Super Bowl Favorite

There is one thing that I look forward to every year during the Super Bowl - Sausage Queso!! My parents have been fixing up this appetizer for as long as I can remember, and today I've made it myself for the first time ever. I even invested in a Crock Pot and wooden spoons. The recipe is probably on the Velvetta site somewhere, but I like to think that my parents created it and that a new generation of the Hix family is carrying on the tradition. While I will always be more excited about Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl, Kitty Half-time Show, than the Super Bowl, at least there is some hope for my game day chef skillz. Go team!

Super Bowl Queso Awesome

Easiness: ♣♣♣♣♣

Messiness: ♣

Tastiness: ♣♣♣♣♣

32 ounce Velvetta thing

10 ounce can of Spicy Rotel

Tomatoes

16 ounce spicy pork sausage

Brown the sausage on medium heat until fully cooked. Drain sausage. Cube cheese (about 1/2 inch pieces) and add to sausage, turning down heat to medium-low. Stir until cheese is melted. Ad mixture into crock pot, set on low. Stir in tomatoes (keep juices). Continue cooking in crock pot, making sure to stir often.

Chicken and Hominy Soup Kicked Up

This recipe was inspired by Epicurious and recommended to me as an easy soup for beginners, and I really couldn't agree more. I changed some of the portions and doubled the amount of pepper sauce. Also, I used smoked chicken instead of rotisserie chicken and used a lot less hominy (mostly because I didn't know how it tasted). This recipe was actually fun to make, and didn't require a ton of prep time. Bonus! It will make your house smell awesome. TRY THIS!!!

Chicken and Hominy Soup Kicked Up (original recipe)

Easiness: ♣♣♣♣♣

Messiness: ♣♣

Tastiness: ♣♣♣♣♣

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion chopped thin

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

8 ounces low-salt chicken broth

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite tomatoes in juice

1 purchased smoked chicken, meat shredded, skin and bones discarded

4 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 (15-ounce) cans golden or white hominy in juice (Not sure what Hominy is? Neither did I, study up here.)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion, cumin, and paprika and saute until onions are clearish. Add in broth, tomatoes (with juice!), chicken, and hot pepper sauce (be liberal - I used Tabasco). Puree hominy in blender (keep the juice) and add to mix. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add in cilantro and serve! Pro tip: add guacamole, cheese, sour cream for extra deliciousness.