Eight Layer Taco Dip

Eight Layer Taco Dip

 

*1½ cup refried beans

1½ cup sour cream

1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded lettuce

2 diced tomatoes

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

¼ cup sliced black olives

Tortilla chips

Hot sauce (optional)

Place refried beans in bottom of glass tart dish.  Spread with sour cream, top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cheddar cheese and finally, black olives.  Grab yourself a handful of tortilla chips and dig in.

• Refried beans are easy to make.  Chop ½ cup onion, ½ cup green pepper and mince two cloves garlic.  Sauté garlic, onion and green pepper in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 3 minutes; add 1½ cup baked beans, drained (I use whatever I happen to have leftover from the weekend — we are always baking beans).  Cook for about 5 minutes and then mash the beans using a fork.  Depending on your taste mash them well or leave some whole.

This recipe is tasty using fresh hot refried beans or cold, depending on what your taste buds like to eat.  You can also spice up the refried beans when cooking by adding ¼ tsp cayenne pepper and or 1 tsp red pepper flakes. 

P.S. As you can see from the picture, I forgot the black olives... dang it.

© Crackerberries 2013

Trail Mix Granola Bars

Trail Mix Granola Bars

My little friend Madison Long made trail mix with her mom and shared it with us.  TCJne doesn’t eat “trail mix” he thinks it’s for the birds.  So instead of hogging it all down myself, I decided to make granola bars with it.  He will eat them if there are no cookies in the jar… like my granny always used to say, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat!”

*2 cups trail mix

2 cups oatmeal (whole grain quick oats)

2 cups Quaker Natural Granola oats, honey & almonds cereal

1 cup coconut

½ cup raisins

½ cup honey

½ cup butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease the bottom of a 13x9x2 in baking dish with cooking spray.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on top and spray that also. 

In a very large bowl combine trail mix, oatmeal, granola cereal, coconut and raisins and mix well.  Melt butter.  In food processor or Magic bullet add butter with honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, peanut butter, egg and salt.  Pulse until well blended.  Pour over granola mixture and stir well. 

Spoon mixture onto greased parchment paper, press down firmly all around.  Sprinkle with sea salt (optional—I’m addicted to it).  Place in oven and bake 20 minutes.  Rotate pan so that the front is in the back and the back is in the front and bake an additional 5-7 minutes, just until all outside edges are brown.

Cool 30 minutes and slide out of pan to continue cooling.  Cool completely before slicing into squares (I made the mistake of cutting too soon).  Place in an airtight container.

*Madison Long’s homemade trial mix consists of pecans she picked from her granddaddy’s backyard.  She mixed them with salt and butter and roasted them on a cookie sheet in a 375° oven for about 15-20 minutes, stirring every five minutes.  After they cooled, she chopped them up and combined with a bag of dried cranberries, a bag of M&M’s (the ones she didn’t eat) and a bag of milk chocolate chip cookies.  This is her snack for when goes to her daily job of blueberry picking.

© Crackerberries 2013