My husband is the king of buying stuff we don’t need, never tried, and does not appear on any shopping list I’ve ever written. Costco is like a playground for him. There are aisles of things I never knew I wanted clogging up precious space in my freezer, pantry, or refrigerator.
A few months ago, he discovered a 7-Layer Dip, a multi-colored, who knows what’s in it, what are those funky colors anyway pasty looking concoction that is apparently delicious on tortilla chips and eaten during sports. Did I mention my husband doesn’t watch sports? But, if there’s a sport on any of the 43,000 ESPN channels, it’s okay to eat this dip.
No one else in my house will eat this gooey, nasty looking stuff. It might be the way my nose wrinkled up when I opened the container for the first time, wretched, gagged, and then held my nose while handing it to Jim to take to his desk and eat in solitude. When I did get the courage to eat it – blech. It was every nasty thing I thought it would be.
At one point, I said to my husband, “I could probably make that – and better.” Ladies, don’t try this at home. As soon as you say, “I can”, you will. No need to add to your already overwhelmed life by taking on even more chores. But really, how hard could this dip be? Right?
Here’s the hardest part – keeping track of how many layers there are, so you can accurately relate to friends and family who are enjoying it the exact name of the dip. And you know me with math – once we hit layer 4, we’re talking numbers I’m too afraid to tackle. This is really an easy dip to throw together. And you know what? My kids – and, okay, me too – like the homemade version. MUCH better.
So – here’s how you do it.
1 can of refried beans
1 packet of Taco seasoning
fresh guacamole (I get mine at Wegman’s, about 16 ounces, but you can make your own)
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 jar of your favorite Salsa
Lettuce
Tomato
Mexican or Taco spiced cheese
Olives
To prepare, take the can of refried beans and put into a mixing bowl. Empty the packet of Taco seasoning into the beans, and using a hand blender, mix together. Spread this layer in the bottom of your dish (I use a glass baking dish). Next, spread the guacamole, followed by the sour cream, followed by the salsa. Top the salsa with lettuce, top the lettuce with the cheese, and then top with diced tomatoes and sliced olives.
It is so much fresher tasting, not as plasticky, and is really quite good, if I do say so myself.
If you want to add layers, cooked and diced chicken breast makes a nice addition, as does seasoned ground beef. You could leave out the salsa to make it less runny, but add jalapenos or other hot peppers to give it more of a bite.
The best thing about the dip is the ability to adapt it to your family’s preferences. And if, like me, you don’t care a whole lot about their preferences, but want to make it as easy on you as possible, you can slant the recipe to keep it simple.
The fresh dip can be kept in your fridge about 2 days, but I wouldn’t go much longer than that. I barely lasts that long in my house.
Enjoy!
