CHILI CON QUESO

I have been looking for a good Chile Con Queso dip for a long time.  I wanted a cheese dip that was smooth, creamy, cheesy, and flavored with spices and veggies like they have at some of the restaurants I go to.

I found this recipe in my little bag of torn out recipes.  I have been tearing out recipes for years but I haven't made many of them.  I decided to change that the other day and that is when I found a page copied out of a magazine that a friend gave to me.  It sounded just like what I wanted so I decided to make it last night.  For some reason, it turned out kind of gritty.  I thought about it this morning and talked to my son and decided I would make some changes.

This recipe is just a faint resemblance of the recipe I started out with.  It called for flour in the recipe to make a roux.  I did not add flour this time because I thought that might be what was causing it to be kind of gritty.  It called for Monterey Jack cheese and I used a combination of Monterrey Jack and White American cheeses.  I added fresh garlic and garlic powder along with some chopped celery. I used Half and Half instead of milk, but less of it and I added a little more butter and a half the beer that it originally called for.  So, now you see what I mean?  Instead of a making a recipe with a twist, it is a full 180! Haha!

You know what I really like about it besides the amazing flavor?  It is the fact that the dip does not sieze up....it stays creamy....for hours.  I made it before going out with a friend.  We were gone for about 3 hours and when I got back it was still creamy....perfect texture.  I hate when I bring my left over chile con queso home from a restaurant and it turns into a brick.   

Well its late and I need to get to bed so here is the recipe!  Hope you like it!

CHILE CON QUESO

3 tablespoons of Butter
1 (4 ounce) can Green Chiles, chopped
1 cup Onion, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup Half and Half
1/4 cup Beer, (I used Dos Equis)
4 ounces of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
4 ounces of White American Cheese, shredded (found behind deli counter)
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1-2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Tortilla Chips

1.  Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add green chiles, onion, celery, and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes or until all veggies are softenend.

2.  Pour in the Half and Half and stir until well blended

3.  Pour in the beer and let it cook for about a minute

4.  Add the shredded cheese, one handful at a time, making sure cheese melts before you add another handful.

5.  Stir in Cumin, Garlic Powder, and Salt.

6.  Serve with tortilla chips.

ENJOY!

 

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

TEX-MEX BLACKEYE PEAS

If you are like me, you probably had never put tex-mex together with blackeye peas.  Well, that was before a friend of mine, Dolores, brought me some homemade chicken tamales and these awesome peas.  They absolutely topped any charra beans I have ever had.  Of course I had to have the recipe.  I mean this was a dish I knew I was going to want to make over and over again.  She did one better, she came over and showed me how to make them.

Now, she did use canned peas and I have done that before.  If you are short on time, you can use canned peas, but last week, for Christopher's birthday, I decided to use frozen peas and I think they were better.  But then I always prefer fresh or frozen.  Also, now that I have a 16 month old grandson, I did not want these to be spicy or hot so I did replace the jalapenos with bell pepper which was just as good, just not as hot.  I used a beef and pork mix sausage with green onions (just because I like green onions) but you could use any sausage you want.  I also tried to trim the bacon of any excess fat on the ends.  When you cut the sausage and the bacon, make sure you dice them into small pieces.  

All in all, this is a very easy recipe...just a little time consuming.  Trust me, you will not mind the extra effort when you taste them and you will enjoy the oohs and ahhs from your friends and family!  Perfect tex-mex side!

TEX-MEX BLACKEYE PEAS
(Serves 8-10)

4 regular cans Blackeye Peas

OR

2 regular size bags frozen Blackeye Peas (cook according to directions on bag)

6 Roma Tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small Onion, diced
6-8 cloves Garlic, minced
1-2 Jalapenos, chopped very small (or use equal amount of bell pepper)
1 bunch of Cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 package Bacon (8-10 pieces), diced small
1 regular package Sausage, cut into small pieces (I used a pork-beef mix with green onion)
1-2 cans of Chicken Broth (I use Campbell's)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon and sausage. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of grease off and add onions. Cook until onions are transparent.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 minutes to release the flavor and then add jalapenos and tomatoes.  Cook for about 2 more minutes.  

