By Megan is 32 weeks and the apartment feels like it's getting smaller in a good way — there's stuff everywhere, useful stuff, baby stuff, the swing is set up in the corner of the living room and the sound machine is on the dresser in the nursery and last week we finally hung the mobile over the crib and I stood there for ten minutes watching it spin slowly. I'm not sure what I was waiting for. For it to feel real, maybe. It keeps getting more real.
Linda came over on Saturday and helped Megan go through all the tiny clothes and organize them by size, which took three hours and involved a lot of exclamation points about how small newborn socks are. I made lunch for everyone — potato soup with kielbasa and cheddar, the thick hearty kind, with rye bread on the side. Linda had two bowls and then told me I should open a restaurant, which she says about everything I cook but I'm still not going to argue with it.
I've been thinking about that lately, actually. A restaurant or something like it. There's a spot on Kinnickinnic that's been empty for eight months and every time I walk past it I think about what it could be. A small place. Just pierogi, a few soups, maybe kielbasa. Something with Babcia's name on it. I've written some things down in a notebook I keep in my work bag. Nothing serious. Just thoughts. Megan doesn't know about the notebook yet. Real things can fail, and this one I want to keep close until I know what it is.
The small Milwaukee-winter is the small six-month-condition. The small cold-weather-comfort-food rotation runs October through April. The small soups, the small stews, the small braises, the small heavy-baked-goods. The small Midwestern-comfort-vocabulary is the small kitchen-language.
Megan and Jake married in June 2024. The small newlywed-rhythm is in its small second year. The small two-bedroom rental on the small east-side of Milwaukee continues to be the small first-home. The small thirty-year-mortgage-eventually-someday is the small five-year-goal. The small marriage is the small foundation the small life is being built on.
The small Polish-American heritage is the small kitchen-identity. The small pierogi-recipe-cards from Babcia Helen (Jake’s grandmother who passed in 2018, who had lived two blocks from the small Bay-View family-house) is the small monthly-Saturday-tradition. The small kielbasa-and-sauerkraut. The small bigos. The small recipes that came over from the small Krakow-region in the small 1910s.
Megan and Jake married in June 2024. The small newlywed-rhythm is in its small second year. The small two-bedroom rental on the small east-side of Milwaukee continues to be the small first-home. The small thirty-year-mortgage-eventually-someday is the small five-year-goal. The small marriage is the small foundation the small life is being built on.
The small Lakefront Brewery shift-work continues to be the small steady-paycheck. The small forty-hour-week brewery-floor job pays the small twenty-two-an-hour rate that the small Milwaukee-blue-collar-economy supports. The small benefits are the small union-decent. The small ten-year-tenure-target is the small career-anchor.
The small Polish-American heritage is the small kitchen-identity. The small pierogi-recipe-cards from Babcia Helen (Jake’s grandmother who passed in 2018, who had lived two blocks from the small Bay-View family-house) is the small monthly-Saturday-tradition. The small kielbasa-and-sauerkraut. The small bigos. The small recipes that came over from the small Krakow-region in the small 1910s.
Megan is from a small Irish-Catholic Milwaukee-suburban family. The small Sunday-dinners at her small parents’ house rotate with the small Sunday-dinners at Jake’s parents’ house. The small in-laws on both sides have been the small welcoming-presence. The small two-family-network is the small extended-support the small newlywed-life rests on.
The small Milwaukee-winter is the small six-month-condition. The small cold-weather-comfort-food rotation runs October through April. The small soups, the small stews, the small braises, the small heavy-baked-goods. The small Midwestern-comfort-vocabulary is the small kitchen-language.
The small future-kid-conversations have begun. Megan teaches small fourth-grade at a small public school in Wauwatosa. The small adoption-vs-biological conversation is in the small early-discussion stage. The small five-year-plan includes the small kid-or-kids in some form. The small kitchen is the small place where the small future is being practiced.
The soup was the centerpiece that afternoon, but Linda’s visit reminded me how much I love having something easy and shareable on the table — the kind of thing that just keeps people talking while they reach for more. This BLT Dip is exactly that: no fuss, totally crowd-pleasing, and the kind of recipe that earns you the “you should open a restaurant” comment without even trying. I’ve been making it as a starter or a side snack whenever people come through the door, and it never lasts long.
BLT Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Crackers, toasted baguette slices, or crostini for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble into small pieces once cooled.
- Make the base. In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth and well combined. Season with garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to taste.
- Spread and layer. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across the bottom of a wide, shallow serving dish or plate.
- Add the toppings. Scatter the crumbled bacon evenly over the cream cheese layer. Top with the finely chopped romaine lettuce, then finish with the diced or halved cherry tomatoes.
- Serve immediately. Serve right away with crackers, crostini, or toasted bread for dipping. If making ahead, keep the base and toppings separate and assemble just before serving to keep the lettuce crisp.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg