1st Cooking Lesson

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Our first cooking class ever and we ware in chili heaven!!! This was a hands-on class learning to make stuffed chilies: chili rellenos, Ancho’s stuffed with beans and chorizo and green chilies stuffed with ground beef with lots of things added and jalapenos stuffed with a cream cheese.

Each of us had to participate, we learned how to handle chilies, roast chilies, how to open them, remove veins and seeds, make sauces and fill the chilies. We learned lots of tricks for just cooking other foods too. There were 2 teachers so that was 1 teacher for 6 students giving us lots of individual attention. When the 3 hour class was over we got to eat all of these stuffed chilies. What a huge plate load of food, even Elias couldn’t finish everything.

Because the Chili Rellenos are dipped into a beer batter, mine was actually made the native way; rolled in blue corn meal then heated in a cast iron skillet. But the kids made the beer batter and I told them that this batter could be used for anything fried, not just Rellenos.

The school is close enough to walk from our hotel in the southwest and then another 5 minutes after class to the east is the Plaza. We walked to the Plaza for a tour thru the Governors Palace and coffee. Our feet were tired and we were stuffed but coffee on a cold afternoon was good.

The Governors Palace was an interesting place, built in the 1600’s. We’d visited it years ago but had forgotten much of what we saw. So it was good to see it with the grandkids. It is a large building with many items of true interest. And having been to Taos, seeing the Bent and Carson houses, we were interested to find the histories tied together.

Dinner was Lotta Burger; we were not so hungry and after many meals of New Mexican food kids wanted a change. Unfortunately, outside of California, there seem to be no protein style or lettuce wrap burgers so I didn’t try the Lotta.

Long day!

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Photos

Making the Sauces
Grandpa and grandson are making sauces

Stuffing a Chili
Grandma watching Granddaughter stuff a chili