Darienne

And so you should be!! Mine looked as if the dog had already played with them.

Perhaps I could do it more easily because I am a newish 'cook', but I finally sat down and inputted a comprehensive list of the main dishes we eat under specific headings such as 'Mexican', 'Chinese', etc. It's on the refrigerator for consideration.

Thanks Calipoutine, We usually do cross at Port Huron, but it might be easier to stop in Imlay city to buy them. I am not at my best in border crossings ...we had a really unpleasant one once... and I'd rather just get it over with when we are so near. My friend who works at Kroger's said she'd make sure they had a goodly supply when we crossed. Have frozen Poblanos a couple of times now with good results.

Absolutely wonderful, SherylD. I bet your son loved his cake.

Meant to ask before. Do you mean an electric deep fryer? I don't own one, but I do see them sometimes at the second hand stores. Or I could buy a new one. Is it worth it? I am now frying won tons, spring rolls, Chiles Rellenos and now we are discussing peeling Poblanos. I know this topic probably belongs in Consumers, but maybe I can be humored briefly.

Growing peppers where I live is not too useful. If you look at a map of Ontario, you can see that it encompasses several growing zones. We are not in one of the warmer ones. Last year I did grow Habaneros and Jalapenos and this year I'm going to try Poblanos, etc, if I can get the seeds. I do not have a green thumb, but I am willing to try. Couldn't possibly grow enough tho...

I'm a fairly new 'cook' but I find I am still following my old patterns which are somewhat from the hip, I guess. This morning I made a poppy seed coffee cake, putting together two recipes and making small loaf muffins instead of a cake. Then I made notes about what I did wrong and what I did right for next time. So I'm right there with the recipe...but working slightly out in space for one so lacking in knowledge. The errors are teaching me big time!

I didn't realize that you could buy the peppers in Michigan. Will stop on our way home from Utah next time and load up. I have a young friend who works at a Krogers in Imlay City and I could check with her first. Could stop in Lansing, Flint... You must be in heaven being back in SoCal. You can buy all the ingredients you need for Mexican food every day!

OK. The tabletop full of chiles are now all quickly deep fried to blister the skins, set on paper towels to drain, dish towel over them, and peeled. They are ready for the next steps. Some will be frozen whole for Chiles Rellenos, no seeding or de-veining until later thawed for use. Others will be opened, seeded & de-veined, and cut into strips for Rajas, etc. Then some will be used today in my own version of enchiladas and others will be frozen on half-sheets and then bagged. Questions: - is it better to peel them hot, medium or cold? DH helped me, peeling by hand. I peeled using a sharp knife. We came out about even. - thought I had a couple of other questions but my mind is blank. All feedback is appreciated. - this summer, I will try blistering the chiles outside on the B-B-Q or its side burner. What a learning experience this has all been.

My thoughts exactly. The poblanos are from Mexico. Does that mean they have no 'season', but will come all year round, like oranges or avocados? That would be great. I don't really feel like buying them out and leaving none for others. And if there is a 'better' season for them, like there is for tomatoes, then I would buy more then. What kind of peppers are you talking about? You don't mention charring or peeling or deseeding. As for putting the peppers into a plastic bag after charring/roasting/frying someone...maybe Bayless?...says NO! Just cover them with a towel. The plastic bag will continue the cooking process and you don't want that. Last week I had that experience with a couple of poblanos that couldn't be used for stuffing...they were just too soft. No problem, as you know. Yumm. Down to pepper and enchilda work for today. (Aside: today I finally figured out how to multiquote. Took only 2 1/2 years! )

Ditto pour moi.

Googled 'charla'. Talk, speech, chat. Could you give me a little more info about this, Jaymes, please?

Cannot believe my eyes. A Canadian grocery chain, Sobey's, is now carrying Poblanos. For how long I don't know. They have them down as 'hot' peppers. And won't change it either. So because I have no idea of when the supply will suddenly disappear, I bought them out yesterday. Roasted (in oil a la Bayless), peeled, made into rajas and into the freezer most of them will go. The rest will become Chiles Rellenos. So what? You say. That's because you don't live in east central Ontario in the middle of nowhere where no one has ever carried a Poblano before.

Foolish me, I somehow overlooked the Motel 6. Made a reservation for four nights, May 12,13,14,15 but need to know eventually when we are starting and when we are likely to stop. Done. Thanks again, Elsie.

I disagree. While it works better than oven toasting to get rid of the skins, I think it definitely affects the texture and flavor. I sometimes find I have to then carefully roast the hazelnuts to return them to their former crunch state. But then perhaps I am not working quickly enough.

May I be completely overwhelmed? I am grateful for your help so far.

Thanks for the link, Elsie. I did notice that each dog is $25 per night. That's $50 per night for our two dogs. On top of the price. But then it is our problem to solve. Thanks. Canada is so different from the USA re dogs in motels and hotels. Never in any American city or in the middle of nowhere have we ever found any difficulty in finding a reasonably priced motel which will take our dogs. Just me ranting...

What we need, and are prepared to do the research, is a dog-friendly motel, under $100.00 if possible. Driving some distance back and forth is not a problem. I don't know this region and so will have to look it up soon. However, if someone knows of such a place, and can save me the work , do let me know please.

Emptied and cleaned a dog med sprayer of all things...skin irritation...and put in olive oil and vodka. Works perfectly. Brilliant. Problem solved.

I have Bayless' Mexican Kitchen, Kennedy's The Art of Mexican Cooking, Ortiz' The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking (1967 and completely falling apart), Lindsay Greer Cuisine of the American Southwest (1983, admittedly a Tex-Mex book, but a good one), the new Fany Gerson My Sweet Mexico for desserts and an assortment of magazines and books which I have had forever. Mostly I crosscheck the Bayless, Kennedy and Ortiz before I make something new and this seems to work for me. There are so few Hispanics in our area...no one teaches as far as I know, so it's all on my own. With, of course, interference help from my DH, Ed. How could I forget to add: the eGullet topics and the various mentors whom I am gathering about me: Calypso, Theobroma, Pierogi, Jaymes and other kind souls

At the risk of repeating some of the information given above ... here's a list of my current Mexican blogs. http://www.vivanewmexico.com/food.recipes.cocinas.html http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cooking/recipes/recipe_streusel.html http://www.mexconnect.com/cuisine http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/ http://ranchogordo.typepad.com/ http://www.ruthincondechi.com/ http://mexicanfood.about.com/b/ http://www.rickbayless.com/qa/ http://thediningdiva.typepad.com/the_dining_diva/mexico/ http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2011/01/guiso-de-carne-de-puerco-cuban-pork-and.html http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/mexico/#axzz1Cpvde14s

Lunch today was leftover beef enchiladas with a recipe called Southwestern Potatoes that I culled from somewhere, with crema, guacamole, and with tortilla chips and Jaymes' salsa. DH loved it. Can't do better than that. ps. Ed put salsa on his enchiladas and potatoes too.

I must have done something wrong. I love broccoli. So does DH. The soup was like cooked broccoli. Boring. We gave up eating it and put it into the dogs' vegetable container. (They eat pulped greens). I don't know whether to be embarrassed or confused or what?

These look so good I am almost drooling. Will make them next. For sure. Thanks.

In answer to feedmec00kies: no, I haven't noticed a seasonality to my GERD, but I'll keep a lookout for that now. Mine certainly does come and go in 'bunches'. This is very interesting, all the replies...gives me a lot to think about re the NSAIDs, pain pills, particular foods, etc.