The Green Chile

I am not from New Mexico. I was born in Boyle Heights, an eastside neighborhood in Los Angeles and grew up In Pico Rivera, a small town a little furthe east than Boyle Heights and east Los Angeles; that said, I was raised, in part, with New Mexican cooking. My father was born in Alberquerque but was in fact, from the Las Cruces area in southern New Mexico. My mother, who is Mexican American did 95% of the cooking but my father had his specialties; Chile Verde (Green Chile, fried chile for his huevos rancheros, and he had away with breakfast potatoes and a few other items.

My mother did everything else; including enchiladas, chile rellennos, tacos, tostadas, menudo and much, much more. My mother learned to make all the New Mexicam dishes my father loved, including and especially, stacked enchiladas. They were always topped with cheddar cheese and two fried eggs. She never made green chile enchiladas. 

Anyway, this is my long winded way of saying my wife Jeri and had our supper at the Green Chile in La Habra tonight. I had the stacked enchiladas, half green chile Pork, half red chile beef and, of course, topped with two fried eggs. At the first bite I was transported to the past. It was the taste of home.

The food is good and it is comforting. Give it a try, maybe you will be transported too.

ADDENDUM: We ordered sopapillas to go and ate them at home,

The Green Chile

2050 W, Whittier Blvd

La Habra, California 90631

Phone (562) 448-3674

 

A Word to the Wise

 Something to consider! What are you leaving behind?

A Throwback Thursday Photo

 This is from, circa 2005-2006 just before Halloween. I remember the day just not the date, Jeri and I, along with our granddaughters; Marian and Maddie (Meranda's daughters). A while back but it seems like yesterday. They are young adults now, hard at work and building their lives but in my mind's eye, they are still the same little girls. Savor the moments!

Me and my grandsons

 My daughter Savannah took this picture of me and my grandsons, Jack and Josiah, yesterday at the Pepper Shaker in La Habra. The Pepper Shaker is a classic old school diner with great food and great service. we frequent it often. As my wife is wont to say, "Making memories!"

My Quiet Place

 The trees are lush and green and two of my trees are joining together to form a canopy, which was my hope when I planted the trees back in 2014. I wanted a cool shady area for a picnic table and a family gathering spot.

It also serves as my quiet peaceful place, especially when I need to be alone and talk with God.

Looks like I might be harvesting the avocados sometime in December but that's just an educated guess. 

Supper at Casa Jimenez

My wife and I had supper at Casa Jimenez, here in Whittier, tonight. We have been coming here since they opened about twenty years ago. 

There are several restaurants that we patronize but Casa Jimenez is one of my favorites. The food is old school here. This is not a trendy place. They serve good satisfying Mexican food. It tastes like home. It is comfort food. 

Tonight I had my favorite combination plate; a red chile beef enchilada, a chile Relleno and a hard shell beef taco with the ubiquitous sides of rice and beans. My wife had her usual; enchiladas rancheras. She enjoyed her meal.

Good food at reasonable prices, a good attentive staff and a comfortable atmosphere.

Jeri and Her Father Henry Huizar

This photo was taken in the early to mid 70's. About the time Jeri and I met. She is dancing with her father to some long forgotten song. I'm sure somewhere in her mind she was thinking, I can't wait to meet Randy!"

Her father Henry Huizar was a much loved man. I can say, unequivocally, that I loved that man dearly.

He has been gone since 1991. She still misses him. So do I.

I am adding the original photo. I did use AI to restore the photo to it's original quality but changed nothing else.

Food Stuff

 

Last night my daughter Savannah made two pizzas.. They were absolutely delicious, or as my father was wont to say when things turned out exceptionally well, "Just like downtown!"

Thank you daughter!

A simple Braunschweiger (smoked Liverwurst) sandwich for lunch. This is something I have enjoyed since my early childhood. My father made them every once in a while on a weekend and he would make one for me too.

As I was making the sandwich, along with mayo and mustard, I spread some butter on my bread, and immediately Mrs. Eriksen came to my thoughts.

Mrs. Eriksen was the mother of my pal and neighbor, Richard Eriksen. Sometimes Richard would spend the night at my house and sometimes I would spend the night at his. During the evening Mrs. Eriksen would bring us sandwiches. They were delicious. I asked her one day about her sandwiches and she told me she put butter on the bread.

To this day, from time to time, I'll add a smear of butter to my sandwich bread and I always think of Mrs. Ericksen.

Along with the sandwiches she would bring us a refreshing drink. I asked her about that too. Half Kool Aid and half orange juice. My wife and I raised our kids on that drink. I would tell them about Mrs. Eriksen every single time.

Food, even a simple Braunsweiger sandwich can trigger the memories.

God Bless you Mrs. Eriksen. I ain't forgot ya! R.I.P. Dear woman

Today I was craving corn, Elote if you will, Mexican style corn on the cob, slathered with butter, mayonaise chile powder and whatever else the elotero (the corn man) puts on it. about an hour later my wife heard his horn honking, "The corn man is passing by"! she didn't need to tell me twice. I got two, she got one. Pure satisfaction in a bite.