0092 - This is not a post :)

This is not a post so much as an excuse to paste a copycat Chuy's Chile Relleno recipe onto the internet so that I can pin it to Pinterest.

I made Mexican food tonight. Taquitos with Cilantro-Lime Rice... and salsa:

It went over BIG. I was elated to have finally made salsa that tastes like restaurant salsa... not just restaurant salsa, because I am often disappointed in that, but great restaurant salsa. I even used the raw onion - which will shock anyone who knows me - I just diced it really, really fine, then I poured water over it and popped it into the fridge while I finished chopping everything else because I've heard that takes the bite away. Have I mentioned how good it was? Oh my god it was good. So even if the rest of the meal had sucked, I wouldn't have been sad at all.

I. Mastered. Salsa. (!!!)

It was chunky, but delicious. When I get back to the RV we'll see how it works when it's blended into a more salsa-like consistency... but I'll be honest, it was fine as it was. Brian took one bite and for the past three hours has been giving me kudos, claiming it was the best meal he's had in months and calling it gourmet. I wouldn't go that far, but it is nice to hear. I've never made taquitos before and they did turn out well. Yea me for having good luck in choosing recipes!

It made me revisit the restaurant idea again. I know for a fact that there is no Mexican food that Mike or I consider acceptable for 60 miles. I say 60 miles because there is a Chuy's in Murfreesboro, which is about 60 miles away, (Nashville is about 90 miles away). The market we'd be vying for would be more of a 20 miles radius and primarily a 10 mile radius. Gainesboro seems to have a steady lunch traffic because it's centrally located to about 10 cities. Most of the restaurants are home cooking. There is the one crappy Mexican restaurant, three bbq joints we haven't tried, and one Italian restaurant that we liked, which is more of a pizza place but they have a selection of other things. And a Subway. And a Dairy Queen.

What's wrong with the Mexican food, you ask (I know you did)? The salsa tastes like tomato sauce, unless it's the kind that has oregano in it - which is just wrong, wrong, WRONG. The nachos... they swim in a bland cheese sauce which is more soup than sauce. The chile rellenos are pathetic. I don't even eat them, but I know there is more to one than a small sliver of green chile. Fajitas... I've had decent fajitas there, but even then they're mediocre. Green sauce? What green sauce? I can introduce green sauce and/or jalapeno-ranch and blow their minds.

Anyway, I get excited about the idea, and then I get scared. I have no experience in the restaurant industry, but then again, in a rural area it's a little easier than it is in a large city or even in the surrounding suburbs... the crowds are smaller and a little more forgiving. I've seen people from all walks of life build successful businesses that way... the guy in Mississippi that only sells hamburgers "with or without" (onions)... the lady who runs the B&B we love so much who started cooking because she saw a need, she said there are restaurants in the area but nobody had anything good to say about them... the little Mexican grandma who ran the restaurant in Florida... I think if you find the right vendors, the right location, treat people well, and make good good for a decent price, you can succeed.

So anyway... recipe:

Generic picture I found...

CHILE RELLENOS

10 ea Poblanos, roasted & peeled
10 oz Longhorn or Jack cheese

BATTER

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Oil for frying

Cut cheese into 1/2" thk slices the length of the chili. Make a small slit in chili just big enough to insert cheese. To make batter, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal. Blend milk with egg; then combine milk and egg mixture with dry ingredients. Add more milk if necessary for smooth batter. Dip stuffed chilies in batter. Fry until golden brown. Drain and serve.