Lynn's Chili Con Queso

I needed to make some chili con queso to take to a party, but I'm not a huge fan of plain old Velveeta and Ro-Tel, so I decided to spice it up a bit. Fresh peppers, chorizo, and a few extra spices were all it took to make it taste great. This takes a little more prep, but it's totally worth it. It was quickly devoured and requests for the recipe followed. Here's what you'll need:

  • 2 TBL cumin 
  • 1 TBL ancho chili powder
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 C cooked chorizo
  • 2 poblano peppers (char and peel)
  • jalapenos (to taste)
  • 1-15 oz can stewed tomatoes (drained)
  • chili powder (to taste)
  • 4 oz chopped green chilies
  • 2 lb Velveeta Queso Blanco
  • ½ c sour cream
  • 2 C water

Start by charring the peppers and setting them aside to cool. Once their cooled, peel them, remove the seeds and chop.

In a large sauce pan, melt 1 TBL butter and sauté the garlic, onion, and peppers until softened. 

Add the Ro-tel tomatoes, green chilies, chorizo, and spices and stir to combine.

Cube the Velveeta Queso Blanco and add to the pan and stir until melted. Stir in the sour cream.

Once everything is well combined, add the water to the desired consistency. I used the full 2 cups. Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Lynn

 

Lynn's Chili Con Queso

  • 2 TBL cumin 
  • 1 TBL ancho chili powder
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 C cooked chorizo
  • 2 poblano peppers (char and peel)
  • jalapenos (to taste)
  • 1-15 oz can stewed tomatoes (drained)
  • chili powder (to taste)
  • 4 oz chopped green chilies
  • 2 lb Velveeta Queso Blanco
  • ½ c sour cream
  • 2 C water

Start by charring the peppers and setting them aside to cool. Once their cooled, peel them, remove the seeds and chop. In a large sauce pan, melt 1 TBL butter and sauté the garlic, onion, and peppers until softened. Add the Ro-tel tomatoes, green chilies, chorizo, and spices and stir to combine. Cube the Velveeta and add to the pan and stir until melted. Stir in the sour cream. Once everything is well combined, add the water to the desired consistency. I used the full 2 cups. Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Nana & Bang's Trash

One bite of this and I'm a kid again. That's what happens when I eat Nana & Bang's trash. Nana and Bang were my mom's parents. Why Bang? Well my older sister (first grandchild) couldn't say grand-daddy and she said Bang-ganny. That's what we all called him until it got shortened to Bang when we got older. Cute, right? It suited him perfectly. Anyway, this recipe is something they were making long before you could buy it pre-made in a box, and it tastes infinitely better. I'm not sure exactly when they started making it, but my guess is the late 60's or early 70's. It's spicy, crunchy, nutty goodness in a bowl. The only bad thing about it is that once you eat it you can't stop. And once you make it, the boxed stuff will never suffice. My husband's only complaint is that he doesn't like the name trash. I'm not sure where the name came from, but don't let it stop you from trying it. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 box each:
  • Wheat Chex
  • Rice Chex
  • Corn Chex
  • 2 bags pretzel sticks
  • 3 C nuts (I use almonds, cashews, pecans & walnuts)
  • 5 TBL chili powder
  • 2 TBL garlic powder
  • 4 sticks butter
  • 1 sm bottle Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (5 oz)
  • Tobasco (to taste)

Combine all the cereals and the pretzels in 2 turkey roasters.  Melt the butter and add the chili powder, garlic powder, Lea & Perrins, and the Tobasco. I usually add about 10 dashes of Tabasco, enough to spice it up a bit, but not make it too spicy for kids. Mix well.

Pour the liquid seasonings equally over the 2 containers of cereal mixture and stir, stir, stir. 

Bake in a 250 degree oven, stirring every 30 minutes for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add in the nuts and continue to cook for another hour. That's it. Let it cool and hide in an air tight container. I mean store in an air tight container. It makes a lot, but it really is addictive. I make our first batch very year around Thanksgiving and it rarely makes it through that holiday. It's not Christmas yet and I've made 3 batches. Son-in-law requested a batch of his own for his Christmas present this year. Yes, it's that good.

Enjoy!

Lynn

  NANA & BANG’S TRASH  HEALTHY

  • 1 box each:
  • Wheat Chex
  • Rice Chex
  • Corn Chex
  • 2 bags pretzel sticks
  • 3 C nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans & walnuts)
  • 5 TBL chili powder
  • 2 TBL garlic powder
  • 4 sticks butter
  • 1 sm bottle Lea & Perrins (5 oz)
  • Tobasco

Combine cereals and pretzels in 2 turkey roasters.  Melt butter and add seasonings. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the cereal.  STIR, STIR, STIR.  Bake at 250 degrees for three hours, stirring every 30 minutes.  Add nuts for last hour.

 

Happy Hour

I decided to host a Happy Hour for some of my girlfriends. What to serve?? Wine and beer, obviously, but what about food? After a little planning, this is the menu I came up with:

I know that seems like a lot, but I always make way more than I need. I just can't help myself, and it's nice to have leftovers to snack on. 

I set everything up on the deck and it was a nice cool night. Good food, good friends, good conversation. What more could a girl ask for?

I love combining different serving pieces. Here I used rustic wood, tin, and white ceramic.

​Desserts!!!

​The tiered serving piece is a favorite because I can really load it up. The top holds grapes and cherry tomatoes. The second layer holds the Hawaiian pork sliders and the prosciutto wrapped artichoke hearts. The bottom holds the shrimp skewers, watermelon, and assorted bread and crackers.

Click on the links to get the recipes, and have fun! 

Enjoy! 

Lynn