10 hour power outage and Salsa Verde

I sure wish I could keep up and post in REAL time. I seem to run days behind. It seems there is either nothing worth mentioning or no time to mention it! Also, I returned home from clogging practice last night to find that my garage door opener didn't work. I left the trailblazer on the driveway and went inside the front door. It was sure dark and warm. I was informed that there had been a lightning strike VERY nearby, and we lost power around 5:45. I had left around 5 and it was now after 8. David and I had leftover potato salad and coleslaw for supper while sitting outside on our front bench! When we still had no power at 9:30, David pulled the generator out of the garden shed while I gathered the extension cords, fans and a floor lamp. We ran an extension cord through the window and fixed ouselves up with a lamp and fans so we could go to bed. David got up for work at 2:30 a.m. and still no power. There were trucks on our street. I went outside to look for myself since I hadn't been sleeping well anyway. The men climbed the poles and did something around the transformer behind our house and the one a few houses down. That did the trick. TEN hours later power was restored! I returned inside and turned off all the lights that were on when the power went out and went back to bed!
So, that said, I will backtrack and attempt to catch up through the next several posts. Last Saturday, I finally made the Salsa Verde that I had been contemplating. All the ingredients were finally gathered, and I learned some new things in the process. For example, I learned that long green chilies is another name for Anaheim peppers. They are also milder than jalepenos. I also learned how to roast them. After much googling I found a recipe here http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0712353015673.html that sounded good.

Then I found great instructions for roasting the peppers on the grill here. http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/09/how-to-roast-anaheim-green-chiles-on.html

Here are my Chilies all roasted and readied to be covered with plastic wrap.

I removed the husks from the tomatillos and washed them. They tend to be sticky.

May the chopping commence! I had never seen inside a tomatillo before!

All of my ingredients-tomatillos, Anaheim chilies, jalepenos, onions, and garlic were combined and simmered. I did not use oregano, but I did add plenty of fresh Cilantro during the last minute of cooking.

MMmmmm good!

The recipe!

5 cups chopped tomatillos

1 1/2 cups seeded, roasted and chopped long green chilies (Anaheim)

1/2 cup seeded, finely chopped jalepenos

4 cups chopped onion

1 cup lemon juice

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 TB oregano (I used lots of fresh cilantro instead)

1 TB cumin

1 TB salt

1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients (except cilantro) in a large pot and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add the chopped fresh cilantro at the last minute. Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving 1/2 " headspace. Add lids and rings and process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes. Yields 3 1/2 pints.

Y'all come back,

Lorilee