10-Layer Dip

Growing up, I moved around a lot starting out in Canada, going across the mid-west and landing in Tampa, Florida my sophomore year of high school. Previous to Tampa, any club or team that needed to raise money would have bake sale with the obligatory cookies, brownies etc. (on a side note a lot of schools don't allow home made baked goods at sales anymore which is ridiculous!). But when I moved to Tampa all of a sudden we started having "dip" sales. For $2 one would purchase a styrofoam cup with a scoop of dip in the bottom and a handful of tortilla chips on top. I'd never even heard of seven layer dip before then, and now it is a staple in my easy party snack diet.

And I am pleased to announce that I have improved upon the high school recipe by changing and adding layers.

tada layers!

Ten Layer Dip 
 

Ingedients

1 can refried beans (I use fat free)
1 can green chilies (diced)
1 can Mexican corn
1 lb ground beef
1 4oz can sliced black olives
2 avocados, ripe
packet of guacamole mix
jar salsa
2 fresh roma tomatoes
sour cream (I use reduced fat)
1 1/2 cup Mexican-style shredded cheese
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp oregano
pinch cayenne pepper
salt/pepper
bag of tortilla chips

ingredients assemble!

Directions

Brown ground beef in a non stick pan. Drain off the fat. Stir the spices in to the meat. Set aside to cool slightly. Prepare the guacamole with mix and avocados according the mix directions (alternatively you can buy prepared guacamole or make your own... I choose mix for this particular dip because it's economical and easy)

Put the refried beans into a small pan and warm over medium low heat. When it starts to get a little bit thin and is heated through, it's ready to be spread over the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan.

Spread with green chilies, drained Mexican corn, ground beef, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes, and drained  sliced olives. The order isn't super important with the exception of not putting the guacamole on the top ('cause it will turn brown and gross). I like to top with the sour cream because I feel like it sort of "seals" everything and the cheese, tomato, and olives look pretty on top of it.

You can eat this right away or cover with plastic wrap and it refrigerate until you need to serve. It's best to let it sit at room temperature for a little while or else the refried beans will be too thick and hard and will break your tortilla chips when you try to dip them--tragic!