We haven't even had it for dinner yet but it smells so good, I have to write down this recipe!

We haven’t even had it for dinner yet but it smells so good, I have to write down this recipe!

A bit unorthodox for me, but I have some green chile stew simmering on the stove. It’s a new recipe. The house smells SO GOOD, and the tastes I’ve had are SO GOOD, I need to write down this recipe now before I forget.

Not only does it mean I get to share it with you, but I can also stash this URL in my “Favorite Recipes” folder on my Chrome Bookmarks.

Since we moved to Colorado, we’ve been greeted with green chile of all kinds. Most will have heard of the famous “Hatch” chile, which can be only called that if grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. There are festivals celebrating this fruit*, and numerous roadside stands appear throughout Colorado Springs selling freshly roasted Hatch chiles.

I found this in my grocery store’s frozen food section. It’s available nationwide, go to http://www.selectnewmexico.com/ to see if it’s available near you.

*Indeed, chile peppers are fruit.

I was grocery shopping today and I happened across this 1.5 lb. bag of frozen green chiles. When I was looking at the product, debating whether to buy it or not, I saw a recipe for green chile stew with pork on the back of the package.

I only needed some pork to complete the ingredients list on the back, so I picked up some stew meat and went home to try it out.

This is a very easy, very basic recipe, without the cream-base that many others have. This also seems close to the world-famous Denver Post green chile recipe, which I’ve also tried.

Here’s my version of the recipe, adapted from the one on the back of the package of Select New Mexico 24 oz. of green chile peppers (which I can’t find online to save my life!).

New Mexico Green Chile Stew

Feeds 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. crushed garlic
  • 1-2 lbs. lean pork cut into 1/2″ cubes (I used pork stew meat, which is readily available in southern Colorado)
  • 24 oz. of chopped green chile (such as 1 package of Select New Mexico green chile, but you could use canned chiles also)
  • 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped (I used 1/2 a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles, but if you like Ro-Tel, use the whole can)
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch, arrowroot flour, or wheat flour mixed into a 1/3 c. of water — this is called a slurry
  • 4 c. chicken broth or stock (which I made with Das Dutchman Essenhaus Chicken Base, but I could also use homemade)
  • Salt/pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh cilantro to taste
  • Dried Mexican oregano to taste
  • Shredded cheese and/or sour cream for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a heavy medium-sized pot or Dutch oven. Saute the garlic for about one minute, then add the cubed pork. Brown the pork thoroughly. Add the chile, tomato, cornstarch slurry, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer for 45-60 minutes. Season. Garnish.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite green chile recipe? Share it here! We’re still looking…

Don't judge. Many of the things overflowing my pantry were for holiday baking. I went a little overboard stocking up, and now that I'm back at work I'm not baking. Desperately seeking creative recipes.

Don’t judge. Many of the things overflowing my pantry were for holiday baking and appetizers. I went a little overboard stocking up, and now that I’m back at work I’m not doing cooking the elaborate dishes. 

Operation EAT WHAT WE HAVE.

This is what I call our family’s monumental effort to clean out partially-used foods in the pantry and fridge before a military move.

We aren’t moving anytime soon but between my full time work and holiday meal planning, our pantry is full of partial packages of things that we need to use up soon. I am not doing a big grocery shopping trip until we thin the herd some.

I had two weeks off of work in December and January between semesters and I was really enjoying cooking “real” meals for the family. Baked chicken, pot roast, homemade mashed potatoes, etc. I’m now back to the “quick” meals, which are okay, but not nearly as fun.

Do you have to do an Operation EAT WHAT WE HAVE every once in a while?

I’m seeking creative recipes to use up some of these items, preferably crock pot meals. Feel free to leave any ideas you’d like to share in the comments.

Thank you!

The view from the top of a 14er has an entirely different meaning when you hike up!

The view from the top of a 14er has an entirely different meaning when you hike up!

Pikes Peak.

The inspiration for the poem that eventually became “America the Beautiful.” (Did you know that?)

This mountain stares at us almost daily. Why couldn't we hike up to the top?

This mountain stares at us almost daily. Why not hike up to the top?

This 14,110′ mountain towers over the city of Colorado Springs and greets us every day on our drives to work. We have a decent view of the mountain from our back deck and from the 2nd floor of our house.

A view of Pikes Peak (on the far right) from the 2nd floor of our house.

A view of Pikes Peak (on the far right) from the 2nd floor of our house.

Colorado has over 50 “14ers“, which is the affectionate nickname for the state’s 14,000’+ mountains. Pikes Peak is the 30th tallest of the Colorado Fourteeners, but has the second highest “prominence” in the state, with only Mount Elbert having a higher prominence. In other words, climbing Pikes Peak takes a bit more vertical effort than most of the others.

For Dave’s 40th birthday, he invited a group of friends to join us on a hike up the 13-mile Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the peak. This isn’t a casual walk — while the first 9 miles or so are straightforward, once you go above about 11,000′ the trees disappear and you’re exposed to the elements — wide open.

We made it to the top at about 1:30pm on Dave’s 40th birthday. It was an unforgettable experience. Read on about our hike. More »

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on June/July 2014 Vacation Summary · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

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Our June/July 2014 summer vacation to the American southwest was fun and filled with National Park goodness.

We are grateful for the National Park Service’s “Military Annual Pass” program which saved us nearly $80 in entrance fees on this trip.

Here’s the summary of everything we did:

The next big “see America” trip I have up my sleeves will take us northward towards Yellowstone National Park, but I don’t know when that will be.

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 5: Canyonlands National Park · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,
Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.

Canyonlands National Park is incredibly underrated. Much of the park is accessible only via hiking, biking, rafting/kayaking, or 4-wheel drive.

Just a few miles up the road from Arches National Park is a turnoff that takes you about 25 miles to the northern entrance of Canyonlands National Park (the Island in the Sky District). This park offers a completely different look at Utah’s wilderness, with the Green and Colorado Rivers traversing throughout. More »

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on Housekeeping… · Categories: Uncategorized

I’m trying to clean up some of the widgets (stuff on the right) on my blog. Pardon the construction dust — especially with the “archive” widget. The one I had used for years is no longer and I’m trying to find a new one.

In the meantime, enjoy fresh new Facebook and Twitter widgets, as well as a new Most Popular Posts widget.

01. January 2015 · Comments Off on Utah Discoveries 4: More of Arches National Park · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,
My awesome boys!

My awesome boys!

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There’s much more to see at Arches NP. This is near the “Devil’s Playground” part of the park. Another popular hiking spot.

After our morning hike to Delicate Arch, we elected to drive through the rest of the park because it got very warm in a hurry. It took us about two hours to drive through the park enjoying the additional arches and geology. More »