Family Recipes and Traditions: Pickle Dip

Does your family have one recipe that is present at all family events? You know what I mean, the one dish that makes it a true family event and it just wouldn't be the same without it? For my family, it's pickle dip. Yes, odd sounding, I know, but pickle dip is something that has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember, present at all holidays, birthdays, baby and bridal showers, etc. It wouldn't be a Small family event without it. I even considered trying to figure out how to be able to have it at my wedding but due to catering restrictions wasn't able to and had to be satisfied with just having it at my rehearsal dinner. Pickle dip is also the dish that I bring the most often to gatherings with our friends and as a result, my friends now expect it and sometimes even get a little upset if I don't bring it with me :). It's funny to see how the pickle dip has evolved over the year, as each of the women in my family have started making it a certain way, whether it be with a special pickle, addition of a seasoning, or cutting your pickles a certain way. With only three official ingredients, pickles, pickle juice and cream cheese, it really is more about the technique than anything.

At this point, we all seem to think that we have mastered the art of pickle dip and of course all think that we make it the best. So this year, for Thanksgiving, we decided to have the first annual "Pickle Dip Off" and find out just who really does makes the best dip. There were three entries in all, myself, my cousin Amanda and my cousin Denise. We set it up as a blind tasting, with all three entries in the same bowl so as not to show any favortism and used a rating system that included four categories, taste, texture, appearance and dipability. I am sad to admit that my dip did not win, I placed second, losing by a mere two points to my cousin Denise. I did win in the categories of texture and dipability so I guess that is better than nothing. My Aunt Darlene brought a prize for the winner, a Christmas ornament called "The Christmas Pickle" which was quite the appropriate prize for this contest. We've already declared a rematch for next year, but I don't know if I will make any changes to my technique or recipe because even though I may not technically have won this year, my pickle dip is still and always will be #1 in mind.