Texas Trash Dip

It has been ages since I have posted anything, but goodness gracious, it's like I just never have the time anymore... or maybe I just don't make the time. I need to change that! My husband kindly reminded me this weekend part of the reason for starting this blog in the first place: I don't remember my own recipes. This happens all the time; usually it will come to me, but when he was trying to describe something I cooked over a year ago, I just stared at him blankly. I guess when you throw stuff together on a whim, as I am oft to do, then don't  write it down... it goes into the recesses of the mind that harbor cobwebs and all sorts of other useless bits of info.

Anyhoo... I'm a Texas girl, born and raised, and though I don't long to return to my home state, I do miss the food. I've seen Texas Trash floating around Pinterest, and for such a simple creation, there are so many variations. I had no idea! I remember my mom making this dip for big football parties... back when the Cowboys were America's team and won Super Bowls.

Well, I may not be a Cowboys fan (Go Patriots!), but I am definitely a fan of football & football parties. It's that season again, and I couldn't be any more thrilled! So, in the spirit of football season and my husband's fantasy league draft, I made Texas trash. Since the entire contents of the dish were devoured, I'd say it was a hit.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

2 16oz cans refried beans

8oz sour cream

8oz cream cheese

3 cups shredded cheese **I use pizza blend and sharp cheddar, but it's called Texas "trash" for a reason... use what you like. Colby jack, taco blend, mild cheddar, sharp cheddar.... whatever floats your boat!**

1 small can ( 7 3/4 oz) of El Pato tomato sauce **some people use Rotel. I don't like the texture of Rotel in the bean dip, so I find that the spicy tomato sauce usually found in the Hispanic food isle of the grocery store makes this dip SO much better than having chunks of tomato mess up the creaminess of the dip.**

1 package taco seasoning 

Sliced jalapenos and black olives to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef in skillet until cooked through, drain. In a large microwaveable bowl, combine cream cheese and beans... no need to mix just yet. Microwave for 1 minute; this will soften cream cheese and beans so that they are easy to mix. Stir until there are no lumps of cream cheese. Add in ground beef, sour cream, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly. Pour out mixture into a 9x13" baking dish. Top with cheese and sliced jalapenos and olives. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted. This is best served warm with tortilla chips and an ice cold beer on the side :). Enjoy!

Party Dip

Habaneros are back in stores and I couldn't be more excited. There's a few things that I want all year long, habanero peppers fall in that list. I keep saying I'll grow my own one day, but let's face it, my green thumb is non-existent. So naturally, I buy a whole bunch of them and proceed to make anything and everything I can think of with my most favorite of peppers. That brings me to the party dip. Why is it party dip? Well for one it makes enough dip to feed an army, but two, it's like a party in your mouth! The kick of habaneros just does something. With that being said, I like things spicy. SPICY. The hotter the better. I din't make this dip too spicy, but I definitely felt that burn that tends to build up. I used 3 habaneros & probably would have been fine adding another one or two, but if you can't handle the heat stick to two, one... or even none.

Ingredients:
1 can fiesta corn
1 can black bean fiesta grillin beans
1 package taco seasoning
1lb ground beef
habaneros (1,2,3,4... whatever tickles your fancy)
1 block velveeta white queso

Directions:
Grind habaneros in food processor, or mince. In a pan, slightly brown beef, drain. Add in taco seasoning and habaneros, continue cooking until beef is completely cooked. Cube velveeta. Add all ingredients to crockpot on medium for an hour, stirring occasionally. Put crockpot on warm setting to keep dip warm and melty during the day/party/game, etc...

Salsa

I love chips and salsa & that's all I have to say about that.

Ingredients:

1 14.5oz Mexican style stewed tomatoes

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 tsp chipotle chile powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 heaping tbsp minced garlic

2oz red habanero hot sauce

1 medium onion

1 large bell pepper (I had leftover halves of a bell pepper trinity so I used those), chopped

8 tomatillos

10 jalapenos

1 medium onion

1/4 cup cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

Instructions:

In a medium pot, combine stewed tomatoes, tomatillos (whole, outer skin removed), bell pepper, garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until tomatillos turn slightly golden. Pour in blender and set on grate, low speed. Blend until there are no large chunks of tomatillo or stewed tomato. 

Mince jalapenos (stems removed) and cilantro (roughly 1/2 the bunch) in a food processor, finely chop onion, and add all remaining ingredients to tomato mixture. Best if refrigerated for a few hours.

Spicy Guacamole

Even people that don't like guacamole like my guacamole... true story.

Spicy Guacamole

You Will Need:
Gallon sized ziplock bag (large ziplock will do)
food processor (or chopper)

Ingredients:
6 small avocados (ripe, soft)
4 jalapenos
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 small bunch of cilantro
4tbs lime juice (or more to taste)
1 small white onion
1 small green bell pepper
1 pkg guacamole seasoning

Instructions:

Slice avocados lengthwise & remove pit & skin. Place in ziplock bag with guacamole seasoning and knead until desired consistency. I like my guacamole a little bit chunky, so I just make sure the big pieces are smashed.

Cut corner off of bag and squeeze into medium sized bowl.

In your food processor or chopper, mince jalapenos with cilantro, add to avocados. finely chop onion & bell pepper. Roughly chop tomatoes & add all to avocados, mix. Mix in lime juice.

serve cold!

Sausage White Queso

I would like to start off by saying that this IS NOT restaurant white queso. It's way better than any restaurant ever thought about making; plus, if I wanted restaurant queso, I would go to a restaurant. This recipe was a random thought of mine... as I was CRAVING queso, but beyond tired of the velveeta/rotel boringness. What I did not expect was for this to turn out to be THE BEST white queso dip I have ever had. That's right. I'll say it. It's the absolute best white queso I have ever had... and I made it... and I'm nice enough to share. So without further ado...

Sausage White Queso

Ingredients:
4 jalapeno peppers
2 poblano peppers
2oz El Yucateco Chile Habanero Sauce (Mexican ingredient section at Walmart)
16oz (one roll) Jimmy Dean hot sausage
1/2 package kraft/philadelphia pepper jack cheese
8oz cream cheese (not pictured)
1 box queso blanco velveeta
1 small onion (sweet yellow)
8oz sour cream

Instructions:
Cut tops off of poblano peppers and remove seeds. Slice into thin strips, then chop (chunky pieces are best) & slice jalapenos into thin rounds (or whichever way you like best). If you like your food to have a bite, leave the seeds, I did of course. Chop onion & put ingredients in a 5qt crock pot. If you have crock pot liners, I suggest using one. Brown sausage in & add to peppers/onion. Cube velveeta & cream cheese and mix in with sausage, etc. Mix in pepper jack cheese and sour cream. Pour habanero sauce on top, it will mix in when you stir periodically later to keep the cheese from burning. This hot sauce is my favorite, so I may be guilty of adding more.... like double. If you like some fire to your food then add away! Cook on high for 2 hours then keep warm.

Hopefully you'll have more luck than I did with your dip actually making it out of the crock pot to serve. Josh and I literally stood in the kitchen eating this & had to pry ourselves away. It's PHENOMENAL, but don't just take my word for it... live, love & cook!