K is for Knock Your Socks Off Cheese Dip

and Kristy Kangaroo, Patience is a Virtue

Let’s go, readers…all three of you!

Well, maybe four since Kara Clowers GRACIOUSLY said she was ready for the return of the Alphabet Mom.

So I officially have four readers…my mom, my sister, my sister-in-law and Kara Clowers.

Oh…and Decie Lewis.

Just kidding of course, I know I have more than four, and am I ready to get back to it.

Because I love writing, I truly do…and I love cooking.

Cooking is my love language in case you didn’t know.

So a chance to mesh the two is something I literally researched for years before I got the nerve to “put it out there.”

And, here we all are…in the middle of a pandemic…together…and I just have to believe my blog can be classified on some people’s entertainment radar.

Right?

I mean, I have to be MORE entertaining than or at least AS entertaining as Joe Exotic.

Right?

I mean, surely cheese dip or Wednesday’s lemon lasagna is a welcome reprieve, say, from a binge watch of Friends that you’ve seen 12 or so times.

Right?

That’s three rights and if three wrongs don’t make a right then what does three rights make?

A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson I would bet.

Don’t you think you have to have a little patience and a few kind words (as my daddy likes to say) to read today’s blog post?

Speaking of patience…I wrote a children’s book about having patience and it’s one of my favorites in my series.

“Kristy Kangaroo, Patience is a Virtue” is another book that shot straight out the living room of my house.

Well, almost my living room, but the baseball field for sure, as one of my son’s best friends that he played baseball with, started out a little on the short side.

It’s true…I adore his precious mother, beautiful inside and out, but she passed a little of the short DNA along to her son.

The same way I passed the Jolly Green Giant with size “huge” feet along to my boy.

Hey, we all have to be something.

Anyway, this young boy was absolutely mad about the fact that he was shorter than his friends.

And he wanted to be tall…and he didn’t want to wait for it, either.

Even though he would eventually hit the growth spurt many of his friends had earlier than him, there was a few years where K.B. was just down in the dumps.

So, as is the case with my books, I told the story through the eyes of my character, and in this case, Kristy Kangaroo.

And to quote my favorite “mom” cheer from the baseball stands, “K.B., it’s all about you and how great you are!”

One of my favorite kids, and families, for sure, and guess what?

K.B. was more than happy for me to share his story, you know, in case some other child is concerned about being short.

Or tall.

Or have hands the size of Rhode Island.

Or feet as long as a water ski.

Or is buck-toothed.

Wait.

That kid was ME.

But look at me now, readers, writing and cooking and having patience and everything.

I turned out okay, right?

Right.

And speaking of right, nothing is MORE right in the world than this cheese dip.

Say, does anyone like Chili’s queso and salsa cause this recipe will remind you of that!

I’ve already given you the greatest salsa recipe in the world, this much we know.

Now I just need to share the greatest queso and I’m telling you what, your tongue will slap the roof out of the top of your mouth.

Just ask my friend, Amanda Colvin.

I used this recipe in a writing camp one summer and Amanda’s son attended.

I actually had my campers in my kitchen giving them cooking lessons.

Her son thought it was the greatest dip ever.

Well, DUH.

Just kidding, it is really good, and quick so #letsgo and get with it!

Here’s what you will need to get started…and I honestly keep all these ingredients in my pantry and you will want to as well, just so you can be ready at a minute’s notice when someone stops by to see you.

Wait.

NO ONE is stopping by, who are we kidding?

So, instead, you will want to keep these ingredients on hand in case you start craving cheese dip.

And did I mention how super easy it is?

I should have started with that, actually.

Let’s start by cutting your Velveeta cheese into cubes…that’s a 16 ounce Velveeta by the way…and I love to use the Mexican flavor.

Next, add your 1 cup of whipping cream (I used) or milk or half-and-half.

I then add the can of (no beans please) chili.

Now, the recipe calls for the following spices: cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, chili powder and cumin.

I say…put them all in!

But if you are sensitive to spicy stuff, and I feel sorry for you if you are, you can just omit the cayenne pepper.

I just hope we can still be friends if you do.

Finally, the juice of a lime really balances all the flavors, so don’t omit it.

And for the love of Julia Child, don’t use a bottled lime juice.

That’s sick.

Warm all the ingredients and get ready to WOW your crowd.

Or your cat, since we technically aren’t allowed to have a crowd in our house.

And you might remember from yesterday that I was blogging through the alphabet back in March when I originally wrote this column and did the photo shoot, right?

Well, excuse the fact that my model is dressed for St. Patrick’s Day.

And she looks like her father should be a leprechaun, with her red hair, fair skin and blue eyes.

But honestly, have you ever seen a more beautiful queso and chip model?

And YES…she IS my lucky charm.

Disclaimer: I did not pay the model to smile like she loves this dip…She actually DOES LOVE it.

And so will you.

And your cat.