Chili Relleno Casserole

We love Chili Rellenos’ at a restaurant.  I wanted to make a dish that was reasonably easy to prepare on a weeknight after work, but still had that same great flavor as those great “eat out” meals.  This dish works quite well and can actually be prepared ahead of time and either frozen or stored in the refrigerator for a couple (2) of days  Serve with a simple butter lettuce salad.

Ingredients

• 1 4-ounce cans chopped green chili peppers, drained

• 2 large Poblano peppers – seeded and cut into strips

• 1 pound chicken meat – cooked and shredded

• ¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• ¾ cup shredded Sharp cheddar cheese

• 4 eggs

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup milk

• Salsa (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Arrange Poblano chili peppers in bottom of lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Spread chicken evenly among chili peppers; sprinkle ½ cup cheddar and ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese over chicken-filled chili peppers.

In a medium bowl beat together eggs, flour, chopped chili’s, and milk. Pour egg mixture evenly over chili peppers.

Bake 2-quart baking dish for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and a knife inserted near center(s) comes out clean.   Spread remaining cheese on top and put back in oven until melted.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with salsa, if desired. Makes 4 entree sized servings. 

The Cooking Cowgirl

So what, you may ask yourself, is a “Yankee Cowgirl”?  And, for that matter, how did she come to be?  Well, that is a somewhat long story so sit back and enjoy the ride – it is a meandering one.

I was born and raised in Massachusetts.  I spent most of my “growing up” years in the Waltham/Watertown area and lived the typical “small town near a big city” life.  Most of our extended family was within an hours ride – if not ½ hour and we spent a lot of time with family while young.

My maternal Grandfather, Da, was a super great cook.  He could go out and have a meal and come home and recreate that same meal.  It was amazing to watch him at work.  He made fantastic dishes in what has to be the smallest kitchen I have ever worked in.  Much of my spare time was spent at his knee and so I learned a great love of cooking and creating recipes.

I went to college in Worcester, MA at the College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit school and Old Dominion University later for my Masters work.  With my degrees, I tried my hand at everything I thought I wanted to do.  I was a banker, office worker, teacher, and finally found that I was good with computers.  I made a career out of managing large-scale software projects.  I liked what I did and was good at it.  It afforded me the ability to travel and see the country.

I landed in Texas and met the one man I was born to love forever.  My husband is my best friend.  He smoothed all my rough edges and polished my heart.  It has been the best years I could hope for since we met.  We now have two great boys and more animals than we can handle in town.  Our lives are so fun.

I still love to cook – and to share recipes.  I have always wanted to write a cookbook or publish my creations, so this is a way to do that from my desktop!

Soon, we will move out of the big city and have land and a ranch to raise our boys out of the mess of the city.  God Bless my family and friends.