One day when I was expecting friends to join us for cocktails in the evening, I was feeling on the lazy side. In addition to a pitcher of margaritas, I always prepared an accompanying spread of food so no one would need to eat anything later that night. But I didn’t feel like cooking a bunch of dishes while, at the same time, I knew my friends would expect a decent choice of noshes. Popcorn and nuts just wouldn’t do it.

Earlier in the day when doing my weekly shopping, I had picked up some store-bought dips and ingredients to invent my own. They became my inspiration: that evening we had what would basically be called a dip-fest. 

In the mid-20th century, dips gained popularity as appetizers, particularly chips and dips. They became a hit due to the changing styles of entertainment in the 1950s when convenience foods were all the rage. Casual social gatherings were becoming more popular than more formal entertaining. And Lipton’s marketing campaigns promoting dips made with instant onion soup mix were appreciated for their ease of preparation. 

Dips using ingredients like sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise were in vogue. There was also a variation on the original Lipton’s oniony dip: spinach and artichoke dip, which utilized defrosted frozen spinach and drained, canned artichoke hearts. Grated, aged Italian cheese was an addition, and the dip could be served warm, after a run under the broiler, if one wanted.

Dips were initially served with tortilla chips, a variety of crackers and thinly sliced baguette. At some point crudites (raw vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces) entered the scene. Despite the dips themselves being calorie-laden, the vegetables were the perfect vehicle for a low-cal way of scooping, and “double dipping” was encouraged among close friends. A platter of colorful vegetables such as endive leaves, carrot and celery sticks, and crisp and colorful bell pepper slices were all enticing. 

The variety of dips is amazing and many are terrifically inventive, while others are comfortable favorites, such as Middle Eastern baba ghanoush (made with eggplant) and hummus (utilizing chickpeas). There are a lot of cheese-based dips such as bleu cheese dip, and quite a few showcasing chopped or minced olives. There are fish-based dips made with tuna, salmon or shrimp. And let’s not forget variations on salsas and guacamole. On my own cookbook shelves I found I owned “Spreads, Toppers, and Dips,” by Diane Rozas and “Dip it! (Great Party Food to Spread, Spoon, and Scoop)” by Rick Rodgers.

In addition to my store-bought dips, I made a few of my own: a hot artichoke dip (made with garlic, mayo and aged parmesan cheese), an herby French boursin cheese dip and one made with smoked salmon. The last was easy to prepare in a small food processor and I garnished it with snipped chives from the garden, though dill would be a nice choice as well. 

This dip doesn’t just have to be a part of an assortment of appetizers. We enjoy it as well for breakfast or brunch, along with smoked whitefish salad and herring (in either wine or cream sauce), plus bagels and cream cheese.

On this particular evening, I put out crackers and bagel chips, but I was surprised that the hit of dippers was the tray of crudites. I laid out radishes, cucumber spears, carrot and celery sticks, endive leaves (great scoopers because of their concave shape), and colorful bell pepper slices. These were supplemented by quickly blanched vegetables (broccoli florets, halved asparagus spears and trimmed green beans).

The evening was a hit and it’s comforting to know that I don’t always have to spend hours preparing more complicated hors d’oeuvres when friends come to visit.