Chile con Queso

What do you call cheese that’s not yours?  Nacho cheese!  Hahahahaha!!!

What? Not funny?  There’s no accounting for taste these days.  But know that regardless of your sense of humor, you will adore the creamy, spicy goodness that is this chile con queso.  Because it is scandalous in its majesty.  Escandalo!

This recipe is my mom’s passed down to her from my grandmother.  We used to have this dip around Christmas and New Year’s, devoured as quickly as we could while still hot.  More than your typical melted cheese with peppers, the base of this sauce comes from smoky bacon.  To make matters even more dangerous, we’d occasionally dip pork rinds (!) into the cheese in addition to tortilla chips.  Say wha?  Don’t knock it till you try it.

I adore this recipe because it is a simple crowd pleaser, only involving a few minutes of stirring before serving piping hot.  It’s quick enough to cook at halftime if you are sporting it up and need to feed some hungry fans.  Also, if you want to keep this warm for lazy snacking, break out the crock pot or fondue pot and chomp at your leisure.

Chile con Queso

2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb. of velveeta, diced into cubes
1 can of ro-tel (or a cup of chopped tomatoes and 3 tbs. of chopped green chiles)
tortilla chips
scallions (garnish)

Heat a large, nonstick skillet and add the bacon.  Brown and then stir in the ro-tel.  As soon as it warms, toss in the velveeta cubes and stir until melted.  Transfer to a crock pot or fondue pot to keep warm and serve.  You can drizzle the cheese over the chips and top with scallions, or simply dip directly into the queso.