This was the snack my children always called for (and didn't always clearly enunciate). It's based loosely on a dip served at a pseudo-Mexican (it wasn't even TexMex, but the cheese dip remains iconic in my memory) restaurant in town. Some version of this dip, generally known just as Ro-Tel after the key ingredient, is served at 90 percent of the casual parties in the American South, particularly if said parties involve teen-agers. But it's a tasty and enjoyable dip, and has a way of continuing to appear on the chip in your hand long after you thought you'd quit eating it.

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