Six Feet Under Dip

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion in the hot oil until softened and slightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add ground beef, taco seasoning, and garlic. Cook and stir until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in water and simmer until beef mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

3. Arrange the cut tortillas on a shallow baking sheet.

4. Toast tortilla in the preheated oven until stiff enough to stand up as 'tombstones' in the dip, about 5 minutes per side. Brush toasted tortilla with melted butter and sprinkle with chili powder. Tap off any excess powder.

5. Spread refried beans into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix sour cream and salsa together in a small bowl; spread over refried beans. Sprinkle ground beef mixture atop salsa-sour cream layer. Top with a black bean layer; spread Cheddar cheese into a layer. Add green onions and cilantro as the top 'grass' layer. Arrange tortilla 'tombstones' in the 'grass'.

Cook's Note:

Decorate the 'tombstones' by writing messages on each one.

You can substitute water for the broth when simmering the ground beef. Feel free to use any variety of lean ground meat such as turkey or use ground meat substitute.