Cinco De August: Spicy 7 Layer Dip

For the last 6 years my cousins, Nathan and Liesel, host a shindig called Cinco De August.  They provide the enchiladas, nacho fixins and mojitos.  Everybody else brings various dishes, beers, boozy cakes (Yay Christina!) and a ready to partay attitude.  I prepared Mountain Dew cupcakes (my cousin adores Mountain Dew, we call it Dewsky) and my famous spicy 7 layer dip.


Spicy 7 Layer Dip:
Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• Packet of hot taco seasoning
• 16 oz can of spicy jalapeno refried beans
• 16 oz container of Daisy Sour Cream
• 8 oz package of shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican blend)
• 16 oz container of salsa
• Container of pickled jalapenos (as much as desired)
• 3 large avocados
• Lime juice (a squirt)
• 1 teaspoon of chile powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet
2. Drain the fat
3. Add the packet of taco seasoning to the ground beef and mix to coat evenly
4. Spread the refried beans on the bottom of an 8”X11” baking pan 
5. Spread the ground beef on top of the beans
6. Place the pan in the fridge to cool the beef
7. While the beef is cooling cut into the avocados and mash in a medium sized bowl
8. Squirt some lime juice on the avocados and mix in
9. Add the chile powder, garlic salt, and onion powder to the avocados and mix well
10. Once cooled to at least room temperature, add the container of sour cream
11. Spread the guacamole on top of the sour cream
12. Spread the container of salsa evenly
13. Spread the cheese evenly on top
14. Add as may jalapenos as desired (I sometimes only put jalapenos on half, for those guests that don’t like too much spicy)
15. Store in the refrigerator

This recipe is customized to meet my needs (lots of spice and no tomatoes).  You can modify it in any way.  You can add green onions instead of jalapenos, add a layer of tomatoes, or substitute non-spicy ingredients wherever.  Heck, you can even have an 8 layer dip; live on the wild side.