Tailgate Queso Blanco

We are having a big tailgate party tomorrow in honor of my husband’s birthday, and as you already know I am a cheese addict. While I always have the standard salsa and chips to fall back on for a party, this time I had to have a cheese dip! I went with a white queso dip, and had to resist eating it all when I was transferring it to a bowl! This will make about 2-3 cups depending on how cheese happy you get :D I made a night in advance and simply plan on reheating and portioning tomorrow!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 minced clove garlic
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 12 ounces white American cheese
  • 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4-1/2 cup diced tomato (depends on your preference)
  • 1 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (add more if desired)
  • Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño to to pot and cook until tender.
  3. Add shredded cheeses and 1/4 cup of the milk gradually, whisking until even consistency is achieved
  4. Mix in the tomato and cilantro, salt pepper, and a dash of nutmeg
  5. Add the additional milk gradually as necessary to retain a thick yet dip like consistency consistency
  6. Serve with chips and enjoy!

Caprese Sandwich or Panini

Ingredients

  • 2 of your favorite panini or soft sandwich bread roll, I recommend a sweet italian or chibatta roll
  • 6oz part-skim fresh mozzarella ball
  • 2 ripe small cutting tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1/8 cup pesto
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

  1. Choose between a soft cold sandwich, if you choose not to heat the panini ignore the steps in ( ).
  2. Divide loaf/roll in half and apply pesto evenly to both sides of the bread
  3. Layer desired amount of mozzarella and tomato slices to base
  4. Place fresh basil leaves on top, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper
  5. Microwave sandwich for 20-30 seconds so that cheese begins to melt then place on panini press or grill to crisp and finish preparing

Variations

* If you so choose you can omit any portion of the sandwich

* If you don’t have a panini press or similar grill, coat a skillet with olive oil and grill on both sides pressing with a spatula to flatten until desired outcome is reached