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No matter where life takes you, the flavors of your hometown will always be nostalgic. I’m a sucker for learning how people grew up through the recipes their family cooked—or the foods they enjoyed at restaurants, potlucks, and holidays. For me, having grown up in Pittsburgh, there’s nothing as delicious as a French fry-topped salad or sandwich, my mom’s pierogi casserole, and, of course, a large helping of strawberry pretzel Jell-O salad.
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about the “Today” show family and the anchors’ favorite foods, from Al Roker’s love for McDonald’s McRib to Hoda Kotb’s slight obsession with Ritz crackers. Now, the hosts are giving fans an even closer glimpse into their lives with the launch of the new “Today Loves Food” cookbook.
The cookbook shares some of the hosts’ favorite recipes, like Craig Melvin’s mom’s mac and cheese and Savannah Guthrie’s margaritas. Ever the proud Texan and daughter of former President George W. Bush, Jenna Bush Hager submitted recipes rooted in her Texas heritage. Hager shared the Tex-Mex Enchiladas her family eats every Christmas Eve, her mom Laura Bush’s famous cowboy cookies, and, of course, queso.
Jenna Bush Hager’s Go-to Queso Recipe
“[Queso] is basically considered a food group in Texas,” Hager says in the book.
The “Today With Jenna & Sheinelle” host previously shared her easy, go-to queso recipe when she and Kotb appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” To celebrate Kelly Clarkson’s new season—and move to 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City—the “Today” hosts brought Clarkson a “vat of queso.”
“You’re so Texas,” Clarkson said to Hager.
“Jenna made it. It’s her own personal recipe,” Kotb joked. “I don’t want to reveal where you can find it, but if you get Velveeta and you turn it over on the back, that’s the spot.”
While that two-ingredient Famous Queso Dip always hits the spot, if you’re looking for the “dip of all dips,” then you’ll want to try Hager’s souped-up queso.
“Jenna’s Queso To End All Quesos” is “ooey-gooey gloriousness” that’s inspired by the Bob Armstrong dip at Magnolia Cafe in Austin, Texas. The restaurant’s cheese dip is made with beef, queso, avocado, and pico de gallo.
“But, don’t worry, Hager keeps the dip simple by still starting with a base of Velveeta and Ro-Tel. She adds a can of refried beans, ground beef cooked with an onion and seasoned with taco seasoning, and diced avocado to the cheese, tomato, and green chile mixture—and there’s no layering involved.
She simply browns the ground beef, then dumps the rest of the ingredients (except the avocado) into a pot to melt. Right before serving, she stirs in the avocado, and that’s all it takes to make a dip for “everybody [to be] very happy.”
Here’s the full recipe.
How To Make Jenna Bush Hager’s ‘Queso To End All Quesos’
Credit: Today Loves Food
Yield: About 8 cups (16 servings)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 pound ground beef (80/20)
1 (1-ounce) packet mild taco seasoning
1 (16-ounce) block processed cheese (such as Velveeta), cut into cubes
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes & green chilies (such as Ro-Tel)
Directions:
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart pot over medium-high. Add onion; sauté, stirring constantly, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add ground beef; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle taco seasoning over meat, stir to combine, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium. Add Velveeta, refried beans, and Ro-Tel; cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is completely melted and dip is warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Off heat, stir in avocado to combine. Gently pour queso into a serving bowl; serve with your favorite chips—or enjoy by the spoonful!
Recipe excerpted from “Today Loves Food”
Read the original article on Allrecipes
Dining and Cooking