Queso! Umm yum!

It was taco night at the Sully residence tonight. Only this time, I was going to make not only tacos but to try my hand at making some fresh, and hopefully close to authentic queso. A quick search on the internet yielded so many variations I didn't know which direction to take. I've never actually *had* queso. I've only read about it, and seen lovely pictures of it.

I decided that I would use Emeril's recipe. It had good reviews, and I could get everything I needed for it from a quick trip to the grocery store. No wine, or strange peppers they don't typically carry on cape cod. The one special thing I did need to do though was to put together a spice combination that Emeril likes to call "Baby Bam". Why...I don't know, but I will give him this, it is a good combo and I was glad to bottle it up so that I can use it for other things. The recipe for "Baby Bam" (everytime I type that I cringe) is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3 tablespoons paprika

Mix it all together and store in an old spice container.

This Queso is AMAZING. As I said before this was my first time having queso so maybe i'm not the best judge but it was so good I only had ONE taco. That's saying a lot, typically I eat 2 or 3 tacos. I'm excited to get into this stuff tomorrow, and i'm excited to bring it to the next potluck I attend.

Ingredients

• Tortilla chips, for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup canned, chopped mild green chiles
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 pound), shredded (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces white Cheddar cheese (1/2 pound), shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped seeded tomato
• 1 teaspoon Baby Bam
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 1 minute.

Add the onion and Baby Bam and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato and garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheeses and chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream, white pepper, and salt and serve immediately with tortilla chips.

YIELD: 3 cups, serving 6 to 8