Artichoke Chili Dip

This is another milestone tasting for me gang, and something that was said could never be done. A little background first though... my parents host the holiday party for my dad's office at their house every year and one of the staple menu items is the Artichoke Chili Dip. This is a served-warm dip that includes chopped artichoke hearts and diced chili peppers (it's not like "beans and meat" chili) and is generally consumed with tortilla chips or some sort of bread stick - pumpernickel is recommended. When possible, my sisters and I have been responsible for helping with the cooking and other prep efforts for the party and making this dip frequently fell on my shoulders with a certain sense of irony and pressure. It isn't easy to be in charge of making a popular dish without being able to do a taste test yourself. I must have managed fine though since I was asked to make it repeated times over the years.

This week was the office party at my job and people were asked to bring in appetizers and desserts to snack on during the gift exchange and booze consumption. I decided to step up and make the dip for the first time outside of my parents house, with the hopes that my coworkers would enjoy it (or at least not projectile vomit). It seemed to go over pretty well and since many of my coworkers are readers of It's Not Chicken I knew there was no way I could escape trying it... so I did... and here's how it went.

What I Like:
Mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese.
What I Don't Like:
Artichoke and chili peppers... which is mostly why I never ate this before...

Who Made Me Try It:
I really should credit my family members and my dad's coworkers who have been trying to make me sample the dip since the days of Underoos. The climactic tasting was of my own accord, but fueled by years and years of attempted pressuring.

The Results:
I make a pretty mean artichoke chili dip!! Now, keep in mind that I've never had it before so I don't even know what it is supposed to taste like and my parents weren't around to test it and tell me if I got it right or not. But it tasted GOOD... good enough for me to have several bites of it and to look forward to making it again. Look out world... there's an incomplete albino with a new-found passion for the culinary arts coming your way!

Editor's Note: In lieu of actual photos of the dip, I used this one that was found online. While the ACD has not traditionally been served in a bread bowl, you can bet your sweet ass that it will be next time.