I wanted to make a variety of dips today for my Nephew's birthday party.
Shrimp dip, guacamole, bean dip and some cheese dip. I'm pinching
pennies at the moment due to health care costs and short funds. <g>

So..... Went hunting for ingredients and was able to find reasonable
prices for most (Avocados were $.50 each, etc.) but most stuff for
making cheese dip was over $3.00 per 10 oz. Even velveeta in the small
boxes was over-priced for what I wanted to spend.

Found "Ragu" brand extra cheesy cheddar sauce for less than half that
price. Around $1.50 per 16 oz. container.

Worked great. :-) It made a great cheese dip with the addition of some
pace medium picante sauce and some extra garlic and onion powder, and
paprika.

It was so cheap and so rich, I'm considering it for other applications...
Funny, I almost never purchase Ragu products, but this one is actually
useful.

Just sharing. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


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Omelet wrote:
> I wanted to make a variety of dips today for my Nephew's birthday party.
> Shrimp dip, guacamole, bean dip and some cheese dip. I'm pinching
> pennies at the moment due to health care costs and short funds. <g>
>
> So..... Went hunting for ingredients and was able to find reasonable
> prices for most (Avocados were $.50 each, etc.) but most stuff for
> making cheese dip was over $3.00 per 10 oz. Even velveeta in the small
> boxes was over-priced for what I wanted to spend.
>
> Found "Ragu" brand extra cheesy cheddar sauce for less than half that
> price. Around $1.50 per 16 oz. container.
>
> Worked great. :-) It made a great cheese dip with the addition of some
> pace medium picante sauce and some extra garlic and onion powder, and
> paprika.
>
> It was so cheap and so rich, I'm considering it for other applications...
> Funny, I almost never purchase Ragu products, but this one is actually
> useful.
>
> Just sharing. :-)



The cheese sauce that you buy in #10 cans at Sam's Club isn't bad, and
it only costs about $5. It makes a really good base for cheese soups,
or you can add extra real cheese to it to make dip. There's cheddar
flavored and nacho flavored.

I made a Mexican hotdish to take to church tomorrow, and the secret
ingredient was about a cup of nacho cheese sauce.

Freeze the extra; the texture gets kind of funky when it thaws, but it
smooths out when you melt it.

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > I wanted to make a variety of dips today for my Nephew's birthday party.
> > Shrimp dip, guacamole, bean dip and some cheese dip. I'm pinching
> > pennies at the moment due to health care costs and short funds. <g>
> >
> > So..... Went hunting for ingredients and was able to find reasonable
> > prices for most (Avocados were $.50 each, etc.) but most stuff for
> > making cheese dip was over $3.00 per 10 oz. Even velveeta in the small
> > boxes was over-priced for what I wanted to spend.
> >
> > Found "Ragu" brand extra cheesy cheddar sauce for less than half that
> > price. Around $1.50 per 16 oz. container.
> >
> > Worked great. :-) It made a great cheese dip with the addition of some
> > pace medium picante sauce and some extra garlic and onion powder, and
> > paprika.
> >
> > It was so cheap and so rich, I'm considering it for other applications...
> > Funny, I almost never purchase Ragu products, but this one is actually
> > useful.
> >
> > Just sharing. :-)
>
>
>
> The cheese sauce that you buy in #10 cans at Sam's Club isn't bad, and
> it only costs about $5. It makes a really good base for cheese soups,
> or you can add extra real cheese to it to make dip. There's cheddar
> flavored and nacho flavored.

But what am I going to do with a #10 can? I don't need that much.

>
> I made a Mexican hotdish to take to church tomorrow, and the secret
> ingredient was about a cup of nacho cheese sauce.
>
> Freeze the extra; the texture gets kind of funky when it thaws, but it
> smooths out when you melt it.

Ok.

Want to loan me your Sams club membership?
I don't have one.

Most of the time, bulk food here would go to waste. I need cheap food in
_small_ amounts.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

Omelet wrote:
>
> Want to loan me your Sams club membership?
> I don't have one.

Are there Smart & Final stores where you live?
They also carry the giant cans of cheese sauce,
as well as other foods in bulk sizes.

> Most of the time, bulk food here would go to waste.
> I need cheap food in _small_ amounts.

Asian food stores are good for that, especially
vegetables. I guess they do a lot of business
selling into the restaurant trade, because their
vegetables are always so much cheaper than the
regular supermarkets. The meat is cheaper too,
but that's because its cheaper cuts and lower
grade (meat grading does not indicate wholesomeness,
it indicates degree of marbling and the age of the
animal).

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > Want to loan me your Sams club membership?
> > I don't have one.
>
> Are there Smart & Final stores where you live?

No.

> They also carry the giant cans of cheese sauce,
> as well as other foods in bulk sizes.
>
> > Most of the time, bulk food here would go to waste.
> > I need cheap food in _small_ amounts.
>
> Asian food stores are good for that, especially
> vegetables.

Indeed, and I do just that.
But, no cheese sauce. <g>

> I guess they do a lot of business
> selling into the restaurant trade, because their
> vegetables are always so much cheaper than the
> regular supermarkets.

Big time! Especially some of the more exotic veggies.

> The meat is cheaper too,
> but that's because its cheaper cuts and lower
> grade (meat grading does not indicate wholesomeness,
> it indicates degree of marbling and the age of the
> animal).

Depending on the cooking method, that sometimes does not matter.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article >,
> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> > Omelet wrote:
> > >
> > > Want to loan me your Sams club membership?
> > > I don't have one.
> >
> > Are there Smart & Final stores where you live?
>
> No.

What about Henry's Farmers Markets or Sun Harvest
Markets? Those exist in Texas, and they're part of
the same chain. But I have no idea if they carry
the big cans of cheese sauce.

Interesting fact: Smart & Final are both the names
of people, Jim Smart and Hildane Final. I always
thought it was an odd name -- not so odd "Smart"
but somewhat odd "Final", like maybe you can't
take anything back for a refund. Now I know where
the name comes from.

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > In article >,
> > Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >
> > > Omelet wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Want to loan me your Sams club membership?
> > > > I don't have one.
> > >
> > > Are there Smart & Final stores where you live?
> >
> > No.
>
> What about Henry's Farmers Markets or Sun Harvest
> Markets?

There is a Sun Harvest in Austin, 30 miles away.
I'm down to visiting Austin once or twice per year as the traffic is
atrocious, even on a Saturday!

> Those exist in Texas, and they're part of
> the same chain. But I have no idea if they carry
> the big cans of cheese sauce.

Again, why do I need a #10 can? :-)
I posted about the $1.50 per lb. jar of Ragu because it worked so well
and I did not have to shell out for more than I needed for a single
party dip. #10 would last me 10 years!
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


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