I don’t know if I ever told you, but Mother Lovett had a serious thing for dip.
And when I say dip, I mean the classic mayo- or sour cream–based varieties that used to come in Tupperware containers—always saved and reused—that sat in the dairy aisle. Right now she’s probably rolling over in her grave at all the hummus and avocado hype. Don’t even get me started on guacamole.
At any given time her fridge held four or five different dips. Two of them were usually expired, but she’d insist “oh they’re fine!” and, inevitably, another container would be opened by a grandchild or a guest.
I wasn’t a huge fan of creamy dips as a kid—mainly because they “included” vegetables, and yes I mean that literally—but I rarely resisted a scoop of French onion or bacon-horseradish dip. At grandma and grandpa’s house you were expected to pile Pringles, pretzel twists and Fritos high and dunk them into giant globs of dip.
I’ll admit to one particularly strange summer obsession back in 1992: a million pretzel sticks dipped in chive cream cheese while watching Rescue 911 with my cousin Lacy. Childhood tastes happen.
The other quirky habit Mother Lovett picked up in her later years was double-dipping. She was the worst. In public. Terrifying, honestly. I’ll stop—just thinking about it makes me cringe.
She’s been on my mind lately, and for some reason I’ve been craving junk food like crazy. To quiet the cravings and feel a little less guilty, I caramelized onions for about 40 minutes, then folded them into a large container of Greek yogurt with a few seasonings. It’s not exactly the same as those old store-bought tubs, but it hits the spot. You could even dunk vegetables in it if that’s your thing, though I might judge you a little.
Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salted butter
1 (16-ounce) container plain 2% Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions:
In a large pot, melt the olive oil and butter over low heat. Add the chopped onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, stirring to coat. Cover and cook gently for about 45 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes so the onions caramelize evenly. After 45 minutes, stir in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat once the onions are deeply caramelized and stir in the remaining teaspoon of brown sugar.
In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and the caramelized onions. Season with the remaining salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve with chips, pretzels or, if you must, veggie sticks.
Note: If plain Greek yogurt tastes too tart or “healthy” for you, use a half-and-half mix of sour cream and yogurt. It’s still better than most store-bought tubs.
Those chips in the photo are buffalo + blue flavor, and yes, I’ve been surviving on them for a bit. They pair nicely with this dip.