Heat Up your Holidays with our New fresh new crop of chiles, we just got last week!  Our pure red and green chiles are second  to none in being Highest Possible Quality--pure, all chile flesh.  In addition to having no additives whatsoever, they also are de-stemmed and  the ground chiles are deseeded.  We are offering them at 20% off for all of them through Wednesday, November 29.  

Just to make your holidays dinners easy, I am offering two of my favorite quick to make chilis for your pleasure.  Make lots and freeze in meal size  quantities, using freezer weight bags.  To fill them, roll down the tops to keep them clean and easy to seal.  Then--once filled, seal them and freeze, pressing each bag to even thickness and placing them on a sheet pan to quick freeze,  When frozen, the bags of chili can be stacked for easy access in your freezer.  My new freeezer cookbook is loaded with all kinds of hints like this and freezable recipes!

Add zip and pizzazz to your holiday cooking by participating in our New Mexican Holiday Traditions Cooking class, December 7 at 5 PM.  We still have a few places available.  You will learn how to make yummy Posole with toppings, fluffy, favorable Tamales  with Red Chile Sauce, Perfect Guacamole,  melt in your mouth Bizcochitos and Perfect Margaritas.  What could be more fun? 

All of our cooking classes are on sale for gifting.  They can be purchased on line and if you like, we will prepare a gift certificate for them.  We have gift certificates for our products, gift boxes, cookbooks and classes for any amount $25.00 and up.   If you order a cookbook from us, we will autograph it to whomever you like. 

Here are two  favorite chili recipes that easily be doubled or tripled for lots of easy and delicious dinners this coming December-- 

Chili Talks Turkey

 Leftover turkey lends itself to spices. The only trick to incorporating it in chili is to avoid overcooking it. In this chili the turkey is added during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking time, just before serving. If you don’t have leftover turkey on hand, you can use ground turkey sautéed in a bit of oil until cooked through, or diced turkey tenders simmered in chicken broth for about 15 minutes, until just done.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (not canola)
1 medium-size onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 or 4 fresh green chiles, parched, peeled, and chopped, or ½ cup canned or frozen chopped green chiles
¼ cup crushed caribe chile, preferably from New Mexico
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 ½ ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 cups cooked diced or ground turkey (about 1 ½ pounds)
8 to 12 corn tortillas, warmed for serving (optional)

1. Place the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, green chiles, caribe chile, broth, beans, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Cook, uncovered, until the flavors blend, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the turkey and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve with warm corn tortillas if desired.

Jane's Southwest Recipes and more great ideas for cooking with chiles.

Chipotle Chili

This chili is for serious hot chili lovers, who like the smokiness of Chipotles. Chipotles always add a smokey richness that is truly habit forming! I much prefer to reconstitute the dried traditional chipotles (not the moritas) or use chipotle powder ground from the traditional chipotles as they are much smokier and authentic tasting. (Traditional chipotles are made by long, slow smoking in banana leaves.)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 Tablespoon bacon drippings
2 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 pounds beef chuck, cut in ½ inch cubes with some fat left in
½ cup ground pure, hot chile
4 dried chipotle pods reconstituted by simmering in water with a splash of vinegar for 30 minutes or 5 minutes in a quart liquid measuring cup, covered in the microwave. Or, substitute 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
2 Tablespoons ground cumin, divided
¼ cup dry red wine

1. In a large pot, melt the bacon drippings. When hot, add the onion and cook until they are clear and starting to brown. Remove from heat and stir in garlic and meat. Then add the chiles, half the cumin and water to cover by one inch.

2. Bring to a high heat and when just starting to bubble, reduce to a low heat and simmer for two to three hours. Simmer until very tender and the flavors are blended. Add remaining cumin and wine and cook briefly. Taste and adjust seasonings and serve with fixin’s ‘n mixin’s of sour cream with lime wedges, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and chopped onion.