Mimmsical Creations

Charlotte, the guest host for Getting to Know You Wednesdays this month at Create a Connection, has asked us to share a recipe this week. (I'm a day late!) Here is what she said:

"My challenge for you today is to share a recipe with us and tell us why you chose it. Is there a memory attached? Is it a family recipe that's been passed down through the generations? Did you cook it at your first dinner party in your first apartment? Is it a recipe from a famous chef that you've mastered?"

Well, I have two recipes to share. One I haven't made in forever, but I love the accompanying story. The other, I've not only made, but mastered and tailored it from the recipe my mom gave me!

The first is "Monster Burgers". My mom used to make these all the time when I was a kid. We had a poodle named Beau-Beau. My brother Tom, who teased me unmercifully, told me that the meat my mom used in these burgers was from monsters. Not just any monsters... ones that lived in the tree in Beau's yard. Beau killed these monsters and mom fried them up into burgers for us. I don't remember how much of this I believed then, but I'm guessing Tom managed to freak me out with this on more than one occasion.

The recipe:

Make large patties out of hamburger. Dip in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Fry slowly until done, turning once. Optional - add in sliced mushrooms to cook with the burgers.

The next one is my mom's Pork with Green Chili recipe. I LOVE this! As does all of our family. In fact, my brother Tom (again with Tom!) likes it so much that when he got married, he had my mom make it for their rehearsal dinner. I've changed and added to the recipe to make it my own, and I have to say, it's pretty phenomenal! Not that difficult either. Fresh roasted chilies are the key in my opinion!

The recipe:

2 lbs. cubed pork (I usually use chopped stew pork) - coated in flour
S & P
2 (or more!) cloves of garlic
1 large onion, diced
2 15-oz. cans of tomatoes (I like the ones seasoned with garlic)
3 Tbsps. coriander seeds - crushed and soaked in water before adding
1 lb. of roasted green chilies - seeded, cleaned, chopped
Corn starch and water
(Tortillas, corn, rice, cheese, chopped lettuce, tomato and onion to serve)

Cook the pork in a little olive oil until browned. Add chopped onion and garlic - cook until onion is translucent.

Add in the tomatoes (liquid and all) and a couple cups of water, plus the chilies and coriander seeds. S & P to taste. Simmer this mixture for about 1 hour - keeping the water level up by adding if you feel it is necessary. Once the meat seems to be quite tender (may take more than an hour!) mix some corn starch with warm water and thicken.

Serve hot. We always layered it like this:
Flour tortilla, rice, corn, green chili, lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, cheese. (Tortilla flat on a plate with everything spread on it. Don't try to roll it - you won't succeed!) YUMMY! You can also add in a can of jalapenos if you want more spice. If I use canned green chilies I always do this. If I use fresh roasted, I don't need to.