I find myself heading over to Facebook more and more these days. I am always a little far behind because the"new" thing is Twitter (which I haven't even signed up for). As I said I am usually a year behind.
I came across this fun MEME on Facebook that I had to share.
Go to google and search "(your name) likes to" and write the first 10 things that come up...This was hilarious!!!!
Valerie likes to.....
1) Valerie likes to gossip about her life, including her psychotherapy sessions....
2) Valerie likes to be outdoors.
3) Valerie handles her relationships.
4) Valerie likes to do stuff on the computer and likes to draw fantasy stuff.
5) Valerie really likes Texan Seafoods.
6) Valerie would love to play croquet or bean bag toss.
7) Valerie, her husband, their infant son, and their long haired Chihuahua love living in Louisville. 8) Valerie likes to say it was “just the two of us, on a 37-foot sailboat. And we’re still married!”.
9) Apparently Valerie likes to swim in lakes. And also, they’re apparently more fun to swim in in the middle of winter. ...
10) Valerie likes to snack on radishes dipped in balsamic vinaigrette and logs some 10,000 daily steps on a pedometer, both of which have paid off...
These are all other Valerie's, in fact the last one is Valerie Bertinelli for Weight Watchers. I got quite the chuckle out of it. Go ahead and do it I dare "ya".
But enough frivolity and on to the seriousness of recipes...even if this is a fun and fanciful appetizer.
I was wanting a pizza that I could use more as an appetizer rather than as a meal. I was also craving those Mexican and spicy flavours and had one of my favourite dips in mind...a 7 Layer Dip. As you know this popular dip has layers of refried beans, salsa or tomatoes, guacamole, onions, lettuce, sour cream and olives. This pizza appetizer I created that is reminiscent of all those wonderful flavours. For an added dimension you could also add a layer of cooked ground beef after the refried bean layer and turn this into a meal.
I am sending this recipe over to Lore for his Original Recipes event over at Culinarty. This round-up event is all about your own culinary concoctions and delicious creations. It is Lore's strong belief that they usually turn out better than cookbook recipes and bring us an enormous amount of satisfaction when we are successful! This is an event that also wants to encourage those of you who for one reason or another have never tried to create a recipe and to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of.For the rules please check the event link.
**7-Layer Dip" Pizza**
Dough for 1 medium sized pizza (12-inch)
3/4 cup refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 spring onions, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado +2 tsp lemon juice, sliced
1/4 cup black olives
Jalapeno peppers if desired
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp taco seasoning mix
*************************
Spray a baking sheet or pizza pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 425 F(220 C)
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the pan and build up the edges slightly. If desired, flute the edges.
Prick well with fork, to keep the pizza flat.
Prebake in a 4250F (220C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove dough from oven and spread a layer of refried beans to within 1-inch of edge of pizza dough. If your refried beans are a variety that are more compact heat up the refried beans. A microwave makes for a very evenly done result because they work by heating water in food. Refried beans have considerable water inside, so the method works well for them. Then spread them onto the baked pizza crust. Layer on the salsa, followed by the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. (For a nice variation, use a bit of pepper jack cheese in the mix if you desire). Sprinkle with chopped spring onions, olives and jalapeno peppers if using. Bake about 12 minutes more or until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven. Top with tomatoes. Slice avocados and sprinkle with 2 tsp lemon juice. Tomatoes and avocados are a traditional Mexican garnish. (Depending on how you like your pizza, you can add fresh or cooked tomatoes after pulling the pizza out of the oven. Or you can put them into the oven a few minutes before it’s done).
Mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 2 tsp of taco seasoning mix. Dollop sour cream on pizza.
Slice and serve.
