D2

Personal aside, I have a test and project due tomorrow, which means I've been in superfocus mode the past few hours (oddly enough, no caffeine). The downside of superfocus mode is that I often cannot sleep well that night. I don't like using it very often, but I had to work and help out with some chores at home today. You don't catch up by going slower.

In any case, since I'm here and unable to sleep, I might as well make the most of it and post a cooking query. It's pretty simple, but before that let me tell you a joke one of my history teachers told me...

Mr. B: Do you know why Baptists make the best casseroles?
D2: I don't know, why?
Mr. B: Because they put all their vices in them!

Don't worry, it flew over my head the first time, too.

There are many kinds of casseroles of course, and I like a lot of them. Thanks to growing up in a Baptist church, I have a strong affinity for casseroles.

I <3 casserole.

Oddly enough, I've never actually tried to make it before. I guess I never had to thanks to all the kind ladies at the Baptist church. It's like, theirs is so good, why even bother trying to reproduce a flawed version? But I suppose it's time to try my hand at it.

So, my fine readers, how do you like your casserole? Got a good recipe you'd like to share? Any hints or tricks for this cooking newbie? Thanks in advance! ^_^

I made queso for the first time yesterday. And you know something? It was so easy a caveman could do it.

See, my parents bought tons of food for my sister's wedding a week and a half ago. Among these items were bags of tortilla chips for a quick snack, but we got so busy that day we forgot about them. We had some salsa around the house, but I don't like salsa so I volunteered to make queso.

The problem? I hadn't made queso before. So I scoured cooks.com for some basic recipes before deciding on one.

Apparently, the basic queso recipe is this:

1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 10oz can Rotel tomatoes

Then you can add spices and flavor to your taste. Considering mine, I went with:

1 tsp chili powder (approximate, I just put a few shakes in)
1 tsp minced garlic (again, approximate)

I took out a saucepan and put it on medium high heat. Then I put the cheese in, which I should have cut into cubes before hand to encourage faster melting. As it was, I used my stirring spoon to cut it up in the pan.

Once decently melted, I added the Rotel tomatoes and stirred. Then I added the chili powder and minced garlic. After a few minutes I had some queso the way I like it: cheesy with a little kick but not too spicy.

Both of my parents, who favor Asian tastes, liked it and wondered why I hadn't made it before if it was that easy. I guess I thought it was more complicated or something.

Now I'll something to snack while I watch sports games!