Eight Layer Dip

One of the best parts of April and May are the long weekends. And recently we've been very fortunate having two long weekends in a row. For the past few weeks I've been counting down the days to one particular night. It was a chip and dip and tv/movie night with Mr NQN, Belinda and Nick. It seemed like the perfect time to huddle indoors, eat chips and embrace the cooler Autumnal weather. Belinda and Nick are like siblings to me and Mr NQN enjoys their company immensely. He also liked the brief as much as I did - wear your comfiest clothes, no heels necessary.

Chip night started off at the supermarket where we rolled our trolley up and down the aisles putting in items that were new or took our fancy. "Ooh let's try this!" we'd say and into the trolley it would go. Along with the new, we also bought classic items like egg custard tarts dusted with nutmeg. We brought our spoils back to Belinda's place and I also unpacked some chips that I had bought from an Asian grocery store. You don't really think of Taiwan and China for chips but after trying some of their unusual flavours while in Shanghai, I was smitten by the very unusual flavours.

While we were unpacking, Belinda made this layer dip. Before I watched her make it, I assumed that a dip with lots of layers would be time consuming but she assured me that it was very simple. It takes about 5-10 minutes preparation total, five if you buy the guacamole and this entirely vegetarian dip feeds many.

We changed it a bit - usually you can use a taco seasoning mix but I prefer to avoid those sachet flavour mixes and I have to say that it is still fantastic. It's one of those recipes where you certainly can play fast and loose with the quantities and you can add or subtract a layer or two depending on what you have or what you like. It is best eaten when hot so that the cheese melts appealingly in strings and you scoop up all of the layers using corn chips (or other chips!).

As for our movie diet, well that involved a lot of odd choices. Some had our eyes popping, some elicited gasps and horror and also had our roaring with laughter. There were three of us on the couch with Mr NQN on cushions on the floor and I couldn't think of a more fun way to spend a public holiday. This dip was as always gleefully gobbled down.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you ever have tv or movie nights with friends or family? Do you have any television or movie recommendations for our next night in?

Eight Layer Dip

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Note: you can easily double quantities depending on the dish size.

• 1/2 x 435g tin refried beans
• 3/4 cup medium or hot salsa
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup guacamole* recipe follows
• 1/2 cup diced black olives
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (or corn kernels from 1 corn cob)
• 300ml tub light sour cream
• 1 cup grated cheese
• Corn chips to serve

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Place a layer of refried beans on the base of a glass dish with high sides. Mine was 18cm/7.2inches in diameter. Top with salsa and diced tomatoes. Add the guacamole layer and then sprinkle the black olives and corn kernels on top. Spread over with layer of sour cream and top with grated cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese has melted. You can also leave this unbaked but I never say no to melted cheese.

To make guacamole, process 1 large avocado, half a tomato, juice of 1/2 a lime and 3 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce.