Happy (Belated) Halloween

Hello dear bloggers! I hope that each of you had a happy and safe Halloween weekend. Mr. P and I had a rather quiet one. We both worked late, so we met for a late dinner at a restaurant on the river. We love this restaurant, and it will be closing for the winter very soon, so we decided to eat there one last time for the year. After dinner, Mr. P went home because he had to work on Saturday, and I went to visit some friends. We live so far out, and our house is pretty far off the road, therefore we rarely get any trick or treaters. So for the past several years, we've celebrated Halloween at our friends M and R's house. Mr. P hated to miss the festivities, but he had to be up by 5:00 am on Saturday, so I went by myself this year.

On Saturday, we went over to D and R's house to watch the UK-Mississippi State game. They eked out a win, thankfully. As far as my dear Volunteers, I have no words. This has been a terrible season, and I'll just be glad when it is over. Maybe we'll have a better basketball season, although football is my first love.

Despite my woes over Tennesse and the close game that the Wildcats had, we had a great time watching the UK game. R had made chili, and everyone else brought accompaniments to the chili. I brought Touchdown Taco Dip, a recipe that I found from Pampered Chef several years ago. Here is the recipe:

Touchdown Taco Dip

1 9-ounce can bean dip
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced
2 green onions, with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
Additional sour cream (optional)
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread bean dip over bottom of a small baking dish. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning mix, and garlic; mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bean dip. Top with shredded cheese and bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle tomato, onions, olives, and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

I substituted the taco seasoning mix for the Mexican seasoning mix from The Pepper Palace.

The dip was a big hit at the party, and I wished that I had doubled the recipe. If you are making it for more than a few people, I would definitely recommend making it in a larger baking dish and doubling the recipe.

I have the next two days off from school-woohoo! Tomorrow is FDEA day, and of course Tuesday is election day. I am definitely looking forward to my time off.