Ah, the joys of simplicity.  Particularly when the tummy starts rumbling and snacks must be pursued.  This tasty dip comprised of refried beans, green chiles and shredded cheese is too easy to be as good as it is.  And yet, 9 times out of 10, if I’m at my parents house rummaging through their pantry for a bite of something, I’ll end up making this dip.  And 10 times out of 10, whomever is around will stop what their doing and help to polish off the entire dish of the stuff.

I’ve been making this bean dip for longer than I remember, but the addition of the chiles I can specifically recall.  I was visiting my grandmother in Arizona for the summer, and she called from work to say that she was bringing her boss (and our family friend) over for cocktails and a bite to eat.  Could we make something quickly and preferably spicy?  My mom got to work and I watched her make this bean dip with the addition of piquant roasted hatch chiles.  Mom wasn’t messing around.  Happy hour was a success and I got to mimicking her technique from that day on.  Momma don’t play 😉  And neither should you, so try out this dip.

If I can find it, I’ll make this dip with La Costeña refried beans because they are superbly creamy and taste like homemade.  They make two kinds – a pinto version that is sublime with a sharp cheddar and a black bean version that goes great with quesadilla or manchego cheese.  Feel free to use whatever cheese you have around though, because the whole point is that you’re making this in a flash for quick snackitude.  In fact, I’m gonna jet finishing off this post so that I can go make some now.  Peace out!