Chili Relleno Casserole

 Well, I have to say they don't look like much - but my sister, Mona, says they are really yummy, and she's a great cook of all things Mexican, so I took her word for it and picked up a tray of the freshly roasted Hatch peppers at the local IGA.  It's Show n Shine weekend here in our little town, so IGA has a pepper roast outside the store. Mona assures me it's hard to find freshly roasted peppers, and I've not seen them before.

I forgot some of the details, so I'm stumbling along to make the chili relleno casserole. I do love chili rellenos, but hate deep frying anything, so the casserole sounded good. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to remove the seeds (I did). It's kind of a lasagna kind of approach - layering chilis with queso 

I understand that only the proper cheese will work 

I had enough peppers for the bottom layer and a smaller layer on top of the first layer of cheese.

Topped with 4 eggs slightly beaten with salt and pepper (I used Johnny's Seasoning). And a layer of shredded cheddar. Then, since it's going to be 90 degrees today and we don't have A/C, I covered it well and froze it to bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes on the first day we get a break in this heat. Off to look at land boats with my car obsessed husband. Update on the casserole later!

July 2024

Even at 80 years old, we're always looking for new things to do. Our son is a very inventive guy, and he designed what he calls a "molenator" - Using an old lawn mower, he welded a pipe to where the muffler used to be and connected a hose to that to focus the carbon dioxide from the engine into the mole warren. We managed to burn up a couple of hoses until he found a stainless steel radiator hose on Ebay, and modified the design. So this may not sit well with all the people who relocate a mouse or a slug rather than kill it, but it does take a serious toll on the mole population in a small area.  For years I've been trying to establish boundaries in the tiny areas we cultivate. The majority of our acreage is a wildlife refuge for the wild critters that have been displaced all around us. Mostly we deal with fencing, but that doesn't work at all for moles and slugs, and not particularly well for deer, raccoons, bear, squirrels and rabbits.

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I have a fence within the fences surrounding cabbage, carrots, and some corn. I plant Marigolds with nearly everything, as they are supposed to keep bugs and slugs and rabbits at bay. But for the record, I've found a slug coiled around a Marigold plant, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness.

It's been a good year for onions. 

Raspberries have been pathetic. Between the extreme temperature changes, birds, and mostly, deer, it's been a struggle. Finally getting a few of the yellow raspberries that I just planted this year.

 

Lots of flowers and lots of bees, even though I've seen where lots of folks have been missing bees this year.

A couple of grandkids came for a couple of days to give us a preview of our family gathering in August.