Spicy Queso Blanco ~ #CincodeMayo Blog Party

April 26, 2013 By 24 Comments

Are you ready to get festive? I hope so, because we’re throwing a Cinco de Mayo blog party. The lovely Anita from Hungry Couple was nice enough to invite me to a food blogging group that celebrates the holidays with delicious recipes. Today we’re sharing our favorite Mexican recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

I hope you like cheese. I mean, who doesn’t? It’s only the best thing on the face of the earth. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I made a big ol’ bowl of creamy queso blanco full of spicy peppers.

It’s cheese. It’s dip. It’s cheese dip!

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In my world, the phrase “too much cheese” doesn’t exist. The cheesier, the better.

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This dip is extremely easy to make. Sauté the peppers, add the cheese and milk, and stir until melted and gooey–only 10 minutes to cheesy bliss!

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If you’re making this dip for a party, I recommend keeping it warm in a crockpot so it stays melted and creamy…or you can serve right away and eat the entire bowl by yourself. I like to offer options.

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If you really want to throw a Cinco de Mayo party, then I suggest pairing this dip with a cold Corona or frozen margarita. It’s a must, really!

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Check out the other Cinco de Mayo recipes:

Cinco de Mayo Collage2c

1. Alfajores from Roxana’s Home Baking
2. Spicy Fish Tacos with Avocado Yogurt Sauce from Crumb Blog
3. Classic Flan from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
4. Dulce de Leche Milkshake with Coconut Milk Whipped Cream from Chocolate Moosey
5. Lime Margerita Bars from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
6. Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche from Magnolia Days
7. Tropical Fiesta Cocktail from Hungry Couple NYC
8. Paletas – Mexican Popsicles from Pineapple and Coconut
9. Bizcochitos Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
10. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Gotta Get Baked
11. Vegan Taco Salad from What Smells So Good
12. Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake from Kelly Bakes
13. Spicy Queso Blanco from The Messy Baker
14. Gorditas with Picadillo from Juanita’s Cocina
15. Strawberry Margerita Slurpee from Chocolate Chocolate and More

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Spicy Queso Blanco ~ #CincodeMayo Blog Party
Author: 
Recipe type: Dip, Appetizer
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 1 tbs. canola oil
  • ¾ cup onion, diced
  • ½ cup poblano pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup red pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • ½ cup milk
  • 8 oz. white cheddar
  • 8 oz. habanero or pepper jack cheese
  • 4 dashes of Tabasco
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Tortilla chips

Instructions
  1. Heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano pepper, red pepper, and jalapeño. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers soften, about 5 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the milk. Heat the milk for 2 minutes to warm through. Slowly stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese is fully melted and the queso is smooth. Add Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or transfer to a crockpot set on low to keep warm.

 

 

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Smoky Chipotle Hummus, Attack of the Stink Bug, & A #Giveaway

April 16, 2013 By 43 Comments

It’s only the middle of April, and I’m already being overrun with stink bugs. Anyone else?

They’re starting to creep out of their hiding places now that it’s warming up outside. I don’t know where they go when it gets cold–and I don’t want to–but they’re starting to wake up from hibernation.

As I was brushing my teeth last week in our upstairs bathroom, I heard a faint clink on the sink counter. I look over and there’s this beady-eyed little  suit of armor staring at me–stink bug! I know they’re harmless, but they creep me out. They look like little Japanese lanterns with eyes. Gross!

“Squirrel! A stink bug just dropped from the ceiling like a missile. Please come get it out of here,” I yelled.

“It’s just a stink bug. They’re not going to hurt you,” he responded, apathetic to my situation.

“Yeah, it may be harmless, but it’s staring at me. It’s making me uncomfortable in my own bathroom,” I urge.

“I’ll see you when I get home.” The door slams, and he’s gone.

What’s the point of having a husband if he’s not going to save me from unwanted insects? Ugh, no good husband of mine. I was left to face the wrath of the stink bug alone.

I did the only thing I knew how to do. I ignored the beady-eyed suit of armor and went about my business of blow drying my hair. The entire time I was drying my hair, I had one eye on the bug. For awhile, it didn’t move, so I felt pretty safe. No sooner I took my eye of the thing, it crawled to the top of my soap bottle. There it was at the precipice of the bottle, just staring at me. I’m not going to lie, I was freaking out.

I think I blacked out, because after that, the unforgivable happened. I was pointing my powerful blow dryer at it, and before I had time to think, I let it rip. Whirrrrrr!

Bye-bye, stink bug.

Enough of the stink bugs. Let’s talk about food.

Not only are you getting a delicious recipe today, but I’m giving away one of my favorite things in the whole world–nail polish! I don’t know about you, but I love the stuff. I’m currently wearing Flashbulb Fuchsia by O.P.I on my tootsies and Passion gel color by Gelish on my fingers. I’m feeling springy! Bring on the pool boys and pina coladas, because this gal is ready for summer.

First things first, the food. I made a delicious, guilt-free snack. How do you feel about smoky chipotle hummus?

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I still remember the first time I experienced homemade hummus. One of my patients–a pakistani man–was nice enough to share his homemade hummus with us. After telling him I loved to cook, he was nice enough to share his recipe and method with me.

His hummus was the real deal. It was fresh, velvety smooth, and delicious. After the first bite, I knew I would never go back to the store-bought hummus.

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I’ve been experimenting with hummus recipes since the day my pakistani patient shared his recipe with me.

This recipe happens to be one of my favorites.

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I cook with chipotles a lot. I can’t help it; I love the smoky peppers. They’re a great way to add a ton of flavor, a touch of smokiness, and a dash of heat to a dish. I’m addicted!

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This recipe is incredibly simple to throw together. Throw everything into a food processor and pulse. Simple!

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Dip.

