Cooking with Chiles - Day #2

Oh.....we have a winner this time!

Pan Fried Hatch Crabcakes.....and they were absolutely fantastically delicious!

First mixed up the ingredients which included: lump crabmeat, chopped Hatch chiles, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, tops of fresh green onions, Old Bay seasoning, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs.



Form into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes to whenever.



When you're ready to cook -- dip them in Panko Japanese breadcrumbs and plop into hot oil.





Probably not the most healthy meal we could have chosen -- but if you love crabcakes (like we do) -- you will definitely love these. The fresh herbs gave them wonderful flavor and the chile peppers added just a little "zing". We ate them with a side of fresh veggies and Ranch dressing and our meal was complete and we were completely satisfied.



We rate this recipe "two thumbs up"!

Where's the Chiles?

Those of you who visited today and were hoping you were going to see what great Chile dish we had last night -- sorry to disappoint

Cooking with Chiles had to be cancelled tonight because Mother Nature wanted center stage instead. We had a nice little thunderstorm roll through the area about 4:30pm and it knocked out our power for over 4 hours.



The bad news is: I couldn't make dinner
The good news is: my yard got a much needed drenching

So what do you do when the power goes out and you can't cook?
Well you go our for pizza of course! So off to The Woodlands to find pizza

Now keep in mind, we make the most fabulously delicious pizzas in the world so we have very high expectations in the pizza department.

We ended up at Steel City Pizza and we were not disappointed. In fact, it's probably one of the best pizzas we've had since being in Houston (other than Pizza Zone).



Eating pizza out with my husband does not allow for you to just sit there and enjoy it. He's always analyzing every corner of the shop, checking out the oven, checking how the toppings are laid on the pizza, checking out the kitchen, and checking for gummy layers and the composition of the crust.

So.....now that I was given an unexpected night off -- cooking with chiles will take place as scheduled tomorrow night!

Cooking with Chiles - Day #1

Sorry for the delay in getting this up today, but I had some REAL work that had to be done first. But in the Cooking with Chiles Challenge -- we're off to a good start.

Day #1 - Chile Relleno Casserole

This part took the longest - scraping the char off the outside and deseeding them.



Into a casserole dish and stuffed with Sharp Cheddar and Green Onions



Mix up a batter of flour, milk, eggs, and salt and cover up those chiles



Bake (and while it's baking enjoy the heavenly scent coming from your oven)

Remove from oven and enjoy! I myself added some more shredded Cheddar to the top and some fresh Cilantro -- and I think it really added to it. Paul enjoyed it as well and we decided that maybe next time it would be smarter for us to get a mixture of the hot and mild chiles instead of cooking ALL hot chiles (was a little spicy). He said that it reminded him a chile quiche.



All that there was left to do was EAT it! Sorry the picture is a little blurry (they all came out that way) -- but you can get an idea of how chile cheesy hot and spicy yummy it was!



Now that I'm typing this -- I am reminded that I needed to clean the oven today :)
We're cooking with chiles again tonight -- so watch tomorrow's post for my next Chile dish!

Crazy about Chiles

Before a week ago we had never heard of a Hatch Chile. But after seeing BIG signs at the grocery store and reading a feature article in the newspaper, we were curious as to what all the hype about this special chile was. It seems that people are Hatch chile crazy.



Apparently these peppers are available for one month per year only and are harvested from Hatch, New Mexico. They seem to have a cult following and everything that we've read about them indicate that people are really crazy about them.

So.....we decided to check them out ourselves. Today we went to the local grocery store and picked up about 3 lbs. They were fire roasting them outside and there was a line waiting to get their hands on these hot little treasures. The smell of these freshly roasting peppers was heavenly!



Now is when the fun and all the yumminess begins. We've found some delicious recipes featuring our new "star" ingredient and for the next few days -- we will be cooking with our newly acquired roasted Hatch chiles.



I can't wait. I will share the details.....and although I'm sorry to say you won't get to taste all my fabulous creations -- you will get to see them! Stay tuned.......

11 more days..........

....until they leave the nest



Going through crazy mixed emotions right now

I want them to finally get out on their own
But then I worry about them eating, managing their life, and staying safe



I'm sure I'm not the only one that has felt this way

I am also ready to start my 'brand' new life
We're ready to start living our lives as a middle aged married couple with the whole house to ourselves!



But I sure am going to miss them coming in from work at night
Staying up late at night chatting
Hearing about all the things going on with them and their friends



But is has to be done -- we've all done it
I'll survive
They'll survive

But I'm sure gonna miss them!

Need help

I feel overwhelmed
Day by day it's getting worse
The more I have to do, the worse I feel, and the farther I get behind



Trying to remain positive
But there's just some days when it's difficult
You want people to think you're cheery and got it together
But behind the closed doors....you know how it really is

I think I need a vacation



I hope the process of writing this down will help
Maybe finally admitting to myself and seeing it in black and white will help



Okay......I am ready to make the changes I need to make today
At the end of the day I look forward to look at all the progress I will have made



Because, really and truly -- I feel overwhelmed!

Should I or Shouldn't I?

I really have a lot of things I SHOULD be doing today
But it's really one of those days -- where I want to do something creative and fun

I could go through the ENORMOUS amounts of photos stored on my computer and edit them, print them and put them in the appropriate Memory book I have started somewhere.



I could pick up one of my cross stitch projects. Haven't worked on any of that for a VERY long time now. I have pillow cases, bookmarks, kits, pictures, you name it - I've got it. I've got more projects than time.



I could start painting a small room. I have lots of new room redecorating and painting on my list.



Or I could do this:
Laundry, Grocery Shopping, Paying Bills, Cleaning House, really cleaning house, catch up Pizza Zone paperwork, reconcile financials for Pizza Zone, go through stacks of papers on my desk and try to get those little tasks out of the way, or get the marketing letters ready for the Grant store for next week.



Seems like I am going to have to try and fit in some creative "me" time this weekend!