Happy Easter!  I hope that the Easter Bunny found you(my dog spent the majority of the weekend trying to catch him)!

On Saturday Jake and I packed up the dogs, our luggage, and of course the binoculars and headed to Sidney, Iowa.   I was a good sport and we spent Saturday hiking through the woods in search of deer sheds.  I will admit that I am not a huge fan of Jake’s desire to have dead deer skulls and antlers in his man cave but I keep reminding myself it’s a fair trade - I get to decorate the whole house, he gets HIS room, and I don’t have to go in it!

We celebrated Easter today at my in-laws house.  There was so much delicious food that it was hard to not try it all.   Oscar Wilde once said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it”.  That is exactly what I did!  

My mother-in-law made these absolutely amazing cupcakes!  I am pretty sure that they would give all of the fancy-smancy cupcake shops here in Omaha a run for their money! 

I decided to bring some appetizers to Easter.  I dwelled all week on what I should bring and decided to go with one of my personal favorites  – Layered Taco Dip.  This appetizer is a recipe that has been passed down to me from my mom and every time I prepare it, I always come home with an empty pan and request for the recipe!  It is so easy to make.  It’s a must try in my book!

Layered Taco Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

2 8oz. packages cream cheese (softened)

2tbsp. sour cream

1tsp. garlic powder

1 jar of salsa

1 can refried beans

1 package shredded lettuce

1 tomato (chopped)

1 package Mexican Shredded Cheese

Preparation

1.  Begin by combining cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic powder.

2.  Spread onto small cookie sheet and refrigerate 15 – 20 minutes.

3.  Spread refried beans on top of cream cheese mixture.

4.  Spread salsa on top.

5.  Layer with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

6.  Serve with chips for dipping!

Variations

1. Today I replaced the refried beans with my homemade pepper jelly for added sweetness.

2. Black beans are also great on top!

I also brought chocolate covered strawberries today!  They were delightful!