Do you enjoy authentic Mexican food??
I sure do!! It’s one of my absolute favorite ethnic cuisines!! My husband and I used to love to go out to dinner at our local Mexican restaurant. If you are at all familiar with Mexican restaurants, then I am sure you are well aquainted with their queso or “white cheese dip”... but as our toddlers became ‘big kids’, each time we went there, the cost of “dining out” was rising. We all loved the “white cheese” but it is relatively expensive at $3 for a teeny serving of it — and trying to either buy enough for everyone or trying to share that one was becoming increasingly costly or not enough cheese...
My husband said “can’t you figure out how to make it at home??”
So I went to work hunting for recipes, tweaking ingredients, trying some that tasted ok but was not the “one”—with the true authentic taste...
until I discovered this combination:
1 lb of white American cheese
(must be the white American kind) (sliced in the deli—
land o lakes brand is what i usually use. ask deli to slice it as thick as they
possibly can—bigger chunks melt more
smoothly than thin slices
half pint of heavy whipping cream (8oz)
canned/jarred hot jalepenos (mainly, you just need the juice out of can/jar— unless you like more heat, if so, add some jalapeños as well)
1 stick of real butter ( salted or unsalted-doesn’t matter )
Get about a 3 or 4 quart sauce pan, put it onstove on med/low heat. Add a stick of butter. Stir until melted. Cube the white American cheese into chunks... add the heavy whipping cream. Stir until butter and whipping cream are combined... add the cheese chunks a little at a time until all are incorporated, and keep stirring it until smooth.
After all the cheese is melted, open can/jar of hot jalapeños, holding the lid to act as a barrier, drain some of the liquid into the pan of cheese. Stir and taste- customize to your preference- more jalapeño juice and/or jalapeños for a stronger flavor kick...
If the dip gets too thick, thin it slowly with milk to your desired thickness.
This cheese stores very well for 1-2 weeks in a airtight in the refrigerator— just let it cool completely before refrigerating. Only get out your desired serving size if you reheat it later...for safety, don’t reheat entire container of cheese at once if you aren’t using all of it.
Sides:
I like to buy the cantina thin tortilla chips and warm them in oven to make them taste more authentic as well.
I usually cook a can or two of refried beans (la Rosita is my favorite brand so far)
Main entree:
I cut 2–3 boneless chicken breast into tiny thin strips - I cook them in a cast iron skillet on medium heat with a good drizzle of olive oil...I use paprika, garlic, onion powder, and another seasoning blend we enjoy (Kent Rollins Red River Ranch Original Seasoning - we love it so much! we buy it by the lb- we eat it on everything... https://kentrollins.com/shop-1/Original-Seasoning-p85007168) You could substitute this season mix with your own favorite all purpose seasoning—but I highly recommended this one! )
Anyway, dash on the seasonings liberally making sure chicken is decently seasoned. Cook until chicken is 165* - turn off the burner and cover pan with a lid. Set a timer for 6 min...
After timer goes off, remove lid and add a about 1/2 cup or more of the white cheese dip... and serve a la carte, or with soft tortillla shells or with some rice/beans— so yummy!!
Mexican Rice
2 cups long grain white rice
8 oz tomato sauce
dash of cilantro (optional)
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
4 cups water (or 4 cups chicken lower sodium chicken broth - and no bouillon)
1 cube chicken flavored bouillon
dash of cumin
dash of minced garlic
1/2 of sweet onion, chopped (usually use food processor to make it super fine )
Rinse rice really well... Add 1 chicken flavored bouillon cube to 4 cups water and microwave for 3 minutes.
If you are using a rice cooker, add bouillon water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and garlic to cooker.
Cook in rice cooker until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Fluff before serving and ENJOY.
——— No rice cooker? No problem:
Heat 1/8 cup of olive oil in large frying pan on medium heat.
Add rice and cook until golden brown.
Add 1 chicken flavored bouillon cube to 4 cups water and microwave for 3 minutes.
When rice is brown, add water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and onion to pan.
Stir and cover pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Remove rice from heat to “rest” and leave lid on-for about 8 minutes-
Fluff before serving.
So, now when we get a ‘hankering’ for Mexican cuisine, I make this yummy meal instead...
The portion sizes are much larger. (which is a great benefit when you have multiple family members! ) There is much more cheese dip for everyone and any extra leftovers reheat very well!
With a little bit of ingenuity, some research, and a lot of experimentation, we can now save money but we don‘t have to sacrifice a meal we really enjoy! In fact, we can eat one of our favorite dinners more often!! 👍🏼😊
Definitely a win-win!!
-Tiphanie