Claire is the author of food blog Dine-and-Dash and offers her culinary voice as a guest on Social // Potato Chips! You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter @ClaireCilip.  

Hi there! My name is Claire and I am the author for Dine-and-Dash, a lifestyle blog offering tidbits into everyday fun and creative confections. I am lucky enough to be substituting for your talented, friendly-faced Annie today in order to switch things up! When Annie suggested we do a guest blog for each other, I was thrilled. Not only because I’ve been a fan of Social // Potato Chips for quite some time, but also because any opportunity to entertain or inspire a new group of blog readers is really a joy. I hope you guys like this quick and easy dish I chose to feature for your post today.

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Making homemade dumplings is a great way to catch up with your girlfriends.

Earlier this week, Steve and I traveled back to California, where we celebrated the beginning of a new lunar year with his family. For those who aren’t familiar with the history behind these Eastern version “Hot Pockets”, dumplings are traditionally made during lunar new year because they symbolize wealth.

My girlfriends and I decided to spend some Sunday quality time by getting our nails done and making dumplings. If you have any reluctance about making them, let me reassure you that homemade dumplings are much easier than you might think, and quite inexpensive, too! Continue Reading…

Mason Jar, Amazon.com. Ribbon and über cute holiday gift tags, Target.

Happy, happiest new year!  I’ve been quite MIA for the past couple of months, but I’m happy to report that I’ve survived my first holiday season at Amazon. We brought you the Penny-Pincher Sale (thank you, Huffington Post!), Hotspot Holidays, and most recently, the opportunity to win a new cell phone and $2,000 from AmazonWireless through our New Year, New Phone Sweepstakes.   It’s been a super fun ride thus far, and the challenge has been rewarding.

However, I hate that I’ve neglected you.  I’ve been a terrible internet friend.  So, as a tribute to my Catholic upbringing, I will do my penance to repent my sin with… Continue Reading…

Any holiday that requires you to eat 10x more food than you normally eat… I’m a fan.

I love everything about Thanksgiving. The turkey. The stuffing. The casseroles. The football. The drinks. The desserts. The leftovers. You name it, I love it.

Turkey with Chicken Sausage, Herb, and Veggie Stuffing
Truffle Mac & Cheese
Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
Brussel Sprouts & Bacon Casserole
Crispy Green Bean Casserole
Ghirardelli Peppermint Patties

The smart thing would have been to post a recipe every day until Thanksgiving (which means, it’ll eventually be posted).  For now, I’m thankful for life, and you!

Who would have known a bachelor staple could turn into a full blown recipe?

Meet Steve, my boyfriend.  He is a lazy cook (rather, he’s not a cook at all), but he sure knows where to find the easiest ingredients without sacrificing cost, time, nor quality.  During his bachelor days, Steve was often and regularly found at your nearest Subway or sandwich shop.  But in the rare event he did grocery shop, he found the good ones.  Now, if I must introduce the secret ingredient that makes a simple chicken wrap and salad all sorts of interesting… Continue Reading…

You can take the girl from the island, but never the island from the girl.

I’ve been feeling a bit homesick lately.  Maybe because we haven’t had much of a summer in Seattle this year, or perhaps I’m feeling a bit nostalgic after visiting my old high school teachers in May.  Whatever the reason, who wouldn’t be homesick of the island where many of us call home, a place of rainbows, papayas, and beach weather all year long?

In grad school, I traveled to Germany and Switzerland on a study tour, where I met Veena.  We recently reconnected over our love of food, especially given she launched an Indian food startup, Veena’s Market.  We decided to spend some time whipping up a traditional Hawaiian luau Continue Reading…

“No More soup for you!!” – The Soup Nazi (and me)

Remember the time I boycotted cable and internet for several months?  Well, those days are gone.  I’ve been watching Mad Men like… well, mad.  All the spare time in the world, albeit with an expiration date, and what do I do?  Catch up on the best series since Arrested Development.

Last night, Steve and I were running through our usual 2-3 episodes when hunger struck at midnight.  Now, I’m not a proponent of late night snacking on a school night, but we were feeling a bit snacky and I discovered a healthy compromise.  Continue Reading…

The tastiest aperitif ever, thanks to @dirtysouthwine and one of the most coolest experiences of my life

So, block party was a blast per usual.  Now, I’m a woman of my word, and I promised in my last post that I would share the mastermind behind the Petit Goat Cheese & Prosciutto. Continue Reading…

Summer finally hit Seattle and we celebrated our overdue solstice at the Capitol Hill Block Party

Last year, we threw a big, all-weekend event for the Capitol Hill Block Party given our close proximity to one of Seattle’s many annual music festivals.  This year we kicked off the event with date night at Dinette, then opted for a last minute and low key gathering, and only trekking to the Saturday lineup after some fun, summery, homemade cocktails.  Here’s a fruit filled mix that will surely keep you cool this summer. Continue Reading…

My half eaten quesadilla while enjoying the Space Needle view.

So, if you read the updates to my last recipe post, you’ll see why I decided to drop the “TJ Challenge” branding for my recipes.

Housekeeping aside, let’s talk about how easy peasy it is to make a (relatively) healthy and homemade quesadilla.  I was ravenous after my gruesome crossfit workout, and had nearly zero energy (not to mention patience) to make a meal when I got home.  All I could do was think of as many different ways to stuff my face as fast as possible.  And that is how I came to creating these simple steps. Continue Reading…