A Green Chile By Any Other Name Just Isn't A Hatch...

We in the South love green chile peppers, especially Hatch Green Chile peppers. And to quote one of the lovely "Foodies" from foodie heaven (aka Central Market), "we will put a Hatch green chile in anything". And that they will.

Central Market is currently offering products such as (just to name a few) Hatch Green Chile corn bread, Hatch Green Chile hamburger patties, Hatch Green Chile tortilla chips, Hatch Green Chile sourdough bread, Hatch Green Chile popcorn and Hatch Green Chile gelato. Yes, you read right, Hatch Green Chile gelato. And I'll just tell you, don't knock until you try it!

A little history on Hatch. Hatch chiles come from the small village of Hatch, New Mexico. The BBC World News claims Hatch is the home of "the world's best chile pepper". If that isn't enough Hatch is also known as the chile capital of the world and is home to the annual Hatch Chile Festival which is held every Labor Day. With an average population of approximately 1700 people the festival has been known to bring as many of 30,000 visitors to the village for this event.

Coinciding with the Hatch festival is Central Market's Annual Hatch Chile Fest. This is their 16th annual and as our visit yesterday proved, it is in full swing.

Lined along the outside of the front of the store were three or four huge chile roasters and hundreds of boxes of chiles ready to be blistered in the flaming-hot barrels. It was 105 degrees in our neighborhood yesterday which seemed quiet cool compared to the roasting area. How those poor folks doing the roasting were able to bear the temperatures in front of the roasters is beyond me.

Central Market's roasting area...

Check out this super cool old truck they used as a part of their promo....

For those of you who are interested in roasting your own chiles you can simply roast them under the broiler. However, if you wish to become a die-hard-chile-roaster you will need one of these (no, not the man - the roaster!)...

Or you can buy them already roasted by the nice folks at Central Market which is exactly what we did.

Our purchase complete we brought our chiles home and the Senor quickly commenced to cooking.

On the menu, Chile Rellenos with Ranchero Sauce, Pork Chile Verde, flour tortillas and guacamole. There were two variations of the Rellenos, stuffed with chorizo or stuffed with Colby-Jack cheese. I must say, he out did himself on all accounts.

Here's a shot of the Chile Relleno with Ranchero Sauce for your viewing pleasure...

And the Chile Verde...

Let me tell you something, that man can cook!

The Relleno crust was light, fluffy and golden brown. The peppers perfectly roasted and the cheese hot and gooey. I prefer a cheese Relleno to a chorizo but our guests loved the chorizo. It's all a matter of preference! I consider myself a Ranchero Sauce aficionado and for the Senor's first effort it was very, very good.

The Chile Verde was pure perfection! Yes, I realize by saying this he may become near impossible to live with! He said he tweaked a couple of things in his recipe and it was pure, creamy, spicy goodness. The - Perfect - Comfort - Food.

So this my friends is my very own homage to the Hatch Green Chile.

If you're fortunate enough to live near a Central Market head on over and sample all the goodness they have to offer. Or, perhaps your local market is having a Hatch Green Chile festival of their own. Check it out! And let's not forget that Labor Day is just around the corner. Have you ever been to Hatch New Mexico? You might want to check it out!

Bottom line is this. If you've never had the pleasure of tasting a Hatch Green Chile I suggest you add it to your bucket list.

It Doesn't Have Me...

I am one of the approximately 400,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million people world-wide who have been diagnosed by a doctor to have Multiple Sclerosis.

This elite club is not one I ever wished to join but, like it or not, I am now a lifetime member.

I must say that I am one of the club's most fortunate. I live in the United States and therefore have access to fabulous health care. I have a top-notch Neurologist who actually hears what I say. I am able to have an MRI when there are questions about the progress of my disease. I have access to a disease modifying drug that works for me and the most fabulous husband a girl could ever wish for who injects that medication in to my leg every week whether I'm overjoyed by the idea or not.

My MS has been quite for the past three years. Oh sure, on occasion it reminds me that its there with its buzzing and tingling and numbness and burning-pain but I have experienced no blurred or double vision, no blindness, no paralysis or spasticity, no loss of memory or speech issues. If there is such a thing as a blessed MS patient then I'm your girl.

For a few weeks now I have experienced some symptoms that made the doctor question the progress of my illness. He ordered MRI's and within five days I was lying in the tube. (Without getting on my political soap box I will tell you that this would not be an option if I lived in a country where there is socialized medicine.)

As the time for the MRI approached I tried to prepare myself for the results. After all, the likelihood of no new lesions over a three year period seemed pretty remote. I admit that even with my little internal pep talks I was still quiet apprehensive to get the results.

But guess what?

To quote one of my favorite sayings,

"I Have MS - It Doesn't Have Me".

The MRI's show no new lesions on either my brain or my spine and the existing lesions are much improved since the last MRI's.

Thank you Lord! Thank you Avonex! Thank you Senor!

We are fighting the good fight - and we are winning!

One Of Life's Most Perplexing Questions...

While channeling one of my most favorite heroines...

"I couldn't help but wonder"

Do people hate class reunions?



Thanks Carrie Bradshaw, you're always good for a chuckle!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...

It's About That Time...

"As the summer of '11 comes to an end, our plans for Dove Days are about to begin..."

I actually wrote those words 21 years ago, albeit the line went , "as the summer of '90 comes to an end, our plans for Dove Days are about to begin"...

I am amazed at the speed of life. It's definitely true, the older you get the faster time flies by. We are currently preparing for the 27th Annual Duncan Dove Days. Twenty-seven years...wow, what a ride!

A few years back I wrote this tribute to our Dove Days "founders" and the effect they have had on my life. On this, the occasion of the 27th Dove Days, I find it appropriate to share again.