Cooking with Kelly: Dip-able party foods

I love parties, and I especially love party foods. Appetizers are just fun because they're designed to let you taste many different foods in small amounts. In about a week, I will be westward bound for Arizona to spend the summer interning at Inside Tucson Business for Wick Communications. So Tim, the diligent boyfriend that he is, threw me a wonderful going away party.

I, because I like to cook, made up far more food than my friends could eat, despite telling them to come hungry. What you see in the foreground is a taco dip that probably has more than seven layers, technically. In the background is a chili cheese dip. And on the left is store-bought salsa, spinach dip and guacamole -- life is too short for me to try and make all that.

So, for the taco dip you need:

Two cream cheese packages

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1/4 cup prepared salsa

1 bunch sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, diced

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup sour cream

Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Mix together the cream cheese and taco dip. Then layer them in a large baking pan in that order, picking produce that suit the layer of spice you're striving for. Chill together for a few hours and serve with tortilla chips.

And then the chili cheese dip:

2 packages of cream cheese

2 cans hormel chili without beans

2 cups shredder cheddar cheese

Layer these in another large pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and it's heated throughout. Serve with tortilla chips, Wheat Thins or Fritos (I like Tostitos scoop chips).

As for the store bought items, I topped them with tomatoes, chopped scallions and cilantro to make them look appetizing and a little more fresh. I served all of this up with Tostitos, Wheat Thins and homemade tortilla chips (that I bought from a restaurant).

While it was a quiet night, no one went home hungry.