//
Check out my recipe for Green Chile Stew here. Approved by 100% of New Mexicans that have tried it (that is, just Ian).//
Ian was born and raised in New Mexico, the only state that has its own question: "Red or Green?" Yes, those from
The Land of Enchantment are a little fanatical about their chiles.
I'll come back to the chiles, I promise.
Ten
days ago, Felicity and I both fell ill on the same evening. I developed
some sort of horrible flu, despite having recently obtained my annual
flu shot, which involved a terrible sore throat, throbbing headache,
body aches, shivering, and a highish fever. As a note, if you're coming
down with the flu, for the sweet love of god,
stay away from The Hunger Games series and pick up some Jane Austen. Seriously, worst and possibly the most terrifying night of sleep I've ever had.
My
symptoms improved the next day, although I've had some sort
of lingering cold since. It's the kind of cold that seems to have new
symptoms every day; every morning I wake up, and it feels like the first
day of a cold. So strange.
But Felicity fared even
worse. Overnight, her poor little body decided to attack itself, and she
developed croup. I hadn't heard of anyone getting croup. When I hear
'croup,' I think about
Anne of Green Gables and ipecac,* no lie.
But yes, Felicity sounded like a dying seal, was diagnosed with croup by
a kindly working pediatrican on a Saturday morning, and was promptly
treated with a course of steroids to try to avoid death.
Poor Felicity also still has a cold.
Any good New Mexican will tell you to stuff your face with
green chile stew before flu season, during flu season, and if you feel a
twinge in your throat or nose. I am married to such a New Mexican, and
my mother-in-law is such a New Mexican. She, in her goodness, mailed us a
care package with a good five pounds of green chiles, with some red and
green chile powder in addition. (I must take a moment to brag: I
seriously have the best mother-in-law; she skypes with Felicity and me
almost every day, is always encouraging and thoughtful, raised one
really fine son that treats his two ladies like gold, and she knows when
it's time for some chile love).
Ian and I roasted the
chiles in the oven yesterday morning. Ian took the time to peel and
chop about half of them, and we froze the other half. And I made my very first green chile stew. And then we stuffed our faces with it.
*I
can't remember if Anne used ipecac to save Diana's little sister from
death of croup; it's been a good 15+ years since I've read the books (do
I sniff a literary trip down memory lane approaching?), and even my
memories of the movies are vague, but my brain has tied these two things
together. So no badgering if ipecac doesn't treat croup; it seems like
it might actually make it worse?
