No longer vegan... another reason to celebrate your birthday

Happy Birthday to our friend in Pierce County!

We know that you won't go culinary crazy with Duck Confit or Beef Bourginon. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't celebrate with some form of dairy... a medium cheddar, sour cream or a pint of Breyer's mint chocolate chip.

How about a queso dip... a gooey Mexican concoction of cheese and chiles? Television commercials will tell you merely to combine Velveeta -- a "processed cheese product" -- and a can of Rotel tomatoes zapped in the microwave. You can do better.

Roasted Anaheim Queso

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups milk (cooks will tell you to use whole milk, but you're likely to add 1% or 2% milk. No Soy Joy)
• 12 oz. grated Monterrey Jack cheese
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 large grilled or roasted Anaheim chiles, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper.

Melt butter on medium-sized saucepan at medium heat. Add flour and cook for one minute. Add milk and whisk until the roux is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add chiles. Stir in chiles, cilantro, salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve queso with blue, white or yellow tortilla chips.

Plus, a cocktail is definitely in order, perhaps the Lemon Cosmopolitan martini. Like you, it's kinda free, kinda wow.

Lemon Cosmopolitan Martini

• 2 oz. Absolut vodka
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Strain into martini glass.

Garnish with lemon twist.