This week is 'Use Up All the Food" Week in our household. This means using up all the foods we bought for our celebration(s) last weekend before we get back to our normal eating of typically low carb and sugarfree. Last night was opening and using a bag of tortilla chips, as well as a package of 'queso' Velveeta cheese. The dish trying to use both of those is obvious but I also wanted to start using up a bag of frozen shrimp that we've had in the deep freeze forever so.... shrimp queso it was!
This is being posted for my youngest daughter who wants me to make this for her, but I am making sure to post it so she can make it herself! Ha.
I didn't measure anything, so everything is estimated or just use as much or little as you like - like jalapenos; lots if you love them, little if you don't.
And cheeses - use whatever you have on hand in your refrigerator. Monterey Jack or Colby Jack would be yummy but I didn't have those - I ended up using White Queso, Smoked Provolone, Cream Cheese and then some mozzarella, which I only used to sprinkle on top because there was literally a cup of it sitting on the counter and I didn't want to put it back in the package in the refrigerator. I actually liked it better without as it was on top and formed a cheese crust on top while the rest was all melted and blended. Yours? Play with your food - do what you like.
Spicy Shrimp Queso
A mixture of spices to blacken your shrimp: black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, a little garlic salt
Onion, diced
Tomato, diced
jalapenos, diced
fresh garlic
Velveeta, Cream Cheese, Mont. Jack cheese, Colby Jack Cheese, Mozzarella, Provolone, cheddar... whatever!
Shrimp
Toss the shrimp in the spices while you heat a cast iron pan and add just a bit of oil until very hot. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook quickly to blacken and crisp. Remove to a plate. Turn down heat and add a little more oil to the pan; toss in about 1/2 cup or so of onion and fresh tomatoes. Cook briefly and add garlic and jalapenos. Cook for a minute or two and then add all the cheeses. Stir off and on til melted. While cheese is melting, chop the shrimp, leaving a few whole. Add the chopped shrimp to the cheese in the pan. Top with shrimp. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.
Mixture of spices
Blackened in a cast iron skillet
Some tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and garlic 
Adding lots of cheeses
Chopped shrimp into the cheese 
Topped with a few of the whole shrimp
Into the oven to warm through for about 5-8 minutes til bubbly.
