Why are finger foods so appealing? Is it because we all secretly like to eat with our hands, or does it have more to do with those tangy, flavored dipping sauces like barbecue, honey mustard or homemade chipotle mayo? I like finger foods because they come in bite-sized pieces. I can have a taste of everything without feeling stuffed and even have seconds of the things I enjoyed most.

So what's the ultimate finger food? I'd have to say chicken fingers. In my career as a professional cook, I have made hundreds -- no, thousands -- of juicy, homemade chicken fingers.

Some are coated with Parmesan bread crumbs or crushed golden butter crackers, others dipped first in thick buttermilk and Tabasco, then coated in crunchy, crushed cereals. They are perfect for kids and even better for entertaining, as I found out when my neighbors devoured them during our monthly movie get-together.

Buttermilk chicken fingers always disappear first, but I also love to convince my veggie-hating friends to dip nutrient-rich vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower into the sauce of their choice. That's why I've collected a private stash of recipes that are healthier, but just as tasty.

Get Jennifer's recipes and warm weather entertaining tips after the jump.

1. Lime Tortilla Chips - Light-years ahead of the plain kind. Tostitos makes the tastiest ones. There go very well with fruit salsa, usually mango or peach.
2. Sweet Potato Chips - Everyone from Pringles to Terra manufactures these, though I would swing toward the latter, since the Pringles also have cinnamon. They match nicely with corn salsa or bean dip.
3. Banana or Plantain Chips - Yes, I know they're not the same thing, but close enough for my purposes. Another standout with fruit salsa, though I also like them with guacamole.
4. Pretzel Chips - A nice combo of two great salty snacks, the chips and the pretzel. Try with spinach or onion dip.
5. Tabasco Cheez-Its - Don't put anything on these. You'll wind up devouring much of the box and you don't want anything to get in your way.

• Summer is for grilling: Grilled Caponata with Charred Bread, Beer Can Chicken with Dirty Bird Rub, and Grilled Peach Upside-Down Cake.
• Kids love Frankenstuffers.
• What does actress Anika Noni Rose keep in her fridge?
• Or how about Dennis Franz?
• Having a big party? Print out these DIY place cards.
• Even dogs love salad (right?).
• Make some vegetarian dinners: Portobello Mushroom and Almond Pesto Lasagna, Zucchini Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Dip, and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette.
• Another celeb: Jane Seymour makes a centerpiece with flowers and crayons.
• More recipes: Pineapple-Shrimp Tostadas, Asian Chicken Cutlets, Chicken Burgers with Barbecue Onion Sauce, and Spiked Pink Lemonade.

OK readers, I have a challenge for you. Do you dare accept it?

The other night I was watching an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the one where Rob and Laura accidentally hear their neighbors Jerry and Millie talking about them on Richie's toy intercom. It's one of my favorite episodes, and I've always wondered if the dip that is mentioned in the episode, Avocado and Peanut Butter, was a real dip that someone on the cast or crew had made or if it was completely made up. It sounds like an odd combination, but I've heard of odder recipes.

The only clues I have are that it's a dip (Buddy puts it on crackers) and the ingredients are avocado, peanut butter, and mustard. Don't forget the mustard! It's the vital ingredient, though Buddy seems to like it better without it. Not sure if there are any other ingredients - these are the only three mentioned.

So who wants to make it and report back here on how it tastes? We could start a new trend here: real recipes based on fake TV and movie recipes.

What would a collection of SuperBowl dip recipes be without a little blue cheese, considering that it is held to be the gold standard of hot wing dips - excluding hot wing sauce itself, of course. Blue cheese (or bleu cheese, if you prefer) dip is made with a pungent, creamy cheese that cuts into the spiciness of hot wings by adding a new layer of flavor and a cooling sensation that dulls the heat of the chicken. The strongly flavored cheese, in most of these dips, is often combined with sour cream, mayonnaise or cream cheese, each of which contributes to the overall texture of the dip without bumping up the flavor to the point where it overpowers the hot wing itself.

This particular dip is a pretty standard recipe that you'll probably find in several different places. It calls for sour cream and mayonnaise in addition to the cheese, so "healthy" is not something that could be applied. You can always substitute low fat or nonfat sour cream/mayonnaise; using a good quality blue cheese will make up for any loss of flavor in either of those ingredients.

