Let it snow, Let is snow, Let it snow!

White Christmas? In Texas? You gotta be kidding me. This is the view on Falcon Trail this wintery Christmas Eve. Go figure!




MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Balvenie

Scotch whisky is one of those things you either get or don't. It's hard to explain. For those that don't know the difference between whisky and whiskey, you need to learn about single malts. This is one of those guilty pleasures I learned about while working in downtown Ft Worth in the investment world. I had always considered myself a bit of a Glenmorangie man. I received a bottle of the 10 year original as a gift when Andrea and I married and have long considered it my favorite. It has a wonderful flavor and never disappoints. My favorite may have just changed.

My boss learned of my like of whisky as we shared a glass one evening last summer. He caught me completely by surprise today by giving me a bottle of The Balvenie Doublewood 12 year. Wow! The second cask of sherry oak to finish really does add a smoothness to the flavor that I have never experienced. I poured it neat, as always, and enjoyed the complex tastes. I've never been one to pick out the hint of this or that, but I can definitely tell when something tastes good and this does!



The Scots may be crazy as can be, but they sure can make some whisky! Merry Christmas and thank you Ted!

Green Chili Posole

We've been busy beyond belief and not doing much cool cooking as of late. I had a chance to be at home last night and experiment a bit. Hominy is a vegetable that often goes unnoticed. I mean, its just a form of corn right? This time of year, in Northern New Mexico you will often see Posole served. Its warm, inviting and very functional. It's a stew made from hominy that can be tweaked around to accommodate whatever you might have in the pantry. And since you're in New Mexico, it's easy to add the chilis. So I made some last night mostly just using a parcel of items that aren't very expensive and you might just have in your pantry for the most part.

Green Chili Posole
1 lb of diced thin cut pork chop
Half a red onion rough chopped
Bell Pepper rough chopped
2 cans of diced green chilis (fresh would be preferred, but you aren't going to have that in Bedford, TX in December!)
2 cans of white hominy drained
Handful of sliced carrot
Chicken Broth
Sea Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder (could use fresh, I just didn't have any in the pantry)
Cumin
Green Chili Powder
Mexican Oregano

I browned the pork in olive oil and added the bell pepper and onion before it was browned. Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and green chili powder to liven it up. After the pork browned and the onions were soft, I added all other ingredients and brought to a boil. I added more green chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic and the mexican oregano to the liquid. Reduce the heat and let it simmer covered for a while to come together. Taste and adjust your spice level to what you want.

I'll admit, I probably went too heavy on the heat level of the green chili since I couldn't blow the face off of any family members. Likely would back it down for others. I think it turned out great and was a great warm up for me after getting blanked while fishing for rainbow trout yesterday afternoon. Serve it with a warm tortilla and enjoy.