Green Chile Sauce

Well, I am making some progress in my freezer meals.  One goal that I mentioned was to make a whole bunch of green chile sauce.  We have had quite a bit of chile in our freezer waiting to be used.  I have been hesitant to use it much because it is way too hot for little mouths.  Sometimes I can barely handle it!  However, Husband and Papa think it's perfect.  A couple of weeks ago I chopped up a lot of green chile and had some stock that I had just made from a left over turkey carcass.  So, I just started making as much sauce as I could as that is ultimately how we end up using it.  Eventually, I ran out of stock and onions about the same time but the chile is still in abundance.  Unfortunately, the sauce is too hot to make enchiladas for the whole family to make.  I may make a tray for Husband to use as lunches when the baby comes.  For now Husband and I eat it on our eggs just about every morning and sometimes out chicken at dinner.

I hope to crank some more sauce out this weekend along with three trays of Husband's yummy lasagna.  We'll see.  Some of the meal prep has been put on hold recently since we were potty training, etc.  This weekend could be interesting as we are supposed to go vote (they have limited voting areas for this particular election) and just other weekend goings on.  I have lofty goals.  HA!

Funny thing, it is now green chile harvest season in New Mexico and it is popping up (finally) in all the stores around here.  Few will actually roast it for you.  It's the best smell ever!  Of course, Husband wants to stock up again.  We will see.  Maybe some more mild ones will yield a sauce that the girls can eat.  That would be lovely.

Anyway, here is the recipe that I use.  It is from Cocinas de New Mexico (Kitchens of New Mexico).  Oddly enough it is published by PNM which is the gas service company of New Mexico.  Oh well.  It has some pretty great traditional recipes from NM which in my world is awesome!

Chile Verde (Green Chile Sauce)


Yield:  Approx. 2 cups
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Freezes Well

1 T shortening (I used EVOO)
1/2 C chopped onion
2 T flour
1 C chopped green chile*
1 C chicken broth** (I generally use about 1/2 C more as this recipe makes a thick sauce and we like it a bit more... well... saucy!)
1/4 t garlic powder
3/4 t salt

*varied amounts may be used
**Two cups tomatoes with liquid may be substitued

Heat shortening in a medium skillet on medium heat.  Saute the chopped onion in shortening.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. (Cover if you want to retain a saucy sauce, leave open if you want it thicker with less sauce)

When I make a multiple batches I just do the whole process in a stock pot.  It's great for one pot cooking!  Enjoy!

Ham Fried Rice

I have been meaning to post this recipe for awhile now.  By that I mean probably about two week after Easter when I made this with left over ham.  I think you could substitute the meat protein with whatever floats your boat, including tofu (blech).  Sorry if you are a tofu fan -- I am so not there.  I found the base recipe on Allrecipes.com but have made some adjustments to make it my own.

However, I did learn why sometimes when I have tried to do this recipe it always came out funny.  It was because I would use freshly cooked rice that was still warm.  The trick is to start with your rice cold.  The rice doesn't get mushy and holds the texture well.  So, there's your tip for the day.

Ham Fried Rice


2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 C cold cooked rice
1 carrot chopped
1 C peas
1/4 C corn (optional - or add more if you like)
1 1/3 C diced fully cooked ham
1 tsp garlic powder (you can add more if you like)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash of pepper
1 dash chili pepper (as you like for your family)
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

In a skillet, cook and stir eggs in oil over medium heat until eggs are completely set.  Remove and set aside.  Add carrot, cook for a couple of minutes.  Add corn and peas.  Cook until carrots are just soft.  Toss in the rice, ham, garlic powder, ginger, pepper, and chili until heated through.  Add the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce and reserved eggs..  Stir well.  Serve immediately.

This stuff went fast in our house!  Was a hit with tiny mouths :)  

Vegetable Bake

Last Wednesday we were invited to have dinner with friends.  I was to bring a fruit or vegetable dish.  I thought veggies would be better and I had a ton on hand.  What to do?  I am pretty weak in the area of creating yummy vegetable dishes.  Also, we would be travelling so I didn't think sauted veggies would do very well.  I tend to get them a little too over done and that didn't really sound like something lovely to take to dinner --- where there would also be a variety of ages as far a children.  So, off to look around for something on the internet.  I just typed in "vegetable bake" and found quite a few options.

The recipe I decided on made me a little nervous as I read reviews.  "This is bland."  "This was a little too egg-y."  "This is great!"  Who do you believe?  I took some things into consideration and just went for it -- remember this is not always my strong suit.  Then end result was really super yummy!  The kids even liked it enough that the hostess asked for the recipe with my alterations.  They were more than happy to take the leftovers so this is the photo I got because forgot to take a picture before.

