Thursday, August 28, 2014

Fraternity (or Tailgate) Layered Mexican Dip in a Cup


Liv Life loves blog mail days, but I have to admit some mail days rate higher with the family than others.  Our last mail day?  Jackpot!  Who doesn't love fresh guacamole and salsa delivered right to your door?

The Kroger Family sent us a care package to try their new Peakfection Salsa and Traditional Guacamole.  Made wholly from "real" ingredients (no weird stuff and no added sugar!), both packages already rated highly in my book before we even took a taste.  And I have to admit, with school starting and my son preparing to head off to college, our taste test didn't happen quite a soon as I had hoped.


A full week after receiving the goodies we finally had time to sit down to figure out what to make.  At this point we weren't particularly creative, and between the four of us we polished off both the salsa and guacamole in one sitting.  And, we noted though they had been in the fridge for over a week, both products did indeed remain fresh and abundantly flavorful.

Heading to my local Ralph's (Kroger's store here in San Diego), I came home loaded with new Peakfection goods and we set off to make a recipe decision.  I voted for the Spanish Rice (white rice enhanced with Peakfection's Medium Red Salsa - 2 cups water, 1 cup white rice, 1 cup Peakfection Salsa) or the Peakfection Salsa Chicken (Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts baked in 1 1/2 cups salsa, 1 Tbs Dijon, 1 Tbs brown sugar - 375ºF for about 20 min), but I was overruled.

In honor of my son heading to college, Liv and her brother put together a version of a 7-Layer Dip in a Cup.  Last year one of my girlfriends brought a true 7-Layer Dip to our Super Bowl party, but the layers included sour cream and shredded cheese... as neither of my kids can have dairy, we opted for a simple, fraternity (or Tailgate) friendly, dairy-free version.



Taking 2-ounce plastic disposable shot cups, the kids dolloped refried beans, guacamole and then a topping of salsa.  Adding a few chips to the cup gave us a zesty mini appetizer good to grab and go.

Easy enough for a college kid to put together on his own (though I'm not sure they'd have those plastic shot cups in their dorm rooms or fraternity?  ;) , and portable enough to toss into a cooler for easier transportation and put together at a tailgate, this dip proved immensely popular and disappeared in a flash once I gave the go ahead after our photo shoot.

I'm not totally sure how they do it, but the Peakfection products remained fresh in the fridge until we were ready to use them... perfect if you are like me and tend to purchase items for dinner plans you have which end up changing at the last minute leaving you to forget you had even bought the items until they are now past their prime.

Peakfection
The Kroger Family of Stores new line of guacamole and salsas comes in a variety of flavors:
5 Salsas (red in three spice levels and roasted in two spice levels)
2 Guacamoles (traditional and spicy)

Made with fresh ingredients captured at their peak of perfection and using a special cold water process, these products stay fresher longer and are ready and waiting when you need them.

Our many thanks to Kroger for sending us a care package and giving us the opportunity to try the salsa and guac.  BTW... the Peakfection Insulated tumblers included in the care package have made their way all over San Diego and have spent numerous days at the beach!!

We love your Peakfection Perfection!
Liv's Peakfection Instagram!

Layered Mexican Dip in a Cup
Perfect for situations where putting together a quick appetizer is not ideal ahead of time, the Peakfection salsas and guacamoles are easy to pack into a cooler along with a can of beans and then simply dollop into cups when ready.  Versatile to your taste, add cheeses and sour cream if desired.  Makes a wonderful appetizer... but I found my kids came home from school and made theirs a late lunch.  College kid approved.

1 package Peakfection Guacamole
1 package Peakfection Salsa
1 can refried beans
1 bag tortilla chips
plastic cups - we used 2-ounce cups for mini appetizers

Layer ingredients into cups starting with equal parts refried beans and guacamole then a topping of salsa.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, then serve with tortilla chips.

Or... Pack the guacamole, salsa and beans into a cooler and transport to your event.  Bring a spoon and layer your cups when you arrive.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Packed in a cooler the ingredients are ready when you are!

18 comments:

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    1. Somehow I think the little cups made them even more popular!

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  2. I love layer dips. This is perfect for any game day!

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    1. Yep! Ours made it the Charger Tailgate yesterday... no muss, no fuss.

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  3. This is such a good idea. I can see this as a big hit at kids' birthday parties and events as well as tail gate parties.

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    1. I hadn't even thought of bday parties!! Super idea!

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  4. Wow, great idea and I can't believe it is tailgating season.

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    1. I know, right?? The season sort of snuck up on me...

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  5. What a clever idea! Perfect for when the ladies gather. We've done the walking tacos, but this is better! I can see it now..... Thanks!

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  6. Yum - and love this idea! I could see this working for beach parties, too - This way the kids can only blame themselves if they get sand in their cups... : )

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    1. LOL! Yep... we've had that old sand in the cup issue. The cups do make it nice for the beach!

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  7. This really is a fun idea, and less mess for sure! I devour recipes like this, so need to make ASAP! Hugs, Terra

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    1. I'm all about less mess... this one has been popular in our house!! (And no dishes for me!!!)

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  8. This is a really creative approach. Love it, perfect for summer.

    Velva

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  9. I think I'd like to have a couple of those tasty-looking dip cups. May I please?

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  10. Makes a great after school snack. Yay something healthy to eat!

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