Wanna bite?

This makes my mouth water.



This makes my heart happy. My little girl, peeking over the kitchen counter to help.

"What 'cha makin', Momma?"

"Something yummy."



Yummy.

Road Trippin'...Chile Run

I don't care if I have a freezer full of last year's chile. When the fresh stuff is ready, I have to have some. Please feel free to offer 12-step program suggestions if you like.

We loaded the car (again) and headed north. If you live where I live (Southern New Mexico...we call it Heaven) the skies start to look like candy in the late summer. Can you believe I took this at 75 mph from the backseat of the car? True story. It's also true that my family thinks I need professional help. Don't we all, I say.

These are the Robledo Mountains. Once upon a time, my nephew called late on a Saturday afternoon and said he was going to drive to the top. We thought it sounded like a good idea, and tagged along. I'm glad we did. The view from up there is like nothing I've ever seen. Truth or Consequences skirts the northern view, the tip of Texas to the south, and all of the Mesilla Valley's glory in the middle. It's a sweet spot.


Last year we were lazy. We stopped at the first roadside stand off the Hatch exit that sold roasted, peeled and bagged green chile. Lazy, lazy, lazy. All I wanted to do that day was take it home, eat it, and wash it down with a Coors Light. I was raised right, man!

This year we went a little further in and took a right at Sparky's. You should all know where Sparky's is...hunkalicious green chile burgers. Or so I'm told. I have yet to eat one, but it's on my list. I just believe everything people tell me, and they tell me it's good! Just past Sparky's is Chile Fanatic, and after 10 seconds in this place, I was a believer.



I'll get to the chile in a sec. First, I want to show you around. Alright...we're done! Chile Fanatic is small, quaint, and only full of the things you can't live without.



And who doesn't need a replica of an ant made of stone and iron? Please give a round of applause to the model, my precious pea.



They also have some gorgeous ristras.



And some that come with bugs inside! Hi, Bug. Momma loves you.



The green chile at this place is some of the best I've ever seen. This is where you can get loooooooonnnnnnggggg chiles good for rellenos, and half a sack (roasted) was $10.



Don't judge me for turning my baby green. I just like the way I tweaked this photo, so I left it alone. I'm sure Photoshop aficionados around the globe are scoffing. Scoff away, I say! I still like it.



In case you have been out of the country for the past two decades, the official question in New Mexico is, "Red or green?" I think I'll take both.



We finally decided on a hybrid bag of Big Jim and Sandia. For the record, I could not do this guy's job. Granted, he gets to smell some pretty great stuff all day long, but he also has to stand next to this roaster, which is a raging inferno that will singe the hair right off your body. Don't ask me how I know this.



This, my dear friends, is blistered bliss.



But this is not. Poor stupid bird kept roaming into the street while we waited for Blister Boy to load the chile in the car. Did anyone ever find out why the chicken crossed the road? Someone please tell this stupid pigeon.



This year's trip to Hatch was a quick one, but it was fun. The best part was wandering home on the old road. I never get tired of seeing all the beautiful green farms against the candy blue sky.

Who wouldn't want a bite of that?