Southern dips are the best kind of dips you will ever find. Southern cooks know the importance of using delicious ingredients combined with tradition to create the mouth watering dips that you are dying to know the recipe for.

Chow-chow is a specialty of the south, and used as a dip, condiment, or side dish. Chow-chow is a complicated dish to master, but tastes great on just about anything you can imagine. It's a combination of cabbage, corn, okra, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. The taste is hard to describe; a little hot from the peppers, but a tad bit sweet from the brown sugar. It tastes great as a dip for vegetables and chips, or spread on a sandwich.

Another popular, yet easy to make Southern dish is the cheese and sausage dip. Brown one pound of sausage (I like to use the spicy Bob Evans variety), drain off the excess grease, and add in a jar of salsa. Turn the heat to low, and stir to combine. Add a one pound package of processed cheese (think Velveeta).

You can leave the cheese in one large piece, but I like to break it into smaller pieces so it melts faster. As soon as the cheese melts, this dip is ready to serve with tortilla chips. You can also make this in a crock pot, and let it simmer on low for several hours. An even faster choice is to brown the hamburger, add the salsa and cheese, and toss the whole mixture in the microwave. Cook on high for 3 minutes, stir the mixture, and heat for an additional 3 minutes.

The only downside to using the microwave is that the cheese sometimes comes out lumpy, but it still makes a good dip. For special occasions, you can toss this dip in a fondue pot and use vegetables for dipping.

Southerners know how to make a good cheese dip, and this broccoli cheese dip is no exception.

Defrost a box of frozen broccoli and drain. In a large pot combine 1 pound of processed cheese, half of a small onion diced finely, a pint of cream, and 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup. When the mixture comes to a boil, add in the thawed broccoli. Mix until all the ingredients are warmed through and serve.

The seemingly favorite Southern dip is the spinach dip.

To make, mix 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1-8 ounce container of sour cream. Add in one 10 ounce box of thawed frozen spinach. *Note* before adding in the spinach, let it drain for a few minutes and then wrap in a towel and squeeze to ensure that all the moisture is out of the vegetable. Chop a small can of water chestnuts, and add to the mixture. Finally, add a tablespoon of finely chopped onion and a package of vegetable soup mix. Store the dip in an airtight container, and let sit for as long as possible to give the flavors a chance to meld. The best option is to store it at least overnight. Serve with vegetables, Melba toast, or even small piece of bread or crackers.

Try some of these at your next party and watch the compliments roll in!

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