The next batch of collabs this January was, for me, conveniently dip focused. So, as per usual, I had some girlfriends over and made a day of it.
• One of the regular foodies I connect with likes to say that “dairy is a crutch” so some of the other gals trolled him into hosting a dairy-free collab. I didn’t want to just sub a plant milk or nutritional yeast for my submission, so I found PureWow’s Butternut Squash Fondue. And, for once, I added onion where it was called for. This was basically a soup, and it worked out pretty darn well!
• When the host of the Valentine Baking Collab said savory bakes could count, I decided to woman up and try something completely different. Hampton, like a good a white cishet dude stereotype, loves bacon and beer. So I whipped up a beer cheese sauce with bacon (inspired by The Chunky Chef) while Betsy Life’s Heart Shaped Pretzels baked. We have repurposed the sauce once into a version of leftover poutine and again for a take on chicken cordon bleu — where the chicken was coated with soft pretzel breadcrumbs.
• No matter who cheers for what team, everyone can find something to agree on when it comes to a Big Ass Dip Tray ™️. My contribution to a Super Bowl snacks collab was a combo of dips: Garnish with Lemon’s edamame hummus (leftovers from which became a sauce for black bean pasta and roasted veg for lunches), a classic cream cheese chip dip from Sweet and Simple Living, and a perennial #flat493 party fave, Earth and Oven’s Harissa-Spiked Whipped Feta.
