1) Don't sit on top of me. If you don't know me, give me some space. Even if the beach is crowded, there are ways to find space without forcing me to participate in your conversations and not parent your children as they run over my towel over and over again. If you are going to sit that close, you better be offering me whatever it is you're pouring in your cooler. I see your pink drink and your solo cup and I probably want one, too.
2) Watch your kids. When they have a water fight that results in my friend getting doused in water, even if it's 100 degrees out, you should probably have told them not to play so close to other people AND you definitely should apologize. It's common courtesy. Also, if your kid is having a full blown meltdown and refuses to take his socks off at the beach, I'm going to have a few questions and will be watching to see how the drama unfolds. Again, if you weren't sitting on my lap, I'd be less likely to be able to eavesdrop. (It isn't eavesdropping if I have no choice).
3) Firmly stake your umbrella in the ground. Now, I'm not claiming to have mastered the putting the umbrella in the sand situation, but this is where I have a little self and spatial awareness to not even bring one at all. Don't walk away from your open umbrella and then be surprised to see it flipped inside out and on the ground when you got back because the people around you had to chase it down the beach for you in your absence. You might put it up again because your friends think it's funny to take a snapvideo of you as you struggle to flip it right-side-out but I can tell you what the rest of us are thinking. Just don't. Know when to call it quits. If by chance your umbrella sneaks off while you are sitting there and manages to smack me in the face and then scratch my friend across the stomach as it skedaddles down the beach, do apologize upon retrieval. Maybe one of those pink drinks would make things a little better or at least match the noticeable scratches on my friend. Also, if you are sitting near an escaped umbrella, feel free to shout "heads up!" as you see it enter neighbor territory. Really, it's for the best.
4) If you don't finish your food and decide to take a swim, make sure your trash is hidden away from the pigeons of the ocean, the monsters we call seagulls. When your blanket gets swarmed by seagulls, I will start to panic and have flashbacks to when I was bit by one when I was 10 in California (I was holding a sandwich and it bit my hand). It is not the responsibility of people around you to shoo them away and throw away your trash (shout out to the woman who did this for the duo who forgot this rule yesterday - you da real MVP).
5) This one seems to be the most obvious to me, but some people don't get it, but please, oh please, do not feed the seagulls. You are reinforcing their bad behavior, only egging them on to practically incite a riot. Have some respect for the people around you who I am confident want NOTHING to do with these devil birds. Really, I'm sure of it.
Once we get those few out of the way, I'm sure we'll have a grand ol' time. I'm happy to overhear your conversations that weren't meant for me, but sound travels so easily on the beach. I'm also happy to see you confidently rock that bathing suit, because if you have a bikini and a body, you have yourself a bikini body. Here's hoping for a few more beach days this summer! Despite the often broken rules, the sand, the sun and a dip in the ocean are always calling my name.
The next part of this post is dedicated to my favorite kitchen appliance - the food processor. If you don't have one, you probably should get one. Saves so much time and allows me to whip things up, like dips to share with family,friends and coworkers in a jiffy! I'm going to share a few of my most requested dip recipes (and one I just tried this week and received rave reviews). Quick FYI - I stopped following an actual recipe or measuring these dips a long time ago but I did a little google searching to find correct amounts. You're welcome.
Recipe Ten: Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1 block of cream cheese
1 cup greek yogurt
1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
2 cups parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Honestly, I just throw all of these in the food processor and pulse until well mixed. Sometimes you may need to stir it up a little in the middle of pulsing (not while pulsing but while blades are off). If you don't have a food processor, you'll chop the artichokes into small pieces and mix all ingredients by hand until well mixed.
Move into greased casserole dish and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Serve with chips, crackers, bread, you name it!
Recipe Eleven: Jalapeno Popper Dip
2 blocks of cream cheese
1 cup of greek yogurt
2 4.5 oz cans of chopped green chiles
Jalapeno wheels, drained (I used about a cup of pickled jalapenos and it's got a good kick, but use your discretion based on your heat level of choice)
Bread crumbs
Again, I toss all ingredients but the bread crumbs in the food processor and pulse until well mixed. If you don't have one, chop the jalapenos into small pieces, then mix all ingredients by hand.
Move into greased casserole dish, top with bread crumbs, and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Serve with tortilla chips.
Recipe Twelve: Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
* You've been warned - this one is a labor of love*
1 lb lean ground beef
8 oz. bacon
1/4 cup ketchup
1 block of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup mustard
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion diced
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Cook ground beef in a pan over medium heat until brown. Remove from heat and drain grease.
Cook bacon in pan according to directions on package. You will want the bacon to be crispy. Remove from heat and drain all but a little grease. Add onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (This is where I would toss the cream cheese, sour cream, mustard, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in the food processor and pulse until well mixed before adding it to the beef, cheese and bacon but I've done it by hand before also - you do you!)
Once well mixed, pour into greased casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until top is slightly browned and edges are bubbly.
Serve with a sliced bagette or chips or whatever your heart desires. Top with chopped pickles, tomatoes, or shredded lettuce if you wish! (I highly recommend the pickles!)
Recipe Thirteen: Texas Caviar Dip
*Shout out to a great friend for this delicious dish!*
1 can corn, drained
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 jar jalapenos, drained (add chopped up as desired)
1 jar red pimentos, drained (add chopped up as desired)
1/2 red onion chopped in small pieces (if you're not a giant fan of raw onions like me, to kill some of the fragrance, soak in iced water for 10 minutes prior to cutting)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
Bring olive oil, vinegar, and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour olive oil mixture over bean and let soak in the fridge overnight.
Drain all the vinegar and oil out prior to serving.
Serve with tortilla chips.
I hope that you'll enjoy some of these dips with friends very soon! I've got a few more up my sleeve, but we'll save them for another post. Any favorite dips you want to share with me? You can never go wrong with chips and dip. I once hosted a BYODW night (bring your own dip and wine) night where each guest brought a different dip and bottle of wine. I'll have to host another one soon! Keep an eye out for your invite!
Happy Cooking!
- Kela
