Goddess of the Kitchen

Allow me to brag a bit here...

I am amazingly good at making up recipes. I know intuitively which ingredients combine well, how much of each spice to put in a dish, and how to replicate meals from my favorite restaurants. I am one of those people that looks at a seemingly empty cupboard and manages to prepare a semi-gourmet 3 course meal. I am a damn good cook and proud of it. Yeah!

The only problem is that since I make just about everything up and rarely use recipes, it's really difficult for me to replicate dishes or to teach anyone else how to cook. Increasingly I've been trying to keep track of the ingredients I use and write down approximate recipes in a handmade journal that Rico bought me in Malawi.

Today for lunch I invented a freakin' heavenly dish, it's like a green chile chicken enchilada but in the form of a meatloaf and without the tortillas. I had a bunch of ground chicken left over from making the boys their food, so I created this to use it up. It was beyond dee-lish. Here is a guesstimate at how to duplicate it, should you be so inclined:

Ali's Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Meatloaf

1 small onion, diced
1 big clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 pound ground chicken
4oz. (115g) diced Hatch green chile, canned or fresh
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 crushed saltine crackers
2/3 cup cooked corn kernels, canned or fresh
1 tsp mexican seasoning or taco spice (vary according to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Sautee onion and garlic with brown sugar and a bit of olive oil until caramelized and golden.

In a large mixing bowl, combine onions, garlic, raw ground chicken, green chile, corn, saltine crackers, egg and spices. Mix well.

Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, blend in with chicken mixture.

Put mixture in a greased loaf pan, cover with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered at 190C for 50 minutes or until browned on the edges and meat is cooked thoroughly in the middle.

Serve and enjoy a taste of mi tierra.