With just a little grating and chopping, sautéing and stirring you can make your own homemade Queso for all of your Super Bowl parties, taco nights, chili feeds, nacho bars and beyond. It isn’t often that we post recipes from our CookBook, Dinner Changes Everything. Here’s a little glimpse into the delicious beauty. We set the CookBook up to give you not just single recipes but full menus. This Corn Queso Recipe is the appetizer that goes along with the Summer Chili Feed Menu. Plus each recipe comes with tips on how you can prep it all ahead of time. One batch of this Queso makes enough to feed a crowd, or save some to have fresh Queso for several get togethers. Hosting and homemaking does not mean you have to be a slave to the kitchen. With a little planning you can prep everything ahead of time so you can kick your feet up and simply enjoy filling your table with friends.

This recipe is a gift from us to you straight from our cookbook Dinner Changes Everything. May it inspire you to fill your table with delicious food and time spent together! If you’re making this during the summer months when fresh corn is available - use fresh from the cob corn. It makes the dip next level delicious.

Be sure to click Subscribe when you watch the YouTube Cooking Class - we have so much more fun like this coming your way as we bring you along with us into our Kitchen, Garden, to our Orchard Table with time spent gathering our community.

What a gift to do life together.

photography by Saleina Marie Photography

Creamy Corn Queso

4 roma tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup red onion
3 cups corn, frozen or fresh
1 jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 pound Fontina cheese, grated
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Tortilla chips, for dipping
Cilantro to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

A few of my favorite kitchen tools that I pull out for this recipe:

Shun Knife - they make cutting SO much more fun because they hold their sharpness which makes cutting easier. This is the one I’m using in the video.
Bamboo Cutting Boards - these hold up under crazy amounts of use, are thin so I can fit a lot in our one little storage space, they are dishwasher safe and don’t get stinky!
Mesh Strainer - I use these on repeat whether I’m straining tomatoes, simple syrup or rinsing rice or beans

Now let’s dive into how to make this yummy dip :

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the Roma tomatoes into fourths and scrape out the watery seeded section in the middle. Dice them into uniform pieces. Place the diced tomatoes into a colander and set over a bowl to drain excess liquid. While the tomatoes are resting, finely dice the onion. Scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno and mince.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, then add the onion. Saute for 5 minutes then stir in the corn, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute for 3-5 minutes more, stirring often, until the mixture softens and the spices are toasted. Add the drained tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture starts to stick to the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the grated monterey jack and fontina cheeses with the softened cream cheese. Add the sauteed corn mixture and stir to incorporate. Transfer to a 10 inch pie pan, or similar sized baking dish. (Keep in mind that you'll be serving the dip from this dish). Place on top of a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve hot from the oven with tortilla chips for dipping.

PREP THE DAY BEFORE :

• This can be fully made the day before! Prepare it just as directed above. Once you transfer the mixture into the baking dish, cover and refrigerate. Simply add 5-10 extra minutes to the baking time when warming it the following day.

Freedom Dinner Photography by Odet