March Madness Basketball Bean Dip and Basketball Tortilla Chips

What would you do if you were a 5'11" eighth grader who just started at a new school and your principal stopped by your lunch table to ask you to join the basketball team? Well, if you were me, you would giggle nervously and politely tell him that it wasn't a good idea.  I am incredibly comfortable in the water and am convinced that my fins, oh I mean my feet, were never meant to run. Shooting hoops in the pool was a fun activity to engage in during the summer, but I had no desire to put on a pair of high top sneakers and run up and down a basketball court dribbling a ball. This was not good news to my principal who couldn't get past the fact that I was the tallest girl in school.  He was convinced that I would be a good player if I just gave it a try.  Every chance he got, he would try to persuade me to join the team.  I was so happy when the basketball season started because with his team chosen, he finally gave up on me. I did play basketball in gym class in high school, and believe me, my principal at that school would never have suggested I join the team after seeing me play.

I must admit that I have never watched a basketball game in it's entirety.  Although I have three tall siblings, not one of them played basketball on a team.  My sister did happen to marry a guy who is a huge U.K. basketball fan. He watches all of their televised games and I have been known to look up at the T.V. screen when he gets excited about a play, but have never really watched a game intently. I have, however, enjoyed the snacks that are served during these sporting events.  Chips and dips seem to be fairly standard fair, so I decided to

create a fun themed version of chips and dip that you can serve at your March Madness parties. Tortillas are cut into small rounds and are misted with orange food coloring spray. Then black food coloring is drawn onto the chips to create the seam lines in each basketball.  The chips are fried or baked then are used to scoop up a simple dip made with melted cheese and refried beans. To make the dip look like a basketball, I colored some of the refried beans with black food coloring then used it to pipe on the seams. If you'd like to spice up your dip, just stir in some salsa with the cheese and beans. You could even sprinkle some cayenne pepper onto you basketball chips for a real burst of heat.  The chips will keep up to two weeks if stored in an airtight tin, and the dip will keep for several days in the refrigerator, so you don't have to fuss too much the day of the game. Just sit back and relax as you cheer your team on to victory!

Basketball Bean Dip Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cans (15 ounces) refried beans, divided
4-6 drops black food coloring
16 ounces Velveeta Cheese, cut into cubes

Special Equipment Needed:
fine mesh sieve
rubber spatula or spoon
disposable piping bag (or heavy duty zip top bag)
9" pie plate

Instructions:

Measure three tablespoons of refried beans into a fine mesh strainer.  Use a rubber spatula or spoon to press the beans through the strainer.  Scrape mashed beans from the back of the strainer into a small bowl. (You could also puree the beans in a blender or mini food processor.) Add 4 drops of black food coloring and stir.  Add 1-2 more drops until you reach the desired shade of black. Spoon into a disposable pastry bag or zip top bag.

Pour remaining refried beans into a large mixing bowl.  Add cheese cubes.  Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until the cheese melts.  Spread evenly in a 9" pie plate.

Cut the tip off the pastry bag or zip top bag. Pipe the basketball seam lines (the black beans) onto the dip.

This dip can be served hot or cold.  Heat in microwave for 4-6 minutes until hot. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, so you can make it ahead of your party, then just heat it before serving.

Basketball Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:
flour tortillas (120 chips can be made if using 10 burrito size tortillas)
Wilton Orange Color Mist
Black Food Marker
vegetable oil for frying
salt

Special Equipment Needed:
2 1/2" round cookie cutter
Deep Fryer or a stock pot and a candy thermometer
aluminum foil, parchment paper, or wax paper

Instructions:

Set flour tortilla on a cutting board.  Use a 2 1/2" round cookie cutter to cut circles from tortilla.  Cut as many tortilla rounds as you would like. (I made 72 chips for the picture.) Set tortilla rounds on a sheet of aluminum foil, parchment paper, or wax paper.  Spray each round with Wilton's Orange Color Mist. Use the black food marker to draw the basketball's seam lines onto each tortilla round.  If your marker gets dry while creating these, pour a few drops of black food coloring into a small bowl.  Put the tip of the marker into the food coloring allowing it to soak into the tip.  Continue drawing lines on the tortilla rounds, re-soaking tip as needed.  Note: if you don't have a black food coloring marker, you can also use a thin paint brush to paint the black food coloring onto each basketball. You need a much steadier hand for this method, however.

Heat oil in fryer or stockpot to 350 degrees. Fry about 10 tortilla rounds at a time, flipping them over midway through, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Set hot chips on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt.  Allow oil to come back up to temperature before continuing. These tortilla chips will keep up to 2 weeks if stored in a tin or about a week if stored in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid type container. Note: You can also choose to bake these chips.  Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray or brush them with oil, and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  

Serve basketball tortilla chips with basketball bean dip or your favorite dip.

Basketball Bean Dip Served with Basketball Tortilla Chips.

What team would you like to see win this year?  If they make it into the final four will you host a party or maybe have a few friends over? What do you plan to snack on while you watch the big games?

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