h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Surely... though (and I don't call you Shirly), they coudl... or one could oneself, make such a thing, using 'actual' cheese? I normally just cheat and go for an entire smoothering of the bowl full of 'chilli' with grated strong cheddar Or occasionally either the Polish Gudar, or their smoked cheese (which may or may not be a processed one, but which is rather nice, and nutty tasting, wahtever it is...)

Nah. Chili mac is more about having chili over macaroni pasta. The cheese is a bonus and this is one of the acceptable uses of past. proc. cheese food.


Now, as to terminology. What we're referring to as "chili" is properly "chili con carne", literally peppers with meat. "Chili con queso" is peppers with cheese. That's what you dip your tortilla chips in. There is nothing wrong with spooning a bit of chili con queso into your chili con carne.

Store bought "queso" dip is often something resembling Velveeta and should usually be avoided... the stuff often leaves a thick greasy coating on your tongue.

Finding a good, genuine cheese that melts smoothly is a bit tricky. There's a local TexMex place nearby that makes the best chili con queso. I'm not sure what cheese they use in it, but it has a slightly smokey flavor. I suspect they might use queso Chihuahua. (No, that doesn't mean dog cheese.)

btw, I just learned that in Chihuahua, it's known as queso menonita because Mennonites first produced it in the area.

gosh... there is some serious terminology problems, for me here
As someone who really hasn't ever bought ready made sauces, and dips and stuff (well, cept for mustard, mayo, HP sauce, wostershire sauce, soya sauce, oyster sauce, brandston pickle etc), I can but only imagine at what these may be like

macaroni cheese... I normally make that with a mixture of cheeses (not necessarily by design, but more down to what I have in).... really cheap, rubbish 'mozarella' often helps give cheese things, a nice melty texture (cheap rubbish mozarella baearing little resembalance to real mozarella, but having slightly less stringly texture when melted).
This smoked Polish cheese I often get, melts loverly.... sort of a bit like mozarella, but again, without the stringyness sort of thing... though it does kinda have that... A mixture of mature cheddar, with either the cheap mozarella or Polish smoked (for texture), and then soem parmazan to pick the flavour up a notch, works well in maccaroni cheese (who said anythign about trying to be authentic?), and works well too on pizza (must get round to making my garlic pizzas again (garlic topping rahter than tomato, just with cheese on top, or perhaps a bit of ham nad msuhroom)

I need a new catogrisation system for food, to make it less complicated.... A bit like my moovie classification system; there are only two types of films, those about horses, and those not about horses.
Hmmm..... can't quite figure out if anythign qutie so simplified will work for food though

gottit.... There are only two types of food; those with, or including cheese, and those without/that do not

Now that's interesting, because whenever I went to the kitchen's walk-in I'd see a couple of bus tubs labelled 'DOG CHEESE'. I kept meaning to ask what it was but I never got around to it, and I can't think what it might have been for. We used cheese in a lot of different menu items but there wasn't a hot dog on the menu.

>>Nah. Chili mac is more about having chili over macaroni pasta. The cheese is a bonus and this is one of the acceptable uses of past. proc. cheese food.<<

Now now, Baron Grim, I have to take exception to that. There is never an acceptable use of past. proc. cheese food

Have you ever had a Jack-in-the-Box taco? Some things are so wrong they're just right.

luckily for me not, because i live in sausage land

<zen.

Beware the cheese purists, for their scorn it poureth forth, like molten brie and gudar,

Ah, Jack-in-the-Box Can't say I'd ever go to one of their places, but they have an ad campaign that's up there with the best. "Chipootle? Chipotoplay?"

Of course, should have looked on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRv9_Q3HOmg

I can't remember the last time I saw an antenna ball. One of my first memories of Austin.

OK... to describe their tacos... First off, they're deep fried! They're stuffed with something that tastes vaguely meat like but has the texture of play-do. A little bit of lettuce squeezed in for decorative purposes only.

Sounds good right?


That's the thing... they ARE!

And you get two for a buck.

I get them instead of fries.


Now, their egg rolls are actually excellent. I believe they're made by a company in Houston. Did you know that Houston, TX is the egg roll and fortune cookie capital of the world?

I didn't know that. Did *you* know that Liechtenstein is the false teeth capital of the world?

No I didn't... does that mean more false teeth are MADE there, or WORN there? Craftsmanship, or poor dental care?

World's largest producer. Not bad for a country you could carpet wall-to-wall for less than ten grand

I have had a slow cooking fest today. There is a big festival on locally over the weekend where we and some friends will be working til the early hours, 4 friends will be staying at ours as they live a bit too far to be driving home. I needed lots of food that would do for sandwiches for the day and snacks when we get home so I bought a 4 kilo bit of pork yesterday, I think what USAsians would call a fresh ham, a good chunk of a pig leg wherever! I was going to marinate overnight and pop in slow cooker for pulled pork and do a huge chicken in the oven but the pork was too big so I have just hauled it out of the oven after 9 hours of slow roasting. I put the chicken in the slow cooker instead.

Didn't want to do normal pulled pork, so I tried Cuban pork for the first time instead. Mmmm...Mmmm...Mmmm..., it's resting just now but I pulled off a lump to try! Marinated in orange & lemon juice, loads of garlic, oregano, cumin and chillis plus S&P - It is divine, soft and tangy with some crispy bits from the outside!

I rubbed the chicken, inside and out of the skin with a paste made of ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, salt, garlic, olive oil and a little paprika for colour, chucked it in the slow cooker for a few hours then blasted it in the oven to crisp up the skin as I was doing the same to the pork.

So we have the beginnings of Murgh Chaat (Indian chicken salad) and carnitas for early hours eating plus loads of leftovers for Cuban & chicken sandwiches to eat on the go! Since we'll be working til 2am, eating then sleeping in a bit til the next days onslaught, I have makings for huge breakfasts too - Funnily enough, Cypriots love a good English fry-up more than we do!

If I may rewind a little, I heartily endorse this recipe (yes, Serious Eats again) for a proper melty cheese sauce. Chilli con queso would be a cinch with some chopped jalapeno or similar:

http://tinyurl.com/pyu5gkn

B

That is very helpful. Thanks, Mu Beta.