chip'n'dip fans, they were included to jokingly reference how the couple communicates: "It's our code for saying, 'I love you.'" Aww.

(Photo is from a different recipe.)

Ingredients for chips
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 (6 to 8-ounce)medium Idaho potato
-1 (6 to 8-ounce) medium sweet potato, peeled
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
-1 teaspoon very finely grated lemon zest
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon very finely grated orange zest
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
-1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
-Creamy Oven-Cooked Bacon Dip, recipe follows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a pastry brush, lightly grease 2 large baking sheets with 1 teaspoon of oil each and set aside.

2. Using a mandoline slicer, or heavy, sharp knife, cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes as thinly as possible. On 1 baking sheet, arrange the cut potatoes in 1 layer. On the second sheet, arrange the cut sweet potatoes in 1 layer. With a pastry brush, lightly coat the top side of both potatoes with the olive oil. Bake until golden and crisp, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking time, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, In a small bowl, combine the salt, rosemary, lemon zest, and black pepper.

4. In another bowl, combine the cinnamon, orange zest, sugar, nutmeg, and ginger.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer to paper towels. While still warm, sprinkle the potatoes with the lemon salt mixture, and the sweet potatoes with the cinnamon mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature with the Creamy Oven Cooked Bacon Dip.

Ingredients for Oven-Cooked Bacon Dip
-8 slices bacon
-6 ounces cream cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
-1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Arrange the bacon in a layer on a broiler rack set over the broiler pan. Bake until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble or chop into small pieces.

3. In a bowl, cream together the remaining ingredients. Add the crumbled bacon and mix. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

4. Serve with the oven baked potato chips. (Yield: About 1 1/2 cups.)

(from Food Network/Emeril Lagasse)

Because why not.

Ingredients
-1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained
-1 clove garlic, cracked from skin
-1 lemon, zested and juiced
-4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
-Coarse salt and pepper
-A few drops hot sauce, to taste
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil eyeball it
-4 ribs celery from the heart cut into dipping sticks, 4 inches long
-1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into sticks
-1 red bell pepper, trimmed and cut into sticks
-1/2 pint grape tomatoes
-1 sack reduced fat gourmet chips (recommended: Terra brand Garlic and Onion Yukon Gold flavor potato chips (50 percent less fat than regular chips))

Directions

Combine the chick peas, garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme, salt and pepper and hot sauce in food processor. Turn processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer the dip to a dish and surround with veggies and chips. That'll keep the munching going on until dinner!

(from Food Network/Rachael Ray)