Peggy loves the cheese dips used with tortilla chips, called queso. I like them too, along with plenty of red salsa so I can enjoy both dips. So it was time to get a decent recipe and start making the queso dip.

The recipe shown here is one I found on the Internet and I modified a few ingredients to suit me (a bit of heat) after trying that original recipe. The lady who created the original recipe did an excellent job and I tip my hat to her for making a dip with perfect thickness and creaminess.

Ingredients: (makes two pints)

3 cups of Cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

1 tbsp. of cornstarch

1 tbsp. of butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup each of diced green and diced red bell peppers

1/4 cup of diced sweet onion

12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 cup of diced ripe tomato

2 tbsp. of diced jalapeno pepper (seeds removed)

1/4 tsp. of cumin

1/4 tsp. of Sriracha sauce

2 tbsp. of milk

Salt (to taste based on cheese saltiness)

Directions:

Place the shredded cheese and cornstarch in a large bowl, then toss to coat the cheese.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or small pot.

Add the minced garlic, the diced onion and the cumin, then cook slowly for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent but not browned.

Add the diced tomato, the diced bell peppers and the diced jalapeno pepper and cook for 4 minutes until the tomato and pepper pieces are slightly softened.

Add the evaporated milk and the cheese. Stir, then add the Sriracha sauce.

Stir until the cheese melts and the mixture becomes a silky sauce. This takes about two minutes, with stirring.

Add salt to taste - the amount required depends on the saltiness of the cheddar cheese you used. I used extra sharp cheddar cheese and I didn't use any salt.

Stir in the milk to adjust the thickness - note that the dip thickens when it cools, and milk can be added later if wanted to reduce the thickness.

Remove the queso from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature - it will be soft and easy to scoop even when it is cold.

Store the queso in sealed jars in the refrigerator. I prefer using pint size wide mouth canning jars to make later dipping/warming easy.

When refrigerated, the queso takes on the thickness of the queso dips sold in jars in supermarkets that are not refrigerated.

The thickness can be reduced by adding a tbsp. of milk, warming the mixture in the microwave oven, and stirring.

Enjoy!