Lydia Kautz: A nice, refreshing dip
Jul. 6—Do you know what sounds good right now? A nice dip. An edible dip, to be specific — though a dip in the lake or the pool wouldn't hurt matters either, since it looks like it's going to be in the 90s all week.
These two dip recipes go way back. My mother used to make them for faculty meetings when she was working as a teacher in Hershey, Nebraska — a small community outside North Platte — in the 1990s.
They were a huge hit there and they were a hit in Kansas too.
The apple dip originated with someone named Sandy Stockall — the wife of a principal she worked for in Nebraska and who my mother describes as one of her favorite bosses ever.
You may recognize the layered bean dip as a variation on seven layer dip.
Variations on both of these recipes were printed in the Hershey Nebraska Centennial Cookbook — a community cookbook compiled in the 1970s to commemorate the village's centennial year.
They're the easiest thing ever and they're crowd-pleasers. It's hard to go wrong with them.
Apple Dip
Ingredients
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp. to 1 tbs. heavy cream
4 tsp. amaretto (optional)
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with fruit, especially sliced apples.
Layered bean dip
Ingredients
3 avocados
2 tbs. mayonaise
1 tbs. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
2 16 oz. cans refried beans
8 oz. shredded cheddar
1 can chopped black olives
1 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
Mash avocados, lemon juice, mayo, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Mix sour cream with taco seasoning. Layer in a 9x13 casserole dish, spreading refried beans, then avocado mixture, then sour cream mixture, then cheese and then sprinkle olives and tomatoes across the top. Serve with tortilla chips.
LYDIA KAUTZ is the Managing Editor of the Junction City Union.
