FRIENDS week continues with Sherri. I met Sherri when I was five or six years old. We met at a church my dad pastored of at the time. We stood next to each other in a Christmas play and held up one of the letters in CHRISTMAS. We may have said something like “C stands for…”, but I can’t remember that part. We grew up in the same small town but went to different schools until we were in high school. Still, I knew who she was. When you live in a small town, you are familiar with who everybody is. Even when we got to high school, she was a grade ahead of me and we never actually became friends.
Fast forward about five years, when I took a job with a dermatologist in Atlanta. Sherri happened to work there, and we hit it off from the start. She was married (to my first boyfriend), and I married Greg while working there. Neither of us cooked very much in those days, but we would have them over for spaghetti, and they would have us over for lasagna. We gave each other baby showers and talked every day during the early years of our kids lives. A lot of things have changed over the years, but our friendship remains. There was a time in our lives that we would go months without talking. We can chalk that up to raising our kids, one bad marriage, and a few moves. Still, when we did talk, we would pick up right where we left off. That’s a sign of true friendship.
A few years ago Sherri’s second husband, Dale, was diagnosed with cancer. Our talks started to become more frequent, funny how difficult times will do that. Dale lost his battle almost a year ago. Sherri’s example of faith, love, and resilience has been an inspiration to me.
Sherri is another friend that does not cook a lot. She occasionally hosts Bunco at her house and will cook for then but other than that she is just not into it. Some of my favorite recipes have come from her, though. My apple dumpling recipe, her grandma’s chewy chocolate pies, a delicious oriental dip, and this amazing Philly cheesesteak cheese dip!
This recipe is very simple to make and can be heated in a crock pot. An iron skillet makes a lovely presentation though. After heating in the crock pot, transfer to an iron skillet. Top with shredded Provolone cheese and stick under the broiler. Watch carefully and remove when melted. I prefer this recipe made with leftover roast beef. I finely chop and freeze in 1 cup portions for convenience.
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- ½ c. diced green bell pepper
- ¼ c. diced onions
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 c. finely chopped leftover roast beef or deli roast beef
- 4-oz. can diced green chiles
- 1 lb. white Velveeta Queso cheese, cubed
- ¼ c. milk
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- baguette, slices or cubed and very lightly toasted
- In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; saute the bell pepper, onions, and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Add to the crock pot on low heat. Add the roast beef, green chiles, Velveeta, milk, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cover, stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth and creamy and the cheese has melted. Serve with very lightly toasted baguette slices or cubes.
