Cooking with Susie Q

Wow, can Houlton throw a party? What a wonderful weekend, even the short rain we had didn’t dampen anyone’s good times. I saw many of you out at Midnight Madness. We were all enjoying the evening, the mingling and the wonderful fireworks. We haven’t had an opportunity to talk to some of you since our last Midnight Madness excursion. I was a little disappointed in our involvement with the food contests at exhibition hall. The entries were fabulous, but not nearly as many as in years past. I’ll admit, I was also guilty of not participating this year, but next year, watch out!
    Here are a couple of our favorite snacks. These can be made up and left in the fridge until the family/friends arrive. Although I would leave the tomato in the BLT Dip out until just before everyone arrives. If it sits more than a few hours, the tomatoes get soggy and unattractive. Have a wonderful week!

    Directions: Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and sour cream. Crumble bacon into the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Mix in tomatoes just before serving.

Directions: In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Set aside to drain and cool to room temperature. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9×13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.
You can serve this dish immediately, or refrigerate it overnight and serve cold. I’m told that it tastes better at room temperature.
I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great week and we’ll talk more next time. Please contact me at susieqcooking@ ainop.com or c/o Pioneer Times, P.O. Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730.