Dips are a great excuse for rich ingredients to mingle with strong flavors. And because you only eat a little at a time, your palate is pleased rather than overpowered. Best served family-style, dips are a perfect teaser to the rest of your fantastic party fare.

Every party needs a starter, and when you show up with one of these playful appetizers, you’re sure to get it started.

‘Buffal-07’ Dip

A take on your favorite hot wings, this dip features all the same flavors in a more compact and portable bite. Your friends will be dying to know the secret recipe, but you’ll have to explain that you’re not at liberty to discuss it. Serve on game day with tortilla chips.

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

8 ounces sour cream

1/2 cup buffalo sauce

Blue cheese dressing

1/4 pound blue cheese

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped celery

Layer the cold chicken and sour cream in a shallow serving plate. Next, drizzle your favorite buffalo sauce over the first two layers. After whisking together dressing ingredients, drizzle it in the opposite direction. (If you started with a side-to-side drizzle pattern, now go up and down.) Add the layer of blue cheese. Because this is a pretty potent ingredient, make sure the chunks are smaller than bite size. Next, sprinkle a generous amount of bread crumbs on your dip to imitate the fried breading on buffalo wings. To get that good roasted flavor, toast them in the oven for a few minutes with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. To garnish, line the border of the serving dish with diced celery, which will give your dip the perfect crunch.

‘Seven Days of Beef’ Dip

Once you have a taste of this cheeseburger-wannabe dip, you’ll want to eat it every day of the week. It’s all the things we love about burgers in a crunchy bite with a homemade cheese sauce that pushes it over the edge. Enjoy at a picnic with potato chips.

1 pound ground beef

4 ounces sour cream

Cheese sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tomato

1 heart of romaine lettuce

1/2 of an onion

Salt

Pepper

Ketchup

Mustard

To begin, brown your beef in a nonstick skillet with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix into sour cream. Dice the onion and tomato and arrange them onto the meat. For the cheese sauce, heat flour and butter over low heat for about five minutes. This will remove that gross starchy flavor from your sauce. Mix in cold milk.  To prevent your cheese sauce from becoming stringy, sprinkle the shredded cheese with lemon juice before adding it to the sauce. Stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce smooth. Pour the hot cheese sauce over the meat. Top with shredded lettuce, ketchup and mustard criss-crossing in a zigzag design.

‘Seven Deadly Sweets’ Dip

This dip is so decadent you’d think it’s a sin. Easier and less messy than making individual banana splits for every partygoer, it still satisfies every guest’s sweet tooth. Store-bought hot fudge will do in a pinch, but this rich, homemade version will send serotonin pulsing through your brain in waves of chocolaty bliss. Serve at a birthday party with chips made of broken waffle cones.

1 1/2 pints vanilla ice cream

3 bananas

1 cup strawberries

Hot fudge

1/3 cup cream

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped cream

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Sprinkles

Scoop your ice cream into a 9×9 baking pan. Flatten the scoops until they form one solid, creamy bottom layer. Dice bananas and strawberries into small pieces and layer onto the ice cream. For the hot fudge, combine all the ingredients except the chocolate and butter. Stir continuously on low heat until mixed well and the mixture is hot. Remove from heat, adding the chocolate and butter.  Mix until smooth. Immediately drizzle over your dessert. Add enough whipped cream to cover the dish with an inch-thick layer. Top with nuts and sprinkles. Serve immediately and prepare for compliments.