I was taking Jelly for a walk yesterday when I ran into my neighbor on her way to work. It had been a while since we’d crossed paths. “You’ve lost weight!”she marveled. I was about to tell her that I’d been working out, morning and night, in preparation for my annual Tokyo food tour. But, before I could, she followed up with: “Are you sick?”. No. Not sick. But thanks for asking.
Alas, someone who IS sick is my mom’s cat, Baby. The poor little guy has been unwell for quite some time and suddenly stopped eating yesterday. Sis picked him up, brought him to her place, and has been nursing him since. Apparently he has started eating again which is great news. Sending good thoughts Baby and sis’s way.
Thanks for the birthday wishes. Yes, it’s today! How are you all celebrating? Yesterday, I met up with Ivon who took me out for Vancouver’s best tacos at La Tacqueria (La Taqueria).
I was on my way back to the car when I noticed a text message from Akemi on my phone: “Where are you?”. Then, just as I was reading the message, a call from Akemi. Turns out that, after dropping her off downtown for her presumed class, she had taken the bus back and secretly picked up my birthday present. The plan was to surprise me at home… except I wasn’t home! So, in retrospect, it was kind of nice in that we were BOTH surprised.
I also received a little something from my best buddy in Toronto, Tara (tarayelland):
Heartfelt, no? The bag of muffin mix in the background is an exceptionally nice touch. And, to prove she’s my BFF, she did her nails with a birthday theme in honor of yours truly:
Off for a special birthday dinner tonight. No idea what I’ll be having but I doubt bean sprouts and a nice light fresh fruit dessert is in the offing.
Finally, for those who asked, I leave you with Cowboy Rob Cooper’s green chili recipe.
For your blog readers who asked. Pass along my thanks for all the birthday wishes.
Chili Verde
Prep Time: 01hr 0 min | Cook Time: 2-3 hr 0 min | Makes: 10-12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 large boneless skinless turkey breast or medium pork shoulder
- 2 andouille sausage
- 4-5 large poblano chilis
- 4 jalapeños
- 4 serrano
- 5-6 large fresh tomatillo or 2 cans
- 1 large onion
- bulb of garlic
- quart of chicken stock
- tsp cumin
- tsp salt
- tsp pepper
- tbsp sugar
Directions:
Lightly oil the onion – sliced thick, garlic (whole, skin on) peppers – cut in half, and roast. If the weather’s decent I do this on the grill. Gives a nice smokey flavor. Peel the burnt skin and removes seeds. I do this wearing rubber gloves! Don’t rub your eyes! Learned that lesson the hard way. Blitz the lot in the food processor until fine.
I also slice and grill the turkey or pork to give it a bit of color and flavor but not until done. Don’t want it to dry out. Then cube into small pieces.
Chop and brown the sausage in your pot. Render off excess fat. Add turkey or pork and continue to brown. At this point you could transfer to slow cooker. Add chicken stock, spices and veggie mixture. Cook on low for a couple of hours. Spiciness will depend on your peppers. Not hot enough for ya, add a few shakes of habanero sauce.
Serve over rice with a tablespoon of sour cream if you like.
Note: Traditinalists will scoff and say New Mexcio green chilis are the only way to go but these are unavailable in my area. Poblanos are easy to find. I do not advise substituting regular green peppers.
Source: My Collection
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