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I thought you might like to view Kris Allen’s performance when he made his recent hometown appearance. It is just amazing to be in Arkansas right now and hear all of the American Idol talk. I polled all of my classes on Tuesday as their thoughts on the final two. They were, of course, highly supportive on the “local” boy. (Conway is about 45 minutes from us.) It was amazing to hear their discussion on Adam and Danny, however. I thought one class was going to war! Middle schoolers are such a hoot. From looking at all of the posts on Facebook, I thought some adults were going to battle as well. The Twitter posts were just as heated, too. Needless to say, Arkansas fans are adamant in their support of this talented young man and wish him all good things.


If you watched Tuesday’s performances, you heard Kris mentioned that he had been given a lifetime supply of cheese dip from Stoby’s. stoby's log This cheese dip is famous throughout central Arkansas and is marketed in our local Wal-Mart stores. It reminds me of the cheese dip my mom used to make all of the time at home. I’m pretty much a Velveeta Rotel girl myself. You can find some recipes using their cheese dip on their web page HERE.
I thought I would share my Mom’s recipe with you. It was always a hit at home.






Pat’s Cheese Dip

4 tablespoons butter, melted (use the real thing)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin seed, slightly toasted
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper sauce
2 cups milk
1 1/2 jalapenos (to taste), minced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces Kraft American cheese

Before starting: grate cheese, warm the milk, melt the butter, toast the cumin seed, and chop the garlic and jalapenos.


Whisk in flour with melted butter. Stir until a roux is formed. Add the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly. Add the warm milk and bring to a simmer. Add the pepper sauce, jalapenos and garlic and allow to simmer about 5-8 minutes. Add the grated cheese and stir until it is melted thoroughly. Remove from heat, cool and serve.