Bacon Dip -- The Food That Threads Every Version of Me Together

Week 382. Summer 2023. I am 40 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

The clinic was busy this week — spring puppies and summer emergencies and the constant, comforting cycle of animals who need care and humans who love them enough to bring them in.

Mason is 12 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.

Lily is 10 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made barbecue ribs this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The ribs were the main event that week, but it’s the Bacon Dip I keep coming back to — the thing I set out on the outdoor table under the string lights while Mason read on the porch steps and Lily came in still smelling like horses and hay. It didn’t need to be fancy. It just needed to be there, warm and smoky and a little indulgent, the way the best food always is on the best ordinary evenings. That’s the whole point, really — the food doesn’t have to be complicated to be the thing that holds everyone together.

Bacon Dip

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 8 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Crackers, crostini, or sliced vegetables, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble. Set aside about 2 tablespoons of crumbled bacon for topping.
2. Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a small baking dish or oven-safe skillet.
3. Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Stir until fully combined.
4. Fold in the mix-ins. Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar, most of the crumbled bacon, and the green onions. Mix until evenly distributed.
5. Transfer and top. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and reserved bacon crumbles over the top.
6. Bake. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the dip is heated through, bubbly around the edges, and lightly golden on top.
7. Serve. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving warm with crackers, crostini, or sliced vegetables.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg