RO*TEL....just a Texas and Southwest staple? (El Paso, Fort Stockton: home, where to buy)

[love roses]

We always have a few cans in the pantry. My sisters friend and coworker got transferred to New Jersey and she can't get it there. People looked at her like she was crazy when she tried to describe mixing it with velveeta. My sister and some of her other friends send her care packages of ro-tel and now her friend in Jersey has some of her new friends hooked on it

[love roses]

"What is King Ranch Chicken?"

Yummy, that's what it is! Sorry, just being silly I haven't had it in a while, but it has chicken, tortillas (cut up), cheese/cheese sauce, tomatoes and some other things. It's a casserole dish.

[cyrano]

Native Texan here-- when my mother packed me off to college many years ago, she first taught me how to make queso with Velveeta and Rotel, except in the time before microwaves and slow cookers, the only way to melt it all kind of slowly was to use a double boiler. It's been a staple of my diet for years...

even after moving to the middle of the middle of the country (Columbia MO). Obviously, they sell Velveeta here, and all the grocery stores carry at least a couple variations of Rotel. They fix it here too-- but they don't call it queso. When my office had one of its organized pot luck lunches one month, I put down "queso" as what I would bring, secure in the knowledge that everyone would know what I was talking about.

They didn't. Instead, they watched with intense curiosity and some trepidation as I broke up the Velveeta and poured the Rotel into the slow cooker outside my office. Finally, breaking the tension, my secretary asked, "what is that kwee-so stuff and how do you make it?" That's queso, I said, pointing to the cooker. "No, it's not," she insisted. "That's cheese sauce."

That's what they call it up here. They don't even mind it a little spicy (the exception to the norm here, where spice of any kind of to be shunned), but cheese sauce it is. It's not the only food that has a local name unknown anywhere else. Grated parmesan is-- wait for it-- sprinkle cheese.

As for those not finding Rotel-- stores in this area sometimes don't put it in what I consider to be its natural place, i.e., with the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. Instead, look for it wherever they might have stashed the Velveeta-- and that in itself can require quite a search, as Velveeta is, well, its own food group.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Originally Posted by love roses

"What is King Ranch Chicken?"

Yummy, that's what it is! Sorry, just being silly I haven't had it in a while, but it has chicken, tortillas (cut up), cheese/cheese sauce, tomatoes and some other things. It's a casserole dish.

Sounds yummy! Do you happen to have a recipe?

[tstone]

Originally Posted by TexasGirl@Heart

Sounds yummy! Do you happen to have a recipe?

Homesick Texan: The king of casseroles: King Ranch Chicken

The only thing love roses forgot was cream of mushroom.

[Muhnay]

RO*TEL ®

Thought you all might like to see the official site.. still looking for this stuff.

[940]

I was very happy to be able to find RO*TEL after my move to Chicago this past summer...Thank God...my quick and easy Tortilla Soup can still be enjoyed up here in the cold!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Pipeweld

My Dad used Rotel to make con queso when we where out of Herdez Salsa Casera, He used to buy Herdez by the case when we would go on our once a year trip to Juarez when I was a kid. Rotel Extra Hot is great for con queso. Now that you can even buy Herdez here in Texas at Walmart give it a try for a difference! Add Hot sausage or taco meat for a kick! I also use Rotel Extra Hot for chicken Tortilla soup. I will get the hole recipe for that one when I not lazy!

Herdez salsa casera......food of the gods, LOL!! I can usually find the mild here, so I add crushed chiltepin, stir it in, and let it sit overnight in the fridge! That usually does the trick.

But I'm planning to can all of my own salsa this summer, provided I have enough tomatoes!

I remember when we used to be able to get HSC for 30¢/can in Acuña![SIZE=4]

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[NOTAM]

TGH, when you move here, you will even be able to buy frozen King Ranch Chicken tv dinner's at HEB!!! (i'm sure they aint as good as home cooked)

Originally Posted by TexasGirl@Heart

Sounds yummy! Do you happen to have a recipe?

[sapphire]

Rotel + Velveeta = awesome queso

Rotel + fat free cream cheese = low cal dip (let the cream cheese soften so you don't break a chip!)

Rotel + V-8 + can of green beans + can of corn + onions + garlic + mushrooms + any other canned veggies you like in soup + pepper = quick, satisfying soup in a hurry..........serve with a nice crusty bread (you can add a bit of meat to the soup if you like as well)

Love the stuff!!