This weekend I'll be waiting at the top of my driveway waiting for the bicycle race to go by, and am going to take a picnic, sort of like tailgating.

For drinks, I'm taking a cooler with some of these Bud Light Lime-a-Ritas on ice.



To me, they taste like a really good Mexican restaurant margarita. Not that I drink a lot of them, but of the ones I've had, this one ranks high. Particularly since they are so portable.

Then, for munchies, I'll pack some carrot and celery sticks, dip, and some quiche. There will be people renting the Brown Palace next door, and I hope they will bring some chips.

Spinach Dip for Vegetables

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well-drained
1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup green onion slices
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

Combine ingredients and mix well. Chill. Serve with assorted vegetable dippers.

Chile Relleno Dip

5 - 6 green onions, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 4.25 oz can chopped black olives
4 oz can diced green chiles
2 Tbsp olive oil (garlic flavored)
3/4 Tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and mix well. Chill thoroughly. Serve with corn chips like Tostitos Scoops.

Sour Cream Dill Dip

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp onion flakes
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Mix well and chill. Serve with celery, carrots, cauliflower, green peppers, etc.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 eggs
1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crumbled lettuce
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup shredded process Swiss cheese*
6 crisp cooked bacon strips

Cook the spinach and drain well. Beat eggs with bouillon cube, nutmeg, dry mustard, and cayenne. Stir in undiluted milk. Add cheese, drained spinach, onion, and bacon, mixing well. Turn into a shallow 1 1/2 qt cake pan (8 1/2 inch size). Set in a pan with 1 inch hot water. Bake on center shelf of preheated 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife tests clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold on crisp lettuce.

*I'm going to use regular Swiss. Don't know if it will melt as smoothly as the processed version, but I don't care.