Desperate times cause for desperate measures, and I’d say being quarantined in your home for weeks on end calls for cheese. Lots and lots of warm, gooey cheese. I ran across this recipe in the January/February 2020 issue of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine and thought it sounded too easy to be any good. But I was wrong. Well, not wrong about the easy part—it goes together in less than 5 minutes. I was wrong about the good part. It is delicious!!! I’ve now made this in my new little 2-quart Crockpot ($9.96 at Walmart, purchased using appropriate social distancing, of course) several times. Once I got over the fact that I had to purchase American cheese for the first time in my life, that is. Why is it that the lowest-quality, most bland cheese ever made is called “American cheese”? Don’t answer that…

We’ve eaten it straight up as dip for tortilla chips, and once with little smokie sausages I’d wrapped in homemade pizza dough and baked in the oven. (Yes, our food standards have slipped a bit. See: “desperate times” above.) The best part about this dip is that it is smooth and silky—and stays that way! I highly recommend this when you need a cheesy goodness fix, and no judgment from me for what you choose to slip into this dip.

Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS
8-ounces pepper Jack cheese, shredded
4-6 slices of American cheese
2 teaspoons cornstarch
10-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies (Ro-tel brand is great!)
12-ounce can of evaporated milk
kosher or sea salt

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
diced red onion
diced jalapeno
chopped cilantro

Toss cheeses and cornstarch together in 1.5 or 2-quart slow cooker. Stir in diced tomatoes and milk, and season with salt. Cover and cook until bubbling and thickened, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir again before serving. If desired, sprinkle diced toppings on before serving. I don’t need to tell you to enjoy, because you totally will.