Recipe #1: Queso Fundido

Queso fundido...translation...melted cheese. How hard could this be? A lot harder than it sounds, that's for sure.

The recipe in Mexico: One Plate at a Time called for full-flavored mushrooms, red onions, chipotle chiles en adobo, and a good mexican melting cheese like asadero or Chihuahua. My modifications: baby bellas, yellow onions, and a packaged blend of cheeses including Monterey Jack, asadero, and quesadilla.

It's true that it's not very difficult to melt some cheese. Some cheese and some heat are all that are necessary. However, to get the cheese to the desired consistency and flavor...that was the challenge here.

It's a pretty simple recipe, cook the onions, mushrooms, and chiles in stages in a skillet, then place in a casserole dish (covered) to keep warm while heating tortillas in the oven. Then when the tortillas are just about ready, the cheese is added to the casserole and baked until the cheese is just melted. If you leave it in the oven for too long the cheese will become oily and stringy.

RESULT: The dish was pretty tasty, but the overall enjoyment of the queso fundido tacos would have been heightened had the mushrooms been finely chopped instead of thickly sliced. Additionally, I was lazy and used store-bought flour tortillas instead of handmade corn tortillas (since I haven't yet tried my hand at corn tortillas, I didn't want to subject my wife to potential failures on multiple platforms). I will definitely try this recipe again with some more modifications.

It's an easy dish to make in a pinch and very versatile with what ingredients can be added. When I make it again I'll serve it with some fresh guacamole or salsa to cool the hot, melted cheese a bit just before biting into the taco.

In terms of spiciness, I used three of the canned chiles and not much of the adobo sauce and my wife Kendra still thought it was way too spicy. Next time I will definitely use less chiles so as to not smoke her out.

Ratings (As prepared by me. I'm sure RB would get a 5 for flavor!):

Flavor: 3/5 (Kendra: 3/5)

There are not many things better, in my opinion, than melted cheese paired with warm tortillas. Some better technique, a different blend of cheeses, better overall texture of all combined ingredients, freshly made tortillas (flour or corn), and maybe some condiments (guacamole/salsa) will boost the flavor and enjoyment factor next time.

Heat: 2/5 (Kendra: 10/5)

Sorry dear, but your taste buds are pansies.

Difficulty: 1/5

It won't be getting any easier than this.

Miles needed to run to work off this meal: 10

In all seriousness, this dish is meant to be shared by many. Like anything else, moderation is key here. I limited myself to two tacos, a nice salad would be a good addition, as recommended by RB.

Kid Friendliness: 5/5

Reduce the spiciness and minimize the complexities, and the kids will have fun preparing their own tacos full of oozy, delicious cheese.