Real Kato Blog: Quick Followup

... concerning last night's boozing, and today's electricity cutoff.

I did wake up this morning, despite the power being turned off. You see, there was one thing I forgot about: the plaintive beeping of HALF A DOZEN UPSes. (That's what living in a Geek House gets you.) Of course, Progress Energy PROMPTLY cut the electricity at 8:00 a.m... the cable installer could learn a few things from these guys.

It didn't help that I had all those $2.50 pints of Guinness the night before. As it turns out, Natasha was prescient when she chided me and Dan for going out drinking on a weeknight. It was not a comfortable morning. Ugh.

In the evening, I really wanted to go running, but I was still sweating beer from all of my pores, and I just felt so blah. So it's coming up on two weeks since my last run, and I hate it hate it hate it. I MUST go running tomorrow, rain or shine. Especially because I have to finish off a giant container of the seven-layer bean dip that I made for the Fourth of July, and that's not exactly making me feel really healthy, either.

By the way, this is a bean dip recipe that I got from my friend Ann, who in turn got it from our friend Scott, and I'm not sure of the genealogy beyond that. But it's yummy and it never fails to win accolades.

SEVEN LAYER BEAN DIP

(It's questionable whether this is actually seven layers, or fewer, or more... I guess it depends on how you count them.)

- One 16-oz can of refried beans
- One pint (16 oz) sour cream
- One 1.25-oz package of dry taco seasoning mix
- Three ripe medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- Two small tomatillos, chopped
- One large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- Two cups of shredded iceberg lettuce
- Half cup of chopped green onions
- One cup of chopped vidalia onion
- Two cups shredded cheddar cheese

Spread the refried beans on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Mix the dry taco seasoning mix into the sour cream, and then layer it on top of the beans. Shred or chop the lettuce, then press it between paper towels to remove some of the moisture. Sprinkle the lettuce and the remaining ingredients evenly on top, in layers.

The key ingredients are the beans, the sour cream, the taco seasoning mix, and the tomatoes. Everything else can be substituted or omitted depending on your tastes. Some folks like to add black olives or green peppers, and I know a lot of folks who prefer it without so much onion.

GUACAMOLE DIP

(I'll give you this one too, while I'm at it. It's easy.)

Two just-ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice
1 ripe medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup white or vidalia onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cut the avocados in half, cutting around the pit. Separate the halves and chop a sturdy knife blade into the pit; with a little twist, the pit should come out. Spoon the avocados out of their peels. Cut them into pieces, then mash them in a bowl with the back of a fork, or a potato masher. You can use a food processor, but I like my guacamole with a few hearty chunks in it.

Add the lemon juice or lime juice as you're mashing, to prevent the avocados from turning brown. Mash in the tomato and onions also. You can add more than 1/3 cup of onion, but don't over-onion this, or you'll kill the delicate avocado flavor. Add the cilantro and the garlic powder. Most folks use freshly crushed garlic instead of garlic powder, but I think the powder gives it more tang without introducing so much raw garlic flavor. Start adding the salt and pepper and taste it frequently. The key is adding the right amount of salt; since this is a chip dip, it needs to be a little bit salty.

You can also add a finely chopped chile pepper if you want to spice it up a little.

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