When it comes to dips, I tend to think savoury. I love the crunch of fresh cut crudités paired with a flavourful dip and tearing into sourdough loaf filled with bright green spinach dip. I’m not sure why I tend to overlook the sweet dips, perhaps it is because I feel fresh fruits are flavourful enough to stand alone or that I never really considered a dip as dessert... until now.

Growing up, my parents, their friends and all the kids had a lot of get togethers. Maybe it was the era, but I remember there always being spinach dip in bread bowl on the table. It was easily my favourite dip growing up - rich and creamy with lots of flavour. I especially liked tearing into the loaf of sharp pumpernickel or sourdough bread prematurely and loading it up with as much spinach dip as possible. Delicious.

Pre-made sauces are not only great to have on hand as a quick meal with pasta, but they can also be a very versatile ingredient for other recipes. Dips and spreads can be so simple and delicious with a little help from some of your favourite pasta sauce. Compliments fresh pesto sauces are great examples of that. Flavourful, fresh ingredients that go into these pestos are complimented nicely with the rich creaminess of the cheese.

So you are invited to a potluck dinner and aren’t sure what to make. Before you let your gracious host off the phone, be sure to ask a few questions that will help point you in the right direction.

Potlucks are a great way to entertain, it takes most of the food preparation pressure off the host who provides the location and usually the main dish. The fear of course when hosting a potluck is the likely mismatch of foods that will arrive with your guests. Instead of waiting for the surprise that your friends and family bring with them, take a more proactive approach to your potluck and do a little preplanning. Casually assigning dishes and things to bring to your guests will help you organize a more balanced and well rounded potluck.