It’s football time already. Tonight, a Thursday of all days, is actually is the first game. Traffic was crazy just moving two miles this afternoon. Although the weather is hardly cozy-time (temperatures are soaring into the 90s) I am yearning to make this dip for the boys, and set them down with a bowl of chips. I learned to make this dip from my trusted friend this summer — and I’ve been dying for a Saturday afternoon to spring it on them. Who knew it would be a Thursday night?
She went over the recipe with me several times, verbally, but the dip still came out “dry.” When I phoned her, she asked, “did you add the cheese?” Of course not… that would have been just about the right amount of oil to balance things out.
So here is the recipe.
- A can of pinto beans… or dried beans.
- Taco seasoning mix. Or mix your own: 1/8 teaspoon cumin, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/8 teaspoon paprika, 1 dash salt
- Cheese… mexican cheese of your choice, shredded
- A can jalepeno peppers
- A block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Green onions, black olives, cilantro and — if you have them, fresh tomatoes for garnish.
Of course, I did this the hard way, and started with dried beans — but it’s really easy. I just soaked the beans overnight, drained and rinsed them, and then turned on the crockpot with enough water to cover the beans and let it sit for a few hours. I also added an onion, and a pork bone to give the beans a deep flavor. Once the beans were soft, you are at the canned bean stage… so join me. Then, I poured off the extra water. Then I added the salt and seasonings, the cheeses and sour cream, and turned the crockpot back to low.
After a couple of hours, I mashed the beans with my immersion blender (a masher would work) and spread them in a bowl. I topped with more cheese, and the onions, black olives, cilantro, and fresh tomatoes for garnish.
True comfort food… even without the mashed potatoes.