Fiesta Dip — Because the First Fire of Summer Deserves a Real Celebration

May. Made grilled chicken thighs for the first outdoor cook of the season. Buttermilk-marinated, charred, honey-soy glazed. The fire pit awakening after winter. The coals glowing. The smoke rising. The neighborhood smelling like someone is celebrating, and someone is — I am, because fire and meat and the open sky is my celebration, my church, my weekly service that I attend without fail.

Connie and I went to a plant sale Saturday at the arboretum. She bought six things I can't identify and I bought a hot pepper plant that the tag said was Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world, and Connie said Craig Allen Hensley, if you bring that into this house I will leave. I planted it in the back corner of the garden where she can't see it and I will eat the peppers in secret and suffer in private because some pleasures are not meant to be shared, they are meant to be endured.

Clay has been at the outdoor store for over a year. Full-time now — they promoted him from part-time to full-time three months ago, and the steady paycheck and the benefits and the routine have cemented him into a life that looks, from the outside, like any other young man's life. But I know what it looks like from the inside, and from the inside it looks like a miracle that requires daily maintenance, and daily maintenance is what Clay does now — he maintains his sobriety and his job and his relationship and his apartment and his life, one day at a time, which is a cliche because it's true, and cliches become cliches because the truth they carry is so heavy that no original sentence can hold it.

When you’re standing over glowing coals on the first real outdoor cook of the season, something in you wants to extend the celebration past the main event — and this Fiesta Dip is exactly that extension. It’s loud and layered and unsubtle, which felt right for a day that already had fire and smoke and a Carolina Reaper quietly taking root in the back corner of the garden. You bring this to the table alongside whatever came off the grill, and suddenly the whole afternoon feels like something worth marking on a calendar.

Fiesta Dip

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 8—10

Ingredients

• 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning, divided
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup guacamole (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 cup salsa (medium or hot)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the beans. In a small bowl, stir together the refried beans and half the taco seasoning packet until fully combined.
2. Season the sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream with the remaining half of the taco seasoning until smooth.
3. Build the base layer. Spread the seasoned refried beans in an even layer across the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish or a wide, shallow serving platter.
4. Add the sour cream layer. Spread the seasoned sour cream evenly over the bean layer, leaving a small border around the edge.
5. Layer the guacamole. Spoon the guacamole over the sour cream and gently spread to cover.
6. Spread the salsa. Pour the salsa over the guacamole layer and spread evenly, allowing any extra liquid to settle into the dip.
7. Add the cheese. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the entire surface of the dip.
8. Top and finish. Scatter the black olives, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and jalapeño slices across the top in an even, colorful layer.
9. Chill or serve immediately. Serve right away with tortilla chips, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving. Do not let it sit longer or the layers will weep.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 520mg