My kids are late to the dipping party. I had friends whose kids were dipping fanatics from the earliest age. Not mine. But right now, my son is in a ketchup phase and my daughter is all about tzatziki.

It happened innocently enough. I was waiting in line at the grocery store and spied a bottle of tzatziki by the cheese section and dashed away quickly to pick it up and add it to my cart. It was an instant hit. My daughter, who basically could live on dairy until the famed cows came home, loved it immediately. It was the kind of thing where I wondered why we didn't have it around more often. So I set to work, trying to make my own.

Greek yogurt, labne, kirby cukes and dill

It's funny having the feedback of a 7 year old because the comments are so straightforward. I heard some "Mom! this is toooooooo spicy!" (hmm... too much garlic), and "Mom! this is really runny, I can't dip the right way." (hmm... too watery) and "Mom! this has lots of chunks in it! Can it be smooth?" (hmm... smaller pieces or puree needed).

I finally came up with the recipe that worked for us and I'm happy to share it! I used labne (full fat) in place of sour cream and Greek yogurt and eliminated the raw garlic completely. I used kirby cukes because they seem to be the least watery. I wouldn't be surprised if my daughter dipped each of the items in her lunchbox into the tzatziki. Even the grapes! But, I've kept everything separate (thanks, Easylunchboxes!) so she can decide for herself.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup labne
2 kirby cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

Combine all ingredients and puree using a stick blender (or if your kiddos like a chunky version, eliminate that step completely)!