Dip that Buffalo!

Some days simply require something a little unconventional for dinner. Take, for instance, those days when just about everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong. Or the days when your to-do list has grown inextricably longer by noon than it was when you awoke just a few hours prior. Or the days when your eight-month-old has discovered the coveted art of standing and has decided that this new-found talent is a far better use of one's nap time than mere sleeping. These, my friends, are the days when dinner needs to be fun, fast, and unusual. I find that unusual is a far better thing than most people think. It has gotten an unfair reputation, as far as I'm concerned. It's been associated with the bizarre, the unlikeable, and the unfavorable things of this world. But, I would argue that unusual is a chance to escape the ordinary, to find something refreshingly new, and to be a bit original.

And sometimes unusual needs to find its way to the dinner table. Take, for instance, this week's Buffalo Chicken Dip. One would not normally think that such a recipe could make for a well-rounded meal. And, well, I suppose that it actually doesn't. But, it was fun. And, I should add that I did serve it alongside a hearty bowlful of carrot sticks. In my mind, this legitimized it at least a little.

In any case, fancy, complicated, and impressive-looking this recipe is not. Nonetheless, it tastes great and it makes for an unexpected and, yes, unusual dinner. I like to imagine that when my eight-month-old grows into an eight-year-old, he may find it rather delightful to eat appetizers for dinner from time to time. And, while I truly do recognize the current novelty of standing in one's crib, I'd like to hope that Buffalo Dip for dinner will one day win out.