Red, White, & Blue: 7-Layer Dip

Summer.

Doesn't that word bring back so many memories? No school, sitting by the pool, warm summer nights, hiking, BBQs...the list goes on and on! This year is my first year without a "real" summer. This is my first full year out of school with a full-time job and therefore, no summer. In case you were wondering, it's not going well so far.

But luckily I'm visiting my family in Utah for the 4th of July, so I have a weekend of summer to look forward to. If you've never spent a 4th of July holiday in Utah, you're missing out. My family usually spends the entire day at the pool before having a BBQ at our house that afternoon. And of course, we finish off the evening with s'mores over the campfire and fireworks in the driveway.

Speaking of BBQs, I wanted to share one of my favorite dishes to prepare. Everyone loves a good chip dip, but what about when it looks like an American flag?? It's perfect for any summer BBQ you have. 

I'm sure you have most of these things on hand too, which makes it quick and easy to throw together. The dip starts with a can of refried beans that has a package of taco seasoning mixed in. Add a layer of salsa, olives, lettuce, and cheese before you start creating your masterpiece. My advice would be to have plenty of chopped tomatoes (more than you might think) to fill in the red stripes to ensure all the bottom layers are fully covered. And voila! In about 20 minutes, you'll have an impressive 7-layer dip for your summer BBQ.

4th of July 7-Layer Dip

(Although I made mine in a 8x8, you could easily make this in a 9x13)

1 can refried beans

1 package taco seasoning

Salsa (amount depends on how thick you want this layer. I did about 8 oz)

Sliced olives

Shredded lettuce

Grated cheese

Sour cream

Diced tomatoes

Blue tortilla chips (a few crushed, and the rest for dipping)

1. In a small bowl, mix the refried beans with the taco seasoning. Spread evenly in the bottom of a square or rectangular dish.

2. Layer the salsa, olives, lettuce, and cheese (in that order) on top.

3. Spoon sour cream in a ziplock bag, cut off the corner, and pipe in horizontal lines on top of dip to replicate stripes. Carefully place chopped tomatoes to fill in the rest of the "stripes."

4. Crush blue tortilla chips and fill in the square in the upper left-hand corner.

*Tip: keep your bag of sour cream handy and add dots of sour cream on top of the blue chip square (to replicate stars!).

What other side dishes to you like to serve at your summer BBQs?