The Family Cookbook: My Mom's Sausage Dip

Are you introducing ANOTHER recipe series, Michelle? Yes, yes I am. Welcome to The Family Cookbook. Much like The Grandma Files, this series will be a collection of old recipes from members of my family, Aunts, cousins, siblings, etc. I've tasted some of the recipes within, and others I've never tried, but I think they should be preserved and shared, so here we are.

Storytime!

The book you see pictured above (name redacted to protect members of my family from any embarrassment at being associated with me) is an example of a labor of love. This book was created back in the early part of the 1980's when I was just a wee lass. It is typewritten, handcrafted, and filled with the love of family and a desire to preserve not only recipes, but connection and heritage.

For you young ones out there, this is before internet, before cell phones, long distance land line calls were charged by the minute, even before personal computers were really a thing. What we did have were electric typewriters, and the first copy machines. This book took a lot of time and effort on part of the volunteers. I am deeply grateful for their labors.

I didn't have a copy of this book to call my own, of course, being that I was still in elementary school. (Little me was mad that children were not allowed to contribute recipes!) This copy was my mom's. I'd like to think that this book being handed down to the next generation was part of the desire of it's creators. I want to continue the tradition by sharing with you the recipes of a people who love(d) family, food, fellowship, and each other.

For our inaugural recipe, a selection from the first section of the book entitled, Appetizers, Beverages, Etc. This happens to be a recipe from my mom, and I have enjoyed it many times growing up.

My apologies for the blurry image. I work with an old smartphone camera, and am trying to edit out the names of the contributors that follow each recipe.

2 pound box of Velveeta (This isn't a recipe for health, obviously. Modern cheese makers do have recipes on the internet for making your own Velveeta-type cheese without the 'added ingredients' of the stuff on the grocery store shelf.)

1 pound of sausage (This is a loose meat sausage. Mom generally used something like breakfast sausage. You could use another type of sausage and change the flavor. Chorizo and Italian Sausage would be good options.)

1/2 pound ground beef (Obviously to stretch out the sausage. You could just use 1 1/2 pounds of sausage. But I think it is good with the combo.)

One can tomatoes (This leaves a lot to interpret. In this case, they are whole tomatoes. The size I think will depend on how much tomato you like. I would err on the side of caution and use a 14 ounce can.)

One can green chilies (Again, cans of green chile come in a few sizes. Mom liked spicy food, so I would go with at least a 4 ounce can. Or the equivalent in frozen or jarred.)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ounce Worchestershire

Cook sausage, ground beef and drain. (This means cook them together and drain the fat. The thing with old recipes is that people assumed you knew the basics of cooking, because it was part of daily life. Also all that typing makes one want to be brief, but I digress...)

Whirl tomatoes in a blender. (This is the clue that told me the can of tomatoes was whole. Pour the juice from the can in too. Blend the tomatoes so they are in very fine pieces. This is not a dip with chunky tomatoes. Think something akin to queso.)

Add rest of ingredients and simmer. Crock pot works best

I'm going to add a few more instructions here for the modern audience.

Cut the velveeta into cubes. This will help it melt more quickly. Use a slow cooker on low heat. You can use a stove burner on low, but the risk of it burning is much higher. I don't think the instant pot stays cool enough for this dip. If you can, use the slow cooker.

Rotel is an option as it combines tomatoes and chilies in one, but still blend it.

Serve this warm, with crusty bread, tortilla chips, on top of baked potatoes or french fries. It's cheesy, queso-y, meaty goodness.

I hope you enjoy this recipe from my family. It has a nostalgic place in my heart. Man, I wish I could ask my mom to make it again! Thanks for being here!