You, Me, and Five Dips

What does September mean for you?  For me, it means football time!!  I am of course an OU Sooner's fan!  I grew up in Norman, OK, fairly close to the campus and went to a lot of the games with my step dad and my uncle.  We are as die hard as it gets!

Today, instead of fighting the crowds and drunk people (wow how old did that sound!) my sister and I usually put the game on my flat screen and make some game food.  We invite a few people over and have a little party.  It is also an excuse to make (and eat) deep fried, wrapped in bacon, and dipped in ranch foods.  We also always have an abundance of dips.  We are the dip queens!  Every fall, we go the various festivals they have around our town and scour the booths for dip mixes.  Last fall, we were planning a little gathering for one of the games.  I planned some appetizers and a few dips.  I went to the store and bought all the ingredients.  When Saturday came around, I whipped up all the food, threw on my crimson and cream, and got the pregame on.  My sister always comes early to help with the food (and the dishes).  We sat down and waited.  No hungry fans came.  The game started and no one showed up.  We made a couple of calls and realized no one could make it.  I started to get bummed,  when my sister, the voice of reason said, "Hey Kels, don't be upset, it's you me and 5 dips!"  She was right, we had a blast and ate way too much.  Now, whenever we get together, we never worry if people show up or not.  We are perfectly content with you, me, and five dips.

I had a hard time picking a dip.  I love spinach dip, I am obsessed with hummus, and I could eat queso on just about anything.  So eeny meeny miny....QUESO!!!  I added beer and fresh cilantro to this one and it is delicious!  My sis took the leftovers from the test batch to work and it was a huge hit.  So, for your next football party or any potluck grab some chips and try this out!!

Spicy Sausage and Beer Queso
This Recipe Makes About 4 quarts of queso

1       Lb       Hot Pork Sausage
8       oz       Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
8       oz       Heavy Whipping Cream (I can usually find a small 8 oz carton in the dairy section)
16     oz       White American Processed Cheese, Cut Into Cubes
7       oz       Mexican Beer
1/4    Cup    Fresh Cilantro, Chopped Finely
1       Each   Fresh Jalapeno, Minced
1       Each   10 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, Drained
1/2    Tsp     Ground Cumin

Grab a saute pan and brown the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat.  Drain in a colander.  Now for your crock pot, put the sausage in it.  Then put the rest of the ingredients in on top of the sausage.  Put the lid on the crock pot and turn it on to low. Cook it on low for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot with tortilla chips.  Love as Always, "Big K"

Big K's Tips:

*    Be sure your crock pot is plugged in.  I say this because I have turned on a crock pot thinking I was so efficient to have dinner cooking all day when I was gone.  Got home and I had left it unplugged.  No easy dinner for me that night!

*    Don't judge me on the whole processed cheese thing:)  I'm from the land of tex-mex and that's just how we do it.  I do like the monterey jack to give it a little stretch.