There’s no arguing that a seven-layer dip is a classic. But did you know that it’s been a classic for decades and it sometimes goes by other names? Until I found this old recipe card, I’d never heard of Haystack Dip, but some quick research shows that other people sure have… and it’s basically a seven-layer dip with one (or two) unexpected ingredients. People have been serving this — and loving it — since the early 70s.

This card came to me through the Recipe Tin Project, which is a project where I cook my way through an old recipe tin full of vintage recipes. But you might have already guessed that. It’s chock full of old recipe cards, most of which seem to be from the ’60s and ’70s, though some are older. I love food history, and the idea is to breathe new life into these recipes from the past and maybe learn a technique or two from them along the way. The recipes come from different people with different handwriting; some have sweet illustrations while others are on plain (often smudged and stained) index cards.

This particular card has a sweet little teapot and cookie illustration in the corner and says it’s from the kitchen of (what I think reads) Lisa Scheveucke. The ingredients are easy enough to read and someone went to the trouble of putting it in a plastic sleeve to protect it all these years, though there are still some smudges here and there.

The only instructions are on the back “Layer in order given and serve with Doritos.” But my favorite part might be what’s below that. There’s a little doodle of an envelope with a little poem written over the top and notes of “pink” and “pink edges” scrawled on the side. I wonder if someone was drafting up a plan to create a recipe card pocket or envelope to share with friends!

It’s a very simple dip to make. First, you spread some refried beans in a serving dish.

You top that with sliced green onion.

You top that with “three avocados, mixed.” (I cheated and used prepared guacamole.)

You top that with some chopped black olives.

The next layer is two tomatoes “blended with a dash of Tabasco.”

Next up is a layer of sour cream, “a cup or more.” More is good.

And finally, the most confounding thing… alfalfa sprouts? I don’t think I’ve ever seen sprouts on a taco-style layered dip!

But it’s a great dip — you don’t need to chill it or heat it up, which makes for very easy party prep and serving, and it has a great combination of layered flavor. It’s also very versatile, so if it were up to me, what would I change? I’d swap those sprouts for some cheese and maybe stir some taco seasoning into the sour cream to liven things up.