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Munch!

Now for the giveaway. Here’s the line-up:

That's berry daring

That’s Berry Daring by O.P.I

Plugged in Plum

Plugged-In Plum by O.P.I

towel boy toy

And Towel Boy Toy by China Glaze

Required entry:  Leave me a comment letting me know which color is your favorite.

Additional entries:

Follow The Messy Baker on Pinterest
Subscribe to The Messy Baker via email
Follow The Messy Baker on Facebook
Follow The Messy Baker on Twitter
Follow The Messy Baker on Google Plus

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.

That’s 6 chances to win!

***This giveaway is for the above three bottles of nail polish. The giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from Tuesday, April 16th to 6:00 p.m. EST on Monday, April 22cnd. The winner will be chosen by random draw. I will notify the winner by email and they will have two days to respond before another winner is chosen.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Print
Smoky Chipotle Hummus
Author: 
Recipe type: Dip, Appetizer
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1-15.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained (save the liquid) and rinsed
  • 2 tbs. garbanzo bean liquid
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbs. chipotle in adobo
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbs. olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbs. cilantro
  • 1 tbs. jalapeño, minced
  • Tortilla chips

Instructions
  1. Drain the garbanzo beans, saving 2 tablespoons of the liquid for the hummus. Rinse the beans and set aside.
  2. Add the garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add the beans and pulse a few more times.
  3. Add the chipotle in adobo, lime juice, salt, and garbanzo bean liquid. Pulse until smooth.
  4. Turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the hummus is smooth.
  5. Transfer to a bowl and top with cilantro and minced jalapeños. Serve with tortilla chips or pita bread.

Disclosure: O.P.I and China Glaze have no idea who I am or that I even exist on planet Earth. Would I love to be their pals? Of course! But the fact is, I’m not. This giveaway is hosted my me, Jennie, also know as The Messy Baker, and not O.P.I or China Glaze.

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#SundaySupper Game Day Loaded Nachos

September 9, 2012 By 91 Comments

Happy #SundaySupper football fans! Lane from Supper for a Steal is hosting this week’s tailgating #SundaySupper. Now, Lane’s a Gators fan, but we’re not going to hold that against her.

It’s officially football season in our house, and my husband couldn’t be more excited. He has been counting down the days to kickoff for a month now. A month? Do you know how annoying that is? He’d randomly come to me and say, “You know what happens in 20 days?” And I’d respond, “Twenty days? Heck, I don’t even know what’s happening today?” I’d get the you-know-what-I’m-talking-about stare and he’d respond with, “Twenty more days until the first Raven’s game!” Normal people get excited for birthdays, holidays, or cake. Not my husband; he’s indifferent to all of that, but what he does get excited about is football, and he goes all out.

We live in Baltimore, so naturally, we’re Ravens fans. Let me repeat that last tidbit… Ravens fans! We bleed purple and black, we’re dedicated to our team, we cheer our guys on, we wear jerseys for Purple Friday, and we light the city purple when our team makes it to the playoffs. We’re hardcore!

Just a word of advice, do not ever mention that team with the black and gold uniforms in a Ravens household. It will not end well, and you may even get booted out of the house like Jazzy Jeff on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Now, this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends; it just means we can’t be friends on game day. And, I may not share my nachos with you. Just sayin’.

Let me explain just how hardcore we are. Our basement is decked out in all things Ravens: signed helmets, signed footballs, framed photos of players in action, bobble heads, neon signs, game day towels, a big foam finger, and a coin counting football (don’t ask, my husband had to have it). To top it all off, we have a 7 ft. tall purple Christmas tree, adorned with purple lights, purple feather boas, and ravens ornaments. A tree, people! If that’s not hardcore, than I don’t know what is.

We like to watch football and eat finger foods, so I made loaded nachos. These aren’t just any ordinary nachos. Nope. These nachos are special. Why, you ask? Because they’re smothered with my homemade chili sauce- a recipe that I’ve perfected over the years. It’s slap-yo-momma good!

The chili sauce only takes about 30 minutes to prepare, and it’s extremely versatile. Have leftovers? Do what we do, make chili dogs. People go nuts for chili dogs. You’ll blink and the chili sauce will be gone. Pinky swear.

Wanna know the great thing about loaded nachos? You get to top them with whatever you like. The options are limitless. We like ours with chili, cheese, salsa, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, and diced tomatoes.

I haven’t even told you the best part yet. You might want to sit down for this. I top my nachos with two different types of cheese. You heard right…two! I top them with a soft queso cheese sauce and shredded cheddar. It’s cheese heaven.

I love when the chips get all soggy. I grab a fork, scoop up the chips, and shovel them into my mouth. So good!

Happy tailgating!

Check out the other game day recipes:

Pre Game Warm-ups:

On the Sidelines:

Main Events:

Overtime:

From the Cooler:

Wine Pairings by Wine Everyday

Don’t forget to join us on twitter at 7pm ET for some tailgating talk.  Use the #SundaySupper hashtag to follow along. 

 

Game Day Loaded Nachos

1 recipe chili sauce (recipe follows)
Tortilla chips
Queso cheese dip
Shredded cheddar
Salsa
Pickled jalapeños
Sour cream
Diced tomatoes

Chili Sauce

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. corriander
1 tsp. cumin
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbs. worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. Franks Red Hot sauce (or Tobasco)
2 tbs. tomato paste

In a medium-sized saucepan, add all of the ingredients except for the tomato paste. Mix ingredients to combine. Simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Preheat the broiler.

Place desired amount of chips on a heat-proof platter. Add desired amount of chili sauce, queso, and salsa. Top with a handful of cheddar cheese. Place plate on a sheet pan and under the broiler just long enough for the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes. Top nachos with pickled jalapeños, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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