Happy Wednesday everyone!  Can you believe we are half way through October already.  That’s why you need to make this Olive Spider Taco Dip now :-).  This dip is super easy to make and comes together in no time.  Made with sour cream, cream cheese, ground meat, taco seasoning, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and all the toppings you love, it’s perfect for a fun and festive Halloween party!

I posted my Witches and Skulls Appetizer Table and promised to fill it with appetizers.  This taco recipe is one that I’ve been making since I was in my early 20s but decided to change it up a bit with these cute little spiders made of black olives.  I know…they only have 6 fat little legs instead of 8 skinny ones but that’s ok (it’s the way I cut them…ooops).

This recipe has basically four steps:  

Brown the ground meat, drain and add taco seasoning
Combine the sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasonings
Layer cream cheese mixture on your platter first then your meat
Arrange on your platter with your favorite toppings

In a large cast iron skillet, brown 1-2 pounds of ground meat.  The package I bought was 1.67 pounds and I used 80% lean ground beef.  When the meat is cooked, drain it, use some water to help drain and get the fat off, place back into the skillet and add a packet of taco seasoning.  Take off heat and mix until meat is coated with seasoning.  Don’t be afraid to add extra herbs and spicy seasonings if you like.  Let cool while you make your cream cheese mixture.

Combine sour cream, cream cheese, 1 pack of taco seasoning (I used Ortega) and mix well to make sure all the lumps are out of the cream cheese.  Note:  Allowing it to get to room temperature is always best.  Mix with heavy wood spoon or mixer.  I did both.

Then it’s time to create a beautiful, colorful, appetizer.  I chose to add my dip mixture in the middle of a round decorative plate surrounded by lettuce and chips (notice how I chose Doritos because of the color which matched the witch). I topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and tomatoes (I bought the  squeeze container for the cream cheese squiggles for easy use) and cut my little spiders from the black olives.

How to make olive spiders:

Pre-sliced Olives:

If you buy olives that are pre-sliced, use two halves to make a whole which would be the body and use the cut olives to make the legs.

Whole Olives:

If you buy whole olives, use one olive to make the body and cut olives into slices to make the legs.

How long does taco dip stay good for?

Make sure your taco dip doesn’t sit out on the counter for more than 2 hours. Keep it covered in the fridge if you want to eat some later in the day. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.

 

Suggestions for taco dip toppings:

Re-fried beans
Cilantro
Peppers
Red Onions
Sausage and beef cooked together
Guacamole
Mexican cheese
Chili pepper
Hot pepper flakes
Salsa
Ranch dressing
Horse radish sauce

To keep the meat from drying out in the refrigerator, add salsa to it while cooking.  

I hope you enjoyed this post.  If you are interested in more fall recipes, check them out here:

Keeping Your Pet Safe During Halloween

Mini Pup Pumpkin Pies