Here are some recipe ideas for a dip and dipper dinner.

DIPS

The best guacamole features avocado, very plain and simple. Everything else is a garnish. Find some good, tasty local avocados such as Malama and Sharwill varieties. Forget the addition of sour cream, mayonnaise or anything else; we want to keep this guacamole chunky and bursting with avocado flavor.

GREAT GUACAMOLE

2 to 3 fresh, ripe avocados

1/4 cup finely minced sweet onion

1/4 cup finely diced ripe tomato

2 cloves finely minced garlic

1/4 cup finely minced cilantro

1 to 2 fresh serrano or jalapeno peppers, finely minced

Juice of 1 lime (or more, to taste)

Salt

Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl. Coarsely mash the avocado with a potato masher or fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together, adding salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the guacamole. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh, homemade ricotta is very simple to make and a delicious treat. The most important tool is a thermometer. Once this creamy cheese is made, you can top it with pesto, mango chutney, red pepper jelly, tapenade — just about anything.

FRESH RICOTTA WITH PESTO

1 quart "Island Fresh" whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 teaspoons white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium high heat. When the mixture reaches 185[0xb0] F, remove the pan from the heat. Add the vinegar and stir for 30 seconds. Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Line a colander with cheesecloth. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the curds into the cheesecloth. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth around the cheese and squeeze out the liquid. Let stand in the colander for 30 minutes and continue to press and squeeze out the liquid. Transfer the cheese to a bowl. Use at once or cover and refrigerate up to a few days.

Pesto is usually served over pasta but it makes for a terrific dip on its own. What could be better than the flavor of basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese on a crostini? Serve this with fresh homemade ricotta or plain goat cheese, thinned with a little cream.

BASIL PESTO

1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Canned salmon is a good pantry staple to have around. It is, after all, wild salmon, and it's very tasty and nutritious. This is a good dip to make if you have bits of smoked salmon around — just delete the liquid smoke.

SMOKED SALMON DIP

8 ounces canned red salmon

4 ounces cream cheese

2 teaspoons horseradish

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

3 tablespoons heavy cream (or nonfat cream, found at Safeway)

Drain the salmon and remove any bones and skin. Place the salmon and remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tapenades are a thick paste of olives, anchovies, capers, garlic and oil that compliment crudites and plain crackers very well. You could use pitted kalamata olives but green Picholines are really quite delicious. Find these in gourmet shops, such as R. Field at Foodland Beretania or Kailua. Gift and Gourmet stocks a chopped bruschetta mixture of pitted green and black olives with a little oil (10 ounces for $8.99).

GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE

1 cup pitted and drained Picholine olives

2 anchovy filets

2 tablespoons drained capers

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet red peppers add great color to any dish or table of food. They are also good for you as an excellent source of vitamin C along with vitamin A and trace elements your body needs. Their sweet taste is good reason to eat them, especially when you can easily scoop it up.

ROASTED RED PEPPER DIP

6 large red bell peppers, roasted, seeded and skinned

1/4 of a Maui onion

2 cloves garlic

Pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Shortcut: Use red peppers that are already prepared. If you can find them, Spanish piquillo peppers have a bit of zing to them; they can be found in specialty food stores.

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat kernels that have been steamed and dried and is the essential ingredient in the salad called tabbouleh. It's different from cracked wheat, which is not previously cooked. Because bulgur has been cooked, you only need to soak it in boiling water to make it edible and fluffy. The general rule is 1 cup of bulgur to 2 cups of boiling water or stock.

Bulgur is a staple of Middle Eastern cooking and a nutritious one at that: It is high in fiber and carbohydrates, low in fat and a good source of B vitamins, iron, phosphorus and manganese.

This salad of bulgur and lots of parsley is refreshing and especially good with baby romaine scoopers. For a little more protein in this dip, add some cooked soybeans, diced feta cheese or chicken.

TABBOULEH

1 cup bulgur

2 cups boiling water

2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint

4 green onions, finely chopped

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the bulgur and water and let stand for 30 minutes. Using a sieve, drain the excess water and return bulgur to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with baby romaine leaves or pita chips.

DIPPERS

Flour tortillas make terrific chips and you don't need to fry them for a crispy, flaky chip. Just cut, toast in the oven and serve.

TORTILLA CHIPS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut flour tortillas into 8 wedges. Place the tortilla wedges on a baking sheet in a single layer, lining them up close together but not overlapping. Fill the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes: tortilla wedges should be crisp and lightly browned. Remove from the oven, cool and store in an airtight container.

PITA BREAD CRISPS

Like flour tortillas, you can simply toast pita bread wedges in the oven for a crispy dipper. Split pita bread and cut into wedges. Lightly brush each piece with a little olive oil if you like. Toast on a baking sheet in a 325-degree oven until crisp and lightly browned.

CROSTINI

Crostini are simply toasted slices of bread, usually cut from a baguette. Use up leftover breads to make crostini: simply slice thinly and into bite-sized pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet. You can brush each piece with a little olive oil or melted butter if you like. Toast in a 325 1/3 F oven until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from the oven, cool and store in an airtight container.

VEGETABLE DIPPERS

Use an assortment of vegetables as dippers. Cut them into bite-sized pieces, preferably slices instead of sticks. Use decorative cutters if you have them, just for fun. Here are some ideas:

• Cut round vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and zucchini into diagonal slices at least 1/4-inch thick for good scooping. Celery too can be cut on the diagonal instead of straight.

• Cut broccoli and cauliflower florets into pieces; cut florets in half for easier scooping on the cut side.

• Belgian endive is a wonderful scooper; just peel away the leaves from the stem and use the bottom of the leaf for dipping.

• Baby romaine is a also a good dipper — its sturdy stems, hearty leaves and small size make them perfect.

• Cabbage is not a vegetable usually found on a crudite tray. But its sturdy leaves are ideal for dipping. Cut red or green cabbage leaves into 2 or 3-inch squares.