Aunty Lyn's Queso

Oh man, y'all, I LOVE queso. Of all sorts, but especially my Aunty Lyn's. I haven't had it in forever because it makes a LOT, but since we had family in town over the holidays, I made some to share. It's super easy, so quick, and SO yummy.

Aunty Lyn's Queso

• 1 box velveeta regular
• 1 box velveeta Mexican
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb breakfast sausage, browned & drained (I use the spicy kind!)
• pickled jalapenos & juice to taste

Melt everything together either on the stove or in a slow cooker. Over the stove, be careful that the cheese doesn't get burnt to the bottom of the pan -- this happened to me and it was UNPLEASANT to clean up. 

Get LOTS of scoops chips because this makes a lot of delicious queso. 

xoxo,
janie from scratch

Pickled Corn

Lately I am SO obsessed with anything pickled! Except actual pickles, I hate pickles. Over the summer I found a recipe for Pickled Corn in Bon Appetit and it is JUST the best. It's super easy, and it only has to sit for a few hours before you can eat it.

Pickled Corn

• 2 cups fresh corn (I used 3-4 ears)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• pepper

Combine all of the above in a heat-proof dish.

• 1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons salt (I use kosher)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (I always put a little extra sugar)

Bring the above to a boil, and pour over corn mixture. Stir, and if needed, cover with additional water. Chill & let sit for a few hours or more. This just gets better with time! I can literally eat this with a spoon, no tacos needed, but it is also DELISH on tacos.

Also on this taco is some homemade queso fresco! I had no idea how easy it was to make cheese from scratch!!! Maybe I'll write a blog about it one day :)

xoxo,
janie from scratch

Spicy Beer Bread

A few weeks ago I posted about a Honey Beer Bread I made that was literally the easiest bread ever to make. Well, last weekend, my roommate and I were out at our favorite local watering hole, Riverside Market. Side note--Riverside Market is literally the coolest, most chill place to go and have a beer. It's a little off the beaten path, but they have amazing food and a ridiculous beer selection. If you live in Ft Lauderdale, definitely check it out when you're jonesin' for a chill day or night. The past few times I've gone there I've had my eye on this Billy's Chilies Beer and I tried it when my roomie and I were there.

The beer actually gave me an ulcer I think...I can totally handle REALLY spicy food, but I think it was the combo of the spiciness and the carbonation that did me in. My tummy hurt really bad. But then I thought that it might make an interesting combo in the bread.

So I bought an extra bottle and whipped up a loaf Sunday morning after my run (I also was out of honey so I used maple syrup instead and you couldn't taste the difference). And the bread was... interesting. Not bad, but it definitely tasted like the beer, just a more subtle spicy flavor. The peeps at work loved it (I'm beginning to think they'll eat anything??) so that was a positive! I think it would've been really great with chili or to make spicy crutons on gazpacho.

But, just goes to show, you gotta experiment with things! I always say, follow the recipe to the T the first time, and afterwards adjust it as you see fit. (Although, following that rule has definitely done me in a few times, when I've read something and said.. WAIT no that can't be right.. and then I do it and it definitely isn't right.) And always, USE what you have!! The internet is a great resource and I would've never thought to use maple syrup instead of honey, but it worked out!

Have you ever experimented in a recipe and it worked out? Or didn't work out??

Friday Happy Hour: Jalapeno-Cucumber Margarita

TGIF!! And TG I only have a week left of my MBA!

Ryan and I have EPCOT After-4 passes and so often we go and hang out at the World Showcase on the weekends. They recently opened a Tequila Bar in Mexico, and that's always our first stop. The bar has all sorts of specialty margaritas but Ryan loves their jalapeno-cucumber margarita. So I decided to recreate it for him at home.

Jalapeno-Cucumber Margarita
jalapeno slices
cucumber chunks
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce grand marnier
1/2 ounce triple sec
juice of one lime
juice of 1/4 orange

First, in the bottom of your shaker, put the cucumber slices (add more if you want it cooler), jalapeno slices (add more if you want it hotter), and sugar. Using a pestel (or wooden spoon if you don't have a mortar & pestel set--Ryan bought us one awhile back and we NEVER use it... except for this), muddle (that means smush) together the jalapeno, cucumber and sugar until you get a paste. If you want it even spicier, make sure all the jalapenos are crushed really well. If you leave them partially whole, all their spiciness won't come out. Add in the booze, juices and some ice. Shake well, and pour into a rimmed margarita glass (I forgot to rim my glass first, oops!).

Hope it's not too spicy for you!

Jalapeno-Popper Cheesy Dip

Need a last minute, easy and fast dip to take to your superbowl party? I got one for you!

Jalapeno-Popper Cheesy Dip
8 ounce contained cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounce can of diced chiles, drained
8 ounce can of Spicy Rotel tomatoes with habaneros, drained

Topping:
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Mix the cream cheese & mayo. Add in the cheeses and drained chiles and Rotel tomatoes. Put mixture into greased baking dish.

Mix the Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over cheese mixture.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!