Last week I was off to do my every-few-weeks Sam’s Club trip. Can’t beat that place, can ya!? I mean, you can shop and get lunch all at the same time if you time it right with all their samples. But then you end up getting way more than you went in for because of the samples got you. You’re extra hungry, and that honey butter just hit the spot. Your mind is racing on everything you can make with this tasty butter. Then you see they have garlic butter too? A grilled cheese with this garlic butter would be amazing! Then BOOM! In goes two tubs of butter that you obviously needed but didn’t know it. Man, I hate when that happens. But, this is why I love Sam’s Club!

On my way there, I called one of my girlfriends, Sonya Hunter, to check in on her. We have been friends for years. OK, probably more like decades at this point. It’s nice talking to each other to catch up. We got to talking about what we were doing for dinner that evening. She said they were going to Waltz’s Creamery for dinner that night. (That place is a whole other column. It’s one of my favorite restaurants! I’ll share another week here soon about that hidden little Salladasburg gem!) I told her I knew we were getting pizza. I was definitely feeling Pudgies pizza. Extra cheese, pepperoni. Oh, snap! My mouth is literally watering right now. Plus, they have the best crust, hands down! Nothing like a night with a tasty pizza from one of my favorite pizza places!

So, I got into Sam’s and I am doing my thang. I love to grocery shop. I love food. I love to cook. I’m like a kid in a candy store. What can I find good today? I got to the meat department, and there it was. In those cheese coolers with little odds and ends, they sneak in there. Guess what I found!? Heluva Good French Onion Dip baby! And I’m not talking no eight ouncer. I am talking the daddy of all daddy dips! 30 ounces!! I knew, in that very moment, I needed some wavy Ruffles tater chips to go with this dip.

Once I reached the chips, I threw a bag right in my cart right next to the Heluva Good Dip. I instantly snapped a picture and texted it to Sonya. My exact words, “Oh, it’s going down tonight!” Sonya and I love sending each other deals at places. Especially Sam’s or Aldi. It’s kind of our thing, haha. She was saying how she likes ranch dip. I love me some ranch too, but it wasn’t the French Onion that had me excited — well, maybe a little. I love me some dip. But the HELUVA instantly took me to my grandmother, Lois Liddick. I started texting Sonya because she knows my gram, and I knew she would get a kick out of this.

We would go to our cabin for a longer period of time over the summer when I was young, and we had so much food up there! Like we could have stayed up there for a month and not starve. It was insane; it’s still that way! There always seemed to be HELUVA GOOD DIP up there. My gram, God love her; her heart is always on Jesus. An incredible lady, and I swear I only ever heard this woman swear once in my life, and that was on an answering machine. (Mom, Dad, remember that one!? Another story for another day because it’s too cute!)

Anyway, she liked eating the dip but wasn’t big on the name. So, she would always sharpie the “Hell” out of Heluva! She didn’t want anyone cussin’, even though it was us referring to the delicious dip. Especially all her grandbabies. Oh no! It was to be called good dip! For years this went on, even as we got older. She would Sharpie that hell right outta there. I haven’t thought about that in a while, and it brought a smile to my face. So, I went right home and Sharpied the hell right out of that darn dip. I did it for Gram. But dang, do I love that “Uva” Good French Onion Dip or what! Gotta go get yourself a 30 oz. of that bad boy! It’s a Heluva good dip that made me a very special memory. But, if you are not a cold dip person, you could always try this amazing hot crack dip that is an oldie but goodie.

Crack Dip

Ingredients:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sour cream (I used light)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon. (Save some bacon for garnish too.)

Spoon mixture into a 1-quart baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and hot.

Serve with bread slices, crackers, or nachos.