Seven Layer Mexican Dip

I have to admit that this dip is fantastic. When I was younger, my mom would make this but with different layers. Over time, she changed the way she made it (but she won't admit to it). When I saw the recipe idea for this in the newspaper, I had to make it. The only difficulty I had with this particular recipe was the guacamole because the avocados I used were rather hard to work with. I used Alton Brown's guacamole recipe on FoodNetwork.com, but any guacamole (pre-made or homemade) will work just fine. It all depends on your personal taste. If you want a really easy time making this, buy the guacamole. The amounts for each layer differ, too. You can make a pyramid formation, like I did above, or you can put this into a 9x13in pan and spread each layer all the way across. It's all up to you!


Seven Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

2 cans refried beans
Sour cream
Guacamole
Mexican four cheese blend (shredded)
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
Lettuce
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped, for sprinkling
Tortilla chips, to serve


Directions

Open the refried beans and spread them along the bottom of a large serving dish (the one pictured above is about 1 foot in diameter). Spoon the sour cream over the top to desired thickness. Do the same with the guacamole, cheese, tomatoes, red onion, and lettuce. Use as much of each ingredients as you want - my measurements are only suggestions. If arranging in a pyramid, start pressing down on the ingredients after adding the cheese to flatten it out a little bit. This allows more to be added without it toppling over. When finished, sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the top. Dish out spoonfuls or put the dip in the middle of the table and dig right in.

This is also good with seasoned ground beef in place of the refried beans. Any of these ingredients can be changed for taste. Get creative and serve up some good food!