Does anyone else have fond memories of being in Grandma's kitchen while she cooked dinner? You just stared at her in amazement as she seamlessly made her way around every recipe, never missing a beat. While you observed, you sat, greedily stuffing your face with crackers dunked in whatever dip she whipped up and laid out as an appetizer.
These are those dips: six old-fashioned dips that might not sound like much at first but are absolutely scrumptious every time.
There are about 101 iterations of this stuff, but my favorite was brought to me by my husband's grandma. Spread a layer of cream cheese onto a dish of your choosing, pour over a layer of your favorite cocktail sauce, and top it with those adorable cooked baby salad shrimps. Grab a couple of sleeves of Ritz crackers and dig in! It's like a shrimp cocktail with a salty and creamy spin.
Recipe:Seeking Good Eats
Olives and "old-fashioned" go hand-in-hand. This recipe basically just requires you to throw together some cream cheese, green olives, and an assortment of seasonings, but it's darn tasty with crackers or chips.
Recipe:Sweet Caramel Sunday
Looking for a recipe to transform the canned clams you always have on hand? Okay, so maybe it's not a grocery item you buy very often, but as repulsive as this dip might sound when you rattle off the ingredients, it just works.
Recipe:Tastes Better from Scratch
For more recipe inspiration, sign up for our free newsletters.
You didn't think we'd leave the O.G. of dips off this list, did you? French Onion dip is where it's at. Get yourself a bag of Wavy Lays and go to town. Chef's. Freaking. Kiss.
Related: We Sampled 16 Kinds of Potato Chips — These Are the Best (and Worst)
Even people who don't like olives like pimentos. This dip is universal, lending itself beautifully to everything from crackers and breads to carrots and celery.
Recipe:A Southern Soul
Related: King Ranch, Sweet Potato, and More Tasty Southern Casseroles
Does it look like wet cat food? Yes. Does it still sound gross when you read what's in it? Yes. Do we still love it for some odd reason? Also yes.
Recipe:The Country Cook
Related: 30 Strange But Surprisingly Tasty Local Foods to Try