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Sunday, June 2, 2013

Here Comes The Heat

It's June, which in the eyes of every kid (including myself), means it's Summer!  As a woman in the sciences, I realize that Summer doesn't officially start until the solstice, when the Earth's tilt puts the Northern Hemisphere closest to the sun (hence June 21st being the longest day of the year for us Americans).  But seriously, we just hit 100 degrees here in the desert, so kiddies go ahead and continue cheering "Yay, Summer!"...I won't argue. 
Anyways....yesterday, in usual Saturday fashion, I was up early and at the Market on the Move here in town.  I came home with many goodies, including watermelon, cantaloupe, squash and a bunch of green chilies.  Since my hunnie and I were attending a BBQ at the air base in the evening, I decided I'd whip together a real treat to welcome the new squad chief.  (Admittedly I wanted to make sure my hunnie would get noticed by the chief, not only for his accomplishments at work, but also for the truly Southwestern fare his *lovely, charming, smart* girlfriend brought.  Hey, No Judging!) 
Now this recipe, it's not for the faint of heart.  Not only does it bring the heat to your taste buds, but these darn things took forever to assemble, even using canned chunk chicken!  (Again, No Judging) In the end, the amount of time to assemble was well worth it.  They were a true hit...and gobbled up within minutes of coming off the grill.  The new chief even came over to my hunnie to tell him he's invited to every Hi-and-Bye-BQ for the foreseeable future...as long as he brings me (and my food) of course!    

Cheesy Stuffed Green Chilies
12-14 green chilies
3-4 tomatos, diced
4 green onions, chopped
12 oz can chopped chicken, drained
10 oz queso fresca, chopped into small cubes
10 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the chilies.  Let boil for 4 minutes, then remove them from the pot and let them drain & cool on a cookie sheet.  (This step is not required, but boiling the peppers will make them easier to work with when deseeding and stuffing).  While chilies are cooling, mix together tomatoes, green onions, chicken, queso fresca, cream cheese, and shredded cheese. 
Once chilies are cooled,  carefully make a slit from the bottom of the pepper to the top and deseed.  (I used a paring knife to cut seeds and membranes out, and then used water to wash away remaining seeds).  Use a small spoon to stuff each chili with the chicken/cheese mixture.  Grill, cheese side up (or bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit) until chilies are roasted and cheese is simmering.


If your fingers are burning after deseeding the chilies, the remedy I suggest is a 5 minute soak in milk.
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