Simkin: Game-changing party snacks

There are many elements of a party you have little or no control over: the weather, who will… There are many elements of a party you have little or no control over: the weather, who will actually show up, space constraints and whether your guests will get along, to name just a few.

What you can do to ensure a delightful evening, however, is load up on party food — specifically, snacks. Ideally things you can linger and chat over, like dips and various dip accompaniments.

My friend’s Doritos casserole dip has made her the envy of the party circuit. It actually does nothing to help conversation, since everyone has their mouths full of chips and vegetables until it’s devoured. But afterward, everyone is in a great mood. After much bargaining, cajoling and threatening I was finally able to procure her secret recipe — for you, dear reader, for you.

Just kidding, she totally just gave it to me and was very nice about it. Thanks, Paula!

Doritos Casserole Dip

Crumble six cups of Doritos with your hands into a large mixing bowl. Trust me, this is not a waste of perfectly good chips — this dish is more than the sum of its parts. Add two tablespoons of grated onions, one 10-ounce can of chili with beans, 10 ounces of enchilada sauce, one 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and 1.5 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Stir until combined and then pour the mixture into an oven-proof 8 1/2-by-11-inch casserole dish — the oven-proof part is crucial! Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from the oven and cover with one and one-quarter cups of sour cream, half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and two additional cups of crumbled Doritos. Bake for another five minutes and serve immediately, or chill and then heat up later. Or serve it cold — whatever you like.

Salsa

Salsa packs a double whammy of deliciousness and linguistic delight — try to pretend that isn’t fun to say. A wide spectrum of flavors from mild to outrageously, unreasonably hot has been common for years, but some food brands of late have made forays into incorporating more exotic fare, like fruit.

The sweetness of fruit nicely complements salsa’s spicier elements. I’m partial to Costco Santa Barbara Mango Peach salsa: it’s delicious, the serving size is huge so you’ll practically never run out and nothing could be simpler than pouring the readymade product into a bowl. Voilà.

Onion Dip

You can buy sundry brands of onion dip, but I prefer this homemade recipe perfected by my father: Combine one packet of onion powder with one 16-ounce container of sour cream — it’s that simple. Serve with carrots and potato chips.

Hummus

Hummus, one of the few dips free from outrageously caloric ingredients, presents an appealing, nutritious alternative.  You can, of course, purchase it from the grocery store, order it as takeout from one of Oakland’s fine Middle Eastern restaurants or make it yourself.

My family’s recipe involves combining one can of chickpeas together with one quarter cup of olive oil, one teaspoon of lemon juice, amounts of salt and pepper to be determined by your personal preference and a dash of paprika. A food processor or blender is ideal, but in a pinch, you can just mash them together with a fork.

For dipping, you can buy pita chips or cut regular pitas into Towers dorm-room-shaped slices and lightly toast them.