Sausage Dip -- The October Warmth That Says the Calendar Is Turning

Ryan's counselor suggested journaling. Ryan — the Marine who communicates in grunts and nods — is supposed to WRITE THINGS DOWN. He looked at me like the counselor had suggested ballet. 'I'm a writer, Ryan. I can help.' 'I don't need to write a BOOK. He said just write what happened. What I felt.' 'That's what writing IS.' He bought a spiral-bound notebook from the PX. He wrote for ten minutes on Thursday night, at the kitchen table, while I washed dishes and pretended not to notice. He hasn't shown me what he wrote. He won't. And I won't ask. Some things are between a man and his notebook, the way some things are between a woman and her Moleskine. But the fact that he's WRITING — putting words on paper, translating the inside to the outside — is enormous. This is the man who didn't speak for two days after Torres. Who communicated grief in silence and pot roast consumption. Halloween is coming. Caleb wants to be a dinosaur. Hazel will be whatever costume stays on her body, which historically is nothing. Made Mom's chili tonight. The October chili. The food that says the calendar is turning toward year's end. The chili doesn't care about San Diego's 75-degree October. The chili knows what month it is. Ryan wrote. Ten minutes. At the kitchen table. The breakthrough is quiet. The breakthrough is always quiet.

Mom’s October chili wasn’t the only thing bubbling on the stove that night — I’d pulled together this sausage dip as a snack to keep the kids busy while dinner finished, and somehow it became the thing everyone remembered. There’s something about a warm, savory dip that says we’re all still here, we’re all okay — the same quiet reassurance Ryan gave me just by sitting at that table with his notebook. If your house needs a little grounding this fall, start here.

Sausage Dip

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

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork sausage (mild or spicy)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), undrained
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Tortilla chips or crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until fully browned and no pink remains, about 8—10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Add cream cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cubed cream cheese to the skillet and stir until fully melted and incorporated with the sausage, about 3—4 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Pour in the undrained diced tomatoes with green chiles. Stir to combine and cook for another 3—5 minutes until everything is heated through.
4. Finish with sour cream and seasoning. Stir in the sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
5. Serve warm. Transfer to a serving bowl or small slow cooker set to warm. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or crackers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 280 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 520mg