The perfect dip for the perfect game night!!

Football season is here! We don't generally watch football here, but we always watch the Super Bow. I know, crazy. I LOVE watching football, but rarely have the time to really watch the whole season. I say every year after the Super Bowl that I am going to watch more games during the regular season. We'll see how I do this year.

There are so many "snack" opportunities this time of year. The fall harvest parties, Halloween parties, football parties and the like offer many chances to try many different snack options. There are always a ton of options out there, the trick is to find your favorites!

Here in my house, one of the ultimate favorites is "Tex-Mex Dip." This has been a standing favorite for any gathering for years in my family. It's one that is not only tasty but very pretty as well! Appealing to the eye and the taste buds, after all, we eat with our eyes before we even taste a bite!

For the most part, this recipe was already gluten free. The biggest red flag for me is the taco seasoning mix. There are many out there that do not contain gluten, so make sure you read labels before choosing one. The original recipe called for arefried bean dip, but I like the plain refried beans with jalapenos added for a little kick. Plus, you can then choose the fat free variety of refried beans to cut out some of the fat. The rest of the ingredients can also be chosen to have less fat if you desire.

The game day or family gathering will be quite tasty with this wonderful and eye catching dip! I have used many different platters and dishes to display this yummy appetizer. If you don't have a large round or oval platter, then just put it in a large baking dish. Your layers will be thicker and you won't have the same look, but it will still taste wonderful! If you are serving this for a football party, find one of those fun football shaped bowls and put it in that!

You can make this, as with any recipe, totally to suit your family and their taste buds. If you don't want the heat, leave out thejalapenos. Need more heat to satisfy your craving, add some fresh jalapenos to the tomato and olive layer. Adding a dollop of sour cream to the top is also a pretty touch. The sky is the limit on your creativity, play with it.

If you want to go all out, make your own tortilla chips. Either from store bought corn tortillas or from homemade corn tortillas. Yes, it's extra work, but would be extra yummy too! Let me know if you give it a try and how it turned out.