Add the peas with juice to the bacon mixture.  Add the chicken broth and cilantro.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

TEX-MEX FAJITAS

If you live in Texas, you probably have a favorite mexican restaurant that you swear has the best fajitas around.  In the town where I live, we have 8 mexican food restaurants (that I can think of off of the top of my head) within a 5 mile radius....we love our mexican food here!  I mean how can you go wrong?!  I look at fajitas as one of the healthiest dishes I can order at a mexican restaurant....grilled meat, grilled veggies, fresh pico de gallo.   I left out the flour tortilla on purpose...probably not the healthiest but most definitely one of my weaknesses.  It all comes out sizzlin' on a black, cast iron skillet and the smell is to die for!!!

Last week, my son had his 29th birthday.  His request was mexican food.  I remembered that I had this great marinade for fajitas that I had not used in a very long time.  I mean with 8 mexican restaurants around....who needs to cook?!  Anyway, it was definitely a hit.  This marinade has a perfect combination of flavors and the meat comes out tender, juicy and full of flavor.  I used it for chicken and beef and actually used tenderized skirt steak.  I did not even know you could get skirt steak tenderized, but it was so worth it and I will be doing that from now on.  I left the meat whole when marinating and grilling and didn't slice it until we were ready to serve.  My son, who is a chef, used a cast iron skillet to caramelize the onions and cook the peppers. 

 Fajitas are really so easy to make at home.  I literally put the meat in a bag, poured the marinade over it and left it for approximately 6-7 hours, turning it every hour or so.  I then threw the meat on a hot grill.  It cooks fast, so don't get distracted or it will dry out and become chewy.  Because skirt steak is a tougher meat, it is important that you cut the meat against the grain, in thin strips, when it is done.  That will ensure that the fajitas will be tender.  I also sliced my chicken after it was done...I just think it is juicier and stays more tender that way.  It is also way easier to cook on the grill.

Sliced onions and green peppers cook really nicely in a cast iron skillet.  I would cook the onions first and caramelize them.  I like my peppers with a little crunch so after the onions were done, Chris threw the peppers in with a little bit of butter and cooked them.  

We had a literal Mexican Fiesta for Christopher's birthday.  We had tamales from a local restaurant, these awesome spicy beans (peas) that I will blog next,

 two kinds of quinoa, chile con queso, guacamole, salad, strawberry cheesecake (courtesy of my sister-in-law Judy...I will have to get the recipe and blog it), and mocha chocolate cake that I will blog later, as well. 

It was a really fun time celebrating his birthday and fixing all of his favorites!  There is something about fixing a homecooked meal or dessert for birthdays that I love.  It is my way of showing that person that I care and a way to make them feel special.  I sure love my Christopher and like I told him...He will always be my baby no matter how old he gets...its a momma-thing!

TEX-MEX FAJITAS

(Serves 4-6)

2 pounds Flank or Skirt Steak

1/4 Cup Oil

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup Lime Juice (fresh squeezed)

2 Tablespoons Pickapeppa Sauce

Chili Powder

Steak Seasoning

Mix oil, soy sauce, lime juice and Pickapeppa sauce.

(I would compare this to an A-1 Sauce)

Pour over meat in a zip-lock bag.  If you are marinating both chicken and beef, use separate bags.  Sprinkle liberally with Chili Powder and Steak Seasoning.  I don't have an exact measurement for this but if I had to guess I would start with a couple of tablespoons of each.  It is just a marinade.  I kind of looked at it like this...there is a whole lot more salt in a brine than this marinade, so I did not worry too much about the saltiness of it.  I just wanted it to be very flavorful and that is what salt and spice is for.

Place meat on a hot grill until done, about 7 minutes on each side for beef and about 12 minutes for chicken, depending on the thickness. 

Serve with sliced onions, peppers, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, and/or salsa on a flour or corn tortilla.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE