Mexican Style Twice Baked Potatoes

I've already shared my love of the old school twice baked potato. Today I wanted to jazz it up a bit, so I decided to try a Mexican version. I added chorizo, cilantro, and pepper jack cheese and voila! A spicy twice baked potato is born. It's a slightly spicy version of the original that we really like. here's what you'll need:

8 russet potatoes
1/2 and 1/2 (at least 1/4 C, maybe more)
1 stick butter
4 oz cream cheese
cooked chorizo (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
chopped fresh cilantro
pepper jack cheese

Follow the directions for twice baked potatoes. After you've added the 1/2 and 1/2 and gotten creamy potatoes, stir in about 1/2 cup of cooked chorizo and stir to combine.

Stir in a tablespoon or so of cilantro.

Add the filling to the potato skins.

Top with pepper jack cheese and bake until hot and yummy.

Once again I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. This is the only sad potato left, but I think you can still get the idea.

Enjoy!

Lynn

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.

Chorizo Mexican Breakfast Sandwich

I've been home alone this weekend and getting a lot done around the house. When I'm home alone and working on projects, I tend to forget to eat until I realize that I'm ravenous. That's what happened this morning. I was up early for church and when I got home I dove right into the kitchen organizing project I started the day before. The next thing I knew, it was 11:30 and I realized I hadn't eaten yet. A quick check of the fridge to see what I had on hand, and this chorizo Mexican sandwich was born. It was a quick assembly and not much cooking. Chorizo is one of those staples I like to keep on hand because of it's intense flavor and versatility. An English muffin, some pepper jack cheese, and a little avocado and I was ready to eat. Here's what you'll need:

For 1 sandwich