(Some number of) layer dip

This is the dish that I bring to almost every pot luck I go to and is frequently requested by friends. It actually makes really good leftovers, however, I've only had some left once so don't take this to a party expecting to eat it for lunch the next day. XD

Difficulty: Casual

Taco Meat:
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
1.5 Tbs chili powder
3/4 cup salsa
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs olive oil if the beef is really low fat

Layers:
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use reduced fat and no one notices)
Small container sour cream (again, I use reduced fat)
2 medium avocados
12 oz can of tomatoes with green chilis
Ranch style beans (if I've made them)
Onion (I don't include this, but my mom does)

Brown the beef with all of the taco meat seasonings and pour into the bottom of a large Pyrex baking dish (mine is 9.5*13.5*2). Slice avocados and layer on. Drain can of tomatoes and pour on for the next layer. Repeat with the beans and onions. For the final two layers coat the dish in sour cream and then add the final layer of cheese. Serve with chips.

This dish is so easy to make, but will be a HUGE hit with your gaming group. Feel free to go on about how much work you put into the dip, I won't tell. ;)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Rating: Casual

Look at this dip.  It is not fancy.  It is not a thing you serve because you want to impress a date with how totally epic your food styling skills are.  It does taste good though and it can be thrown together by pretty much anyone on earth.  This is taken from The Bitten Word who has adapted it from Frank's Red Hot and I'm going to fudge it even more.

What you need:
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese and a handful of mozzarella
2 cups shredded chicken meat, from whatever source you like - can, grocery store roaster, home cooked
extra mozzarella for topping
chips/baguettes/crackers/carby dipping item of your choice

Preheat your oven to 350F/175C.  This being a really forgiving recipe, you can basically set it wherever you like if you have other stuff that needs to go in the oven, like your carby dipping item.  To soften your cream cheese, you either need to let it sit on the counter for a few hours OR you can also VERY CAREFULLY microwave it in short bursts on a low setting until it is soft.  You want it to be a consistency where you can easily spread it across the bottom of a bowl with a spoon.  Mix the soft cream cheese, salad dressings, and hot sauce until it's pretty even and smooth.  It shouldn't have too many lumps of cream cheese and it will probably be a weird pinky orange color at this stage - that's cool.  Mix in your blue cheese and a handful of mozzarella and add in the chicken; stir until everything is evenly distributed in your dip.

Pour into a casserole dish or ovenproof bowl (or if you're really lazy this stuff is all cooked and you can eat it now or microwave it), top it with some more mozzarella, and bake it 30-40 minutes until a knife stuck in the center comes out pretty warm.  Serve with your carby dipping item.  Good for football games and action movies especially.