Here is what we ended up with:

Vegetable Bake


3 C frozen cut green beans, thawed & drained (one review used fresh)
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 C petite diced canned tomatoes, drained and rinsed*
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
3 C zucchini, chopped OR shredded**
1 onion, chopped (this was a review addition - worth it!)
1 C biscuit/baking mix (i.e. Bisquick)***
1/2 t salt (kosher or sea)
1/2 t cayenne pepper****
5 eggs*****
1 C milk
1 t thyme, ground******
1 t garlic powder******
1 t oregano******

Preheat oven to 350F

Place beans peppers in a grease 13x9x2 inch baking dish.  Top with tomatoes, cheese, zucchini, and onions (in that order).  In a bowl combine the biscuit mix, salt, cayenne, eggs and milk until the eggs are folded in well and all is wet.  There will be some clumps.  Pour over  vegetables.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

* Original recipe called for "6 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped"  I prefer canned tomatoes for a variety of reasons.  You can play around with it or use your favorite variety of tomato.

**Original had chopped zucchini.  I think I had been looking at a zucchini bread recipe too much the day before and only saw shredded... that is, until I was done shredding.  Either way would be fine.

***I had a whole wheat version of Bisquick.  I am trying to figure out a good substitute for this and have yet to find one that I am satisfied with (read- that doesn't involve Crisco)  If you have ideas, let me know.  Also, there was a bit more than a cup of this in my mix.  I didn't level it off, nor was it heaping.

****A person in the household could not have this ingredient so it was left out.  You could substitute with Tabasco, paprika, or some other spice.

*****Original recipe called for 6 eggs.  I reduced to one to help eliminate the "egg-y" comment.

******I added these spices to the recipe to make it not so bland.  They are approximate and probably a little on the low side.

Deviled Eggs

I am not sure how many times on Sunday I heard, "Why do they call them deviled eggs?  Shouldn't they be saintly or angelic eggs?"  I am not sure that I ever heard these comments more than I did this year.  It wasn't just from family either.  Weird.  I guess it comes up because we tend to have them on Resurrection Day.  Does the same question apply if we roll them out for thee 4th of July or some other summer event?


Of course, I had to look up the how or why to this term and this is what I found:

Here's the history behind the the name. An Englishman by the name of William Underwood set up a small condiment business on Boston's Russia Wharf in 1822. It did pretty well both developing and selling new condiment products. Around 1868, Underwood's sons began experimenting with a new product created from ground ham blended with a mix of special seasonings. They introduced a product line of seasoned meat products including ham, turkey, chicken, lobster, and tongue. They called the seasoning process "deviling," and the Underwood "red devil" was born. 

Today many other foods, including eggs and crab, are served "deviled." To be considered deviled, a food has to have a kick from something like Dijon mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper or chopped hot peppers. 

Underwood's Deviling process holds U.S. Patent Office trademark NO. 82, granted in 1870, the oldest existing food trademark still in use in the United States. The exact"deviling" recipe remains a company secret to this day. (Answers.com)

Interesting.

I looked up several recipes and decided to go with whatever I had on hand in combination with what I read.  I think that I would change some things again next time but it's all a learning process in the end.  Everyone seemed to like them, especially Miss L.  I didn't think she would but we finally had to cut her off!

Here's what I had on hand and what I did.

18 hard boiled eggs
1 T Greek yogurt
3-4 T mayo (olive oil based)
2-3 t spicy brown mustard
2-3 t yellow mustard
2-3 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1 t garlic powder (more or less as you like)
1 scallion, finely chopped or minced
paprika

Peel eggs, cut lengthwise, and remove egg yolk to medium sized bowl.  "Mush" egg yolks with a large fork until you have fairly uniformed crumbles

Add ingredients through scallion and mix throughly.  Add more of a wet ingredient to taste or if the mix is is still too dry.  Be careful of too much mustard as it can be a little watery.  Just go easy.

Pipe in filling using a pastry bag and tip of your choice.  Or you can fill in a corner of a zip-loc bag, snip the end and you have a make shift pastry bag

Dust with paprika.  Chill until ready to serve.

*** I used a disposable pastry bag and a #17 cake decorating tip.  Next time I will use a #18 (because it is slightly larger) or a #199 tip to allow for chunk of egg or onion to pass through a bit easier.  I had a few times where I had to work the clump out.  Still came out pretty and I found it far easier to pipe the filling in rather than scooping it back into the egg with a spoon.

I may try it next time with more yogurt, that is really all I had on hand!  HA!  I think the yogurt would be better over all than the mayo.  I may try some more fresh herbs next time.  I have read of some people adding cheese and bacon bits to the eggs, too.  But I like the fresher things for deviled eggs.

What do you like in your deviled eggs?  Or do you not like them at all?