Our grandchildren love California Pizza Kitchen’s mac and cheese. This Grandma went on a hunt to try to replicate it and found a recipe that the grandchildren said is better than the mac and cheese they get at California Pizza Kitchen. Here is the post and the recipe:
It has gotten to the point where I must make large patches of the mac and cheese because the adults devour it too! I have added it to the Thanksgiving menu so the grandchildren have something they love to eat. If I do not make an extra large pot of this calorie laden dish, then the grandchildren do not have any mac and cheese left for themselves. Because I tend to spoil the grandchildren, whenever they are around, I have the main ingredient, Velvetta cheese, ready to make their favorite and best mac and cheese. Invariably, after they leave, I am left with lots of Velvetta. Yes, it does melt well and makes for a great grilled cheese sandwich, but this Grandma ends up throwing away the Velvetta when the grandchildren leave. Remember, lots of calories. That is, until I read the February 2016 edition of Oprah Magazine!
On Oprah’s page called “Mixing Bowl” she adds a recipe for a Super Bowl Buffet she calls her guilty pleasure, using Velvetta! I do not think Weight Watchers will be happy. It is a queso dip created by Alex Stupak, chef and owner of New York City’s Empellon restaurants and coauthor of “Tacos: Recipes and Provocations.”
The recipe calls for ½ cup of heavy cream, which is another ingredient of the best mac and cheese that usually goes to waste with the leftover Velvetta. The queso dip recipe requires a minced white onion cooked on low heat for about 20 minutes in a little oil until it is soft, adding minced jalapenos (he uses three fresh and three pickled jalapenos) to the onion. I would add just three fresh as spicy enough, and add more later. Then pour in a can of Dos Equis, which is my favorite Mexican lager, and cook down until almost dry. Then he adds the ½ cup of heavy cream and the brick of Velvetta, of course, cut into small cubes, stirring until the Velvetta is melted. I love Alex Stupak”s quote at the end of the recipe: “You have to use Velvetta. It’s built to melt and stays liquid for hours, like cheese from another dimension.” Absolutely!
The picture accompanying the recipe shows diced red pepper scattered on the top. That does make the colorful queso look more colorful.
The difficult part is going to be keeping the grandchildren away from the Velvetta queso dip full of beer. But, it is cooked out. Now does that make the beer more potent or less potent or do we grandmas care. So, while we make the best mac and cheese for grandchildren, we now can spoil the parents of our grandchildren at the same time with Velvetta queso dip, Oprah’s guilty pleasure, so it must be wonderful. Who has to wait for next Superbowl!
Joy,
Mema
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