Baked Chili Cheese Dip Quick & Easy For Beginners As Well

Sharing today a very easy recipe (if you can call it that) it is quick and filling.  The combination is easy enough to layer with mostly canned ingredients.  

Sometimes it is fun to eat a little comfort food (may not be the healthiest) that is pretty tasty. Throw in some purchased chips (not making homemade anything today why spoil the easy?) and pig out!

Did I say that?  Why, yes I did!

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees

You will need:

Ingredients and Instructions

1-8 ounce package cream cheese sliced and layered on the bottom of a small casserole dish

(you could also use room temperature cream cheese and spread it on the bottom of the dish if you wish)

1-10 ounce can Rotel original diced tomatoes and green chilies.  Layer evenly over the cream cheese.

1-15 ounce can Hormel Chili No Beans  layered evenly on top of the tomatoes & chilis

1/2 small onion chopped and placed on top of the chili layer (optional)

 

Velveeta Cheese Product (the amount you will determine)

You know this block cheese product that can live in the pantry unopened for 6 months?

Slice or chop if you wish and top with as much needed for your taste to top your casserole

I added some shredded sharp cheddar cheese to completely cover.

(just because I like cheese and have to have a real ingredient lol)

Top with a little sprinkle or two of olive oil
(I've been watching many Jacques Pepin shows so just added oil lol)

Bake 30 minutes or more to heat and melt the ingredients through and bubbly in the center.

I browned mine a little more than needed on the edges, but then again the new ovens are so uneven in their baking and seem to be a given for me in my use of them. ** see tip below

Cool, slightly it will thicken as it cools for dipping.

How easy is that?

Dig In my little piggies!

*Important Note: About Velveeta:  Originally it was made from real cheese, however now it is made in another process from other products so they've had to change their name from cheese spread to cheese product. So many things have been changed and not for the better I might add!

** Important Tip:  I will say if you have an older oven/range keep it and fix it as long as you can because the newer models of any make seem to be and I say this truthfully -- crap! Yes, I said that because it is true.

Now for the yacking!

Family Memories and Traditions

A few years back I went to the grandson's baseball game and ate chili cheese and nachos at the concession stand.  I truly liked it.  You know I am one that cooks from scratch almost totally, so that was a baseball day treat for me. 

I love to cook with whole foods from scratch and rarely buy processed foods, but will always call them treats!

A remembrance from my childhood:  We always ate completely home-cooked meals so believe it or not a treat to us was a sandwich with store-bought bread or even more of a treat a tv dinner!  Yes, those things were different and not served regularly so they were special! This falls into that category for me. I'm smiling!

Another fun family note:  My mama and many of that day used *Velveeta to cover a lot of ground with a family of seven I guess you used what would feed the most mouths.  She lived at a time when many things were being invented and sold.  She and other housewives used and loved a lot of convenient foods that others had never heard of or had before. (oh, we had the real, and might I add very delicious cheddar cheese called red hoop as well). 

Genolia my mother in law would have us over for a light hot dog supper on Sunday nights.  She would use the Hormel Chili with no beans and I learned to like it that way.  Fun family memories.

I do cook my own homemade chili but there are occasions when time is limited and a can is on the shelf easy enough to use in a pinch. It works well in this recipe.