Cooking: Pork Chile Verde

There's a chain restaurant here in town called Rosa's. Over the Christmas holiday, I decided to pick up dinner and took a chance and ordered their Chile Verde.

It was SO good. Seriously good. So good, that I went back two days later and got it again. (I rarely do that!)

Steve really enjoyed it too, and so I began a quest to find a good copy of it that I could do here at home.

And... I have SUCCESS! Steve even likes mine better than theirs. Hooray! 

One problem with the recipe I found (the main one, mine is a combination of several), wasn't discovered until I started making the dish. It made enough for 20 servings. I really should read the instructions and details in their entirety before shopping for ingredients. 6 pounds of pork should have set off an alarm of some sort. But, it didn't. :) 

Here's my recipe, portioned down to feed 6 adults. Enjoy!!

(The pictures is from my phone, courtesy of Instagram.)



Ingredients:

2 pounds cubed pork stew meat
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tablespoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1.5 quarts chicken broth (you probably won’t use it all)  
3 fresh poblano chile peppers
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
½  bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

INSTRUctions:

1.      Wash the tomatillo’s and quarter them. Trim the stem end off of the jalapeño’s and cut them into two pieces. Put them both in a large saucepan with 1c of the chicken broth. Cook them until they’re soft.  
2.      Cut each of the peppers (poblano’s and bell) in half and deseed them. Broil them in your oven until the skin is blistered. Remove them from the oven, and place them into the saucepan with the tomatillos and jalapeño’s. Using a blender stick, process until smooth. (If you don’t have a blender stick, you can use a regular blender.  (You can also put the peppers into a closed bag or container so that they steam, and then remove the skins. I don’t.) Keep the sauce simmering.
3.      Lightly flour the pork. Sear in vegetable oil until golden brown in a large stock pot. Remove the pork from the pot. (It took me several batches to get it all done)
4.      Add the chopped onion and garlic, in the pot, in the reserved oil until onions are tender. Season with cumin, then stir in pork.  Add the pepper sauce and stir. Add 1-2 cups of chicken stock. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is to the tenderness you like and the sauce is thickened to where you want it adding more chicken broth to thin it to your preference.  (Mine has been simmering for 4 hours.)

Serve over rice or with flour tortillas. Or... both!



2012... It Was Nice Knowin' Ya...

It is the year 2013.

Seriously people... 2013. The same year that Marty McFly was going to arrive at, and WAY WAY in the future mind you, in the movie Back to the Future.

I officially feel old.

It won't last long, and I'm okay if it does. I've lived some life. I'm okay with that too.

Looking back at my memories of 2012, it seems like it flew by in a blink.

But, while I was living it, it wouldn't hurry up and get over.

I want life to slow down so that I can relish the great things that are occurring. Even, if that means I need to relish in the things that aren't good.

In 2012...
  • We (Steve and I) found out that I was with child! Wooo to the HOO HOO! (After many failed pregnancies, having one "stick" was an incredible blessing!)
  • Our air conditioner needed major repairs 4 different times (and in Texas, this isn't an optional expense. Especially when one is pregnant!)
  • I planned a whole LOT of meals, and made about 75% of them.
  • I planned, planted and had a successful garden.
  • I canned more than 300 jars of various foods! (I'm proud of myself for putting my fears aside and just going for it!
  • I sold approximately 60 pieces of jewelry but bought enough supplies to make at least three times that many. :)
  • My son was successfully potty trained. (Really, this should be the accomplishment of which I am most proud!!)
  • I pieced together my first quilt in over 18 years. I paid someone to do the actual quilting, and I'm okay with that too.
  • I also made most of the decor for our new baby nursery.
  • I sent just shy of 10,000 texts.
  • I enjoyed 14 pedicures and 4 hour long massages. (I wish I had enjoyed MORE!)
  • I had a baby! She is awesome, fabulous, beautiful and never needs SLEEP! AAAAAAAAAACK!
  • I lost all but 8 pounds of my pre-Charleigh weight. Now. if only I could get back to my pre-Freddy weight! (2013 goal!)
  • I took several online art courses. Christy Tomlinson is an amazing altered art instructor. Stephanie Ackerman is a fabulous handwriting/doodling instructor. And,Terri Brush is an awesome soldering, fusing, silversmithing, paper mache/clay and jewelry making instructor (the best I have ever learned from!)
  • I managed (this is a HUGE first for me) to get thank you notes sent out from the baby gifts I received from both showers, and got Christmas cards sent out! HOOORAY! (It's a shame that I'm as old as I am and that it had not happened before!)
Things I regret not doing in 2012:
  • Traveling to my all-time favorite paper art store, Paper Crown, to teach or to enjoy Glitter Market, or to visit with my favorite art friends.
  • Making more art... whether it's jewelry, wall art, clothing, food... I wish I had made more!
  • Blogging more and when I blog having it be great content.
  • Attending Spellbound in November.
  • Traveling down to South Padre Island to hang out and visit with my family.
  • Ditto for making it to the west coast to visit the other side of my family.
I'm sure there are more, but I'm busy listening to my baby coo at me. And, she is darling!
 
Things I hope to accomplish in 2013:
  • Decide on the direction I want to go with my creative work.
  • Visit my girlfriends in OKC!
  • Enjoy my art space and create, create, create!!
  • Sew several outfits for my girl. MY GIRL!! (I can't get over it!)
  • Blogging GREAT content, and on a regular basis
  • Continue to learn more about both gardening and canning.
  • Plan, and execute 85% of the meals my family eats.
  • Lost all of the baby weight!
  • Enjoy every minute that I possibly can with my babies. One is growing way too fast, and the other has just started her time with me. I want to soak up as much as I can of them and of their father. He's such a great guy! I am SO LUCKY!