Chili Cheese Fries

Summer days are long. And I’m not talking long because it doesn’t get dark until 9 p.m.  I’m talking mentally long. I am with my boys every waking minute—all three boys. I’m not gonna lie, it can be a challenge trying to fill 13 hours of boy (code for active) approved activities in a day when playing outside in triple digit temperatures is not an option. One can only play in the pool for so long before [a] you are red [b] you are a prune and [c] you are hungry. Pretty much when three o’ clock rolls around I am done for the day, yet I have five more hours to go until bedtime. And yes, my boys go to bed when it is still light outside. My mom made me go to bed when it was light out—I could hear the neighborhood kids still playing and I wondered why I wasn’t so lucky—now I get it. (She had seven, I have three…I totally get it!) 

This whole intro is my way of justifying to you why it is totally acceptable to serve “Chili Cheese Fries” for dinner. Because [a] I don’t have enough energy by dinnertime [b] my patience is running low and [c] simplicity—need I say more?

At least these “Chili Cheese Fries” were somewhat homemade. The cheese sauce was made from sorta scratch—so that makes it all okay.

You could truly make this all homemade with some homemade chili and homemade potato wedges. But I opted for the canned and frozen version—next time, right ;)

The cheese sauce is so ridiculously simple to make. I got the recipe from Mad Hungry.

Bring one can of Evaporated milk to a simmer over high heat.

Reduce heat and add in 1 pound of shredded cheddar cheese. That is approximately 4 cups by my calculations. Stir in a scant teaspoon of Dijon mustard if you like. I did.

Stir it all up until it is nice and melted and looks like cheese sauce! And. You. Are. Done.  It will thicken up as it cools.

Fry up some fries. Pop open a can of your favorite chili, warm up however you please, stovetop or microwave. And easy cheesy…

You’ve got happy campers!

Note:

This creamy cheese sauce can be made ahead of time, cooled to room temperature, and transferred to a container with a tight-fitting lid. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, and reheated in a saucepan over low heat when ready to use.

The next day I mixed about a cup of the cheese sauce with 1/2 pound of cooked elbow noodles and made homemade macaroni for lunch!

I still have more left over. So I think I will make homemade pretzels to dip in the sauce just like at Auntie Anne’s. (copycat recipe here)