Stop and smell the roses in your local grocery store

My family and I just returned from a weekend trip to the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Since I'm a foodaholic, one of my favorite things to do while there is go to Kroger up the street and slowly peruse every aisle. They have so many things that I can't get here in Monticello. This weekend I picked up ladyfingers and marscapone cheese. My daughter and I want to make our own Tiramisu. That'll be tomorrow night's project. Sometimes I spend the upwards of an hour just looking at all the unique items they have. I'm like a kid in a candy shop. One aisle is dedicated completely to international foods from countries like Australia, Great Britain, Italy, France, Spain, and more. There are some really cool and some really strange things on that aisle.

I never do that at my local Ramey's grocery store. I'm usually in a hurry to get home and rush right through to get the necessary items and get out.

A while back, a friend of mine from Brookhaven told me that she frequently comes to Monticello to shop at Ramey's. I was like - really? Ramey's in Monticello? What ever for? Certainly there's nothing we have here that you can't get in Brookhaven. Well, it turns out there is. She likes a dip that is made in Ramey's deli. It comes in a clear box with only the store-printed label on it - no name on it. I thought to myself that if it's that good, I need to try it. Of course, the next time I was in Ramey's, I was in such a hurry, I forgot about it.

This past weekend while shopping in Ridgeland, I saw this same friend again. She proceeded to tell me she had been to Ramey's just last week - this time for Pancho's White Cheese Dip. Formally known as Queso, this is the white cheese dip like you get in a Mexican restaurant. I just couldn't believe my ears, so I made a vow right then and there that as soon as I could I'm going to Ramey's and take my time to find these items. I just had to see it to believe it.

So, today I made a special trip to Ramey's for dips. They've re-arranged the store recently so I had to look a little harder, but I found them both in the refrigerated case in the deli. They also have Pancho's Salsa. I'm trying that next time

I grabbed one of each dip, a bag of flour tortillas, and headed to the checkout. Another good friend of mine was in line behind me, so I shared my find with her and she didn't know about them either. I didn't know we had such a secret at our grocery store. Now, if you already knew about this, shame on you for not sharing with the rest of us.

The first thing I tried was the mystery dip. It's actually more like a cheese ball. I spread it on Ritz crackers and boy was it good. As best I can tell, it's a mixture of cream cheese, bacon, pimiento, green onions, and maybe black olives. It would be really good rolled in toasted pecans and served as a cheese ball. This will definitely be a staple at the tailgate this year. The best part about it was the price. I got 1/4 lb for $2.15. You can't even buy the ingredients for that.

The cheese dip required a little preparation, so I saved it for last. I'm not a big fan of bag tortilla chips, so I took flour tortillas, cut them into wedges with a pizza cutter, and deep fried them. When you go to fry them, only drop about eight pieces in the oil at a time, as they cook really fast. Any more than eight and they will burn by the time you get them dropped in and flipped over for the second side. Sprinkle with salt after removing from grease to a paper towel lined plate. Then, just put the cheese dip in a microwave-safe bowl and nuke for 15-30 seconds, until desired level of warmth. Stir and eat. It truly is restaurant quality Queso. One container is $3.79 and three of us ate less than half of it and were full.

Now I'm wishing my friend hadn't told me about these dips. It will be too easy to have cheese dip whenever the craving hits. A diet is just impossible for me.

Next time you're in your local grocery store, slow down a bit and, as the saying goes, take time to smell the roses (or find the secret dips). Stop to see what it has to offer. You never know what may be hiding in the deli case.