I adore chipotle peppers. They may be trendy, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are very tasty. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos and are usually packed in cans in an adobo sauce. The original process was developed to preserve the peppers, but the smoky flavor and lingering heat of the chipotle long ago caused it to become popular in its own right. That heat makes a nice background to the cool, creamy avocado in this guacamole.

You can choose to make it either creamy or chunky, depending on what you want to serve it with. Chunky guacamoles tend to work best with chips and crackers, as both provide ample surface area for scooping. Creamier dips are a better choice for veggies and pretzels, or other snacks that don't make for a good scoop. For a chunky dip, simply mince everything and stir it together to blend. For an ultra-creamy dip, use the food processor to combine everything.

Even people who aren't big fans of artichoke seem to enjoy artichoke dips. The mild flavor of the vegetable and is tender texture blend perfectly with cream cheese, mayonnaise or sour cream - at least one of which is almost always a component of artichoke dip. The dips are usually served hot, enhancing the smoothness and the overall flavor.

Hot dips require a little more maintenance than cold dips. You will either need to head back and forth to the kitchen to reheat them, serve them in a chafing dish or try to motivate your guests to eat them really quickly. I like to use two or three smaller bowls, that way one will be ready to go if I need to switch them out. I also try to choose dips that will still taste good at room temperature - and this one definitely does.

The recipe comes from Eating Well magazine and is a little lighter than most artichoke dips, with most of the flavor coming from the artichokes themselves and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, which is among the lower-fat cheeses out there. Some mayo is included to enhance the consistency of the final dip, which is heated in the oven to produce a slightly crisp top and creamy interior.

For hot dips, a, electric chip and dip set might come in handy. It has an electric power base that will gently heat the included 22-oz. stoneware crock in the center of the serving plate, ensuring that every dip you serve stays pleasantly warm regardless of how long you need it to sit out. The power base has an on/off switch so that it doesn't have to be left on all the time.

If you want something that is specifically designed for the big game, check out the Wincraft Super Bowl XLI Snack Helmet, which includes a realistic, logo-bearing helmet with two snack bowls: one on top of the helmet and one inside the facemask. It's best for serving chips, pretzels or other dry snacks, but the uppermost bowl has a lid if you choose to use it for a salsa or dip that might need to be covered.

Yogurt is a great base for dips because it is so versatile, like a blank canvas. You can add it to avocados for an ultra-creamy guacamole, use it tone down hot salsas and use it on its own, as I have done here, to showcase other flavors.

Like many yogurt dips, this one is incredibly easy to make. It has only a few ingredients and requires little more than a stir to bring it together, yet it as at least as satisfying as those "ranch-style" dips that often turn up at parties. It goes well with potato chips, pita chips, crackers and veggies.

Layered dips - whether you go for a total of five, six or seven - are fantastic complements to a big bag of tortilla chips and are always crowd pleasers. There is always at least one element that will appeal to everyone's tastes and, more often than not, it is the combination of everything that makes the dip a real winner.

There are a couple of different ways to make this dip and each results in a different number of layers. The basic version of the dip will have four layers: refried beans, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Additional layers of any of those ingredients, as well as cheese, black olives, green onions and even cooked ground beef can be added to increase the layering, with the most popular number being seven.

We're doing a week's worth of dips to prepare for the SuperBowl - which hopefully will provide you with more than enough recipes (or at least some inspiration) to get you through game day - but if you want even more ideas, take a look at Party Dips! 50 Zippy, Zesty, Spicy, Savory, Tasty, Tempting Dips. This short cookbook covers a wide range of dips and ideas for different foods that need dipping, aside from the obvious carrot sticks and potato chips.

Trader Joe's sells some pretty good premade hummus blends in their refrigerated section. I am a particular fan of both the spicy hummus and the tomato and basil hummus, but since so many popular dips are of the spicy variety, I decided to recreate the tomato and basil here as part of our Super Bowl dip-a-day feature.

Since I am a firm believer that dips should be simple - especially if they're for a large party - I went with canned tomatoes. I used Muir Glen and if you use that brand as well, you have a couple of options. The recipe below calls for the plain whole peeled tomatoes (easy to find in other brands, as well), but if you prefer, you can opt to buy their Tomatoes with Basil and eliminate the need to buy fresh basil to add to the dip, streamlining the recipe a bit. The choice is yours, but it's easy and tastes quite addictive either way.