Mexican Cheese Dip
Q. Every Mexican food restaurant in the country has the exact same incredible cheese dip (white, bland, drippy, maybe not 100% cheese). I have looked and looked for a retail outlet for this stuff but can’t find it. Nothing else is as good but I calculate by buying it by the dish, I’m paying about $100 per gallon. I can’t buy a gallon can from a wholesaler. Anybody know where I can get this stuff retail? –Jay
• I go to the deli department in my local grocery store and purchase Land ‘O Lakes White American cheese. To me, it taste exactly like the Queso (cheese) in Mexican restaurant. I thin it to whatever consistency I want with milk.
• Cheese Sauce is available in Mexican portion of the ethnic section of my grocery store. (Dillons, a Kroger owned store) Seek or call your local stores to see if anyone has it!
• I live in El Paso, Tx and have come across some of that delicious dip Jay mentioned in the last issuse of The Frugal Life newsletter. Jay you may be able to find an ok dip at one of the large wholsale places like Sam’s or Costco, depending on where you live. If you don’t live near one of these here is a fantastic recipe I got from my husband’s family who are from Mexico:
CHILE CON QUESO (Chiles or peppers with cheese)
1 pkg of processed cheese, such as Velveeta, cut into small squares
1 med finely chopped onion
1/2 c butter or margarine
1 – 1-1/2 cups of milk
2 – 3 fresh jalepeno peppers, washed, seeded and chopped
Simmer chopped onions in butter over low-med heat til onions are tender. Add processed cheese and about half of the milk and melt over low heat so as not to burn cheese. Add peppers and rest of milk. Keep on very low heat to keep warm and allow the peppers to become tender.
Other specialty peppers may be used that require being roasted quickly over a gas stove burner or in a skillet. The peppers must be rubbed with a light coating of vegetable oil before roasting. The point of roasting is to remove the skin. If done in a skillet, simply coat with oil and place in skillet, turning every few minutes. Over the burner, coat with oil and hold by stem and turn until pepper is roasted. peel skin off of pepper, remove seeds and slice. Add to cheese sauce. The roasting can be done long in advance and frozen for months.