An Inspired Cook

- Crème Brûlèe
  
  Posted at 8:22 am by NativeNM, on December 21, 2025
  Is there any dessert more rich and creamy than crème brûlèe? The appearance is quite elegant which might make you think it’s hard to make, but actually it’s not hard at all. It has a hard caramelized crust that is made with a sprinkle of sugar and a mini torch to burn the sugar. The custard is made from heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Once prepared, it’s baked in a water bath and then chilled for several hours. Keep the custard chilled until ready to serve. It’s a beautiful dessert to present to guests and perfect for special occasions. Just before serving, sprinkle superfine caster sugar over the top and burn it with a mini torch. As it burns through the sugar it creates a thin crackly crust that has a caramelized sugar taste. It’s quite a contrast of flavors and textures that I simply love.
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  Posted in Dessert, Recipes | 1 Comment | Tagged Vanilla Bean, Dessert, Crème Brûlèe, Vanilla Bean Custard, Crème Brûlèe Ramekins, Elegant Dessert
- Red Chile Pork Posole
  
  Posted at 2:55 pm by NativeNM, on December 17, 2025
  This year I am recognizing New Mexico’s traditional meals that are celebrated around the holidays. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, posole represents the celebration of life’s blessings. It’s a pot of hearty stew made of pork or chicken with hominy and red or green chile. It’s one of those things I look forward to every holiday season. The pork is seasoned, then simmered in broth for several hours until the pork begins to fall apart when stirred. I made the red chile base from dried NM Red and Guajillo chile pods which makes a vibrant red sauce which is then added to the pot of stewed pork and hominy. It’s tastes like comfort in a bowl. It’s enough to feed a crowd or can be frozen to enjoy another day. Whatever your traditions, I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season!
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  Posted in Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes, Red or Green, Soups, Stews and Chili | 0 Comments | Tagged New Mexico Red Chile Posole, New Mexico Traditions, Red Chile and Pork Posole, Red Chile Posole
- Chile Relleno Casserole
  
  Posted at 9:15 am by NativeNM, on December 12, 2025
  A baked chile relleno casserole is an easy way to make rellenos without sacrificing the flavor of individually fried rellenos. This casserole has layers of meringue like egg batter, a layer of NM Green Chiles and grated cheese before covering the chiles in another layer of batter and cheese. It’s baked in the oven and puffs up like a souffle. This casserole makes enough for a crowd, however Joe and I plan to freeze individual slices so we can have some whenever we want. Just wrap up individual portions to put in the freezer first with plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. I’m looking forward to a slice alongside a bowl of green chile stew or posole.
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  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 5 Comments | Tagged Chile Relleno Casserole, New Mexico Green Chile, New Mexico Green Chile and Cheese Casserole, Oaxaca Cheese
- Georgia O’Keeffe’s Pecan Butterballs
  
  Posted at 11:52 am by NativeNM, on December 5, 2025
  For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by Georgia O’Keeffe’s story. She is renowned for her landscape and floral paintings in and around Ghost Ranch. When she first visited in 1934, the land was owned and occupied by a dude ranch, however she was offered a stay in a cottage on the property. It’s said that Georgia found solace at Ghost Ranch and spent her summers there painting until 1949 when she convinced the owner to sell her a parcel of land where she made it her home. Ghost Ranch is one of my favorite places on earth and I can see why she would embrace this beautiful landscape. Each time we visit I get a sense of traveling in her footsteps and viewing the scenery that she painted so long ago. I chose my blog header for the breathtaking landscape that is fondly known as “Georgia O’Keeffe country. I remember standing there in awe trying to capture the beauty before me, not knowing that Joe would take that photo.
  This post was originally going to be a recipe for Mexican Wedding cookies, however I came across Georgia’s recipe for Pecan Butterballs which looked and sounded very similar. Georgia opted for honey in place of powdered sugar for these pecan filled cookies. I was intrigued by her cookies and that search lead me to a different story. I found that a collection of Georgia O’Keeffe’s recipes were auctioned by Sotheby’s and sold in 2020. There is an image of the recipe card that she hand wrote for her Pecan Butterballs. Her pecan butterball cookies are perfect with a cup of afternoon tea. They also make a nice treat to share over the holidays. Hope you enjoy!
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  Posted in Cookies, Recipes | 4 Comments | Tagged christmas-cookies, Cookies, Georgia O'Keeffe's Pecan Butterballs, Ghost Ranch, Holiday Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Pecan Butterball Cookies
- Pork Belly Breakfast Hash
  
  Posted at 9:33 am by NativeNM, on November 7, 2025
  A couple of weeks ago we tried a new place on the west side of Albuquerque called Brekki Brekki. They are open for breakfast and lunch and have an extensive menu. I was intrigued with the “Protein Hash” options they offered. The description was a skillet of roasted potatoes, melted cheese, choice of bacon, sausage, pork belly or brisket, topped with 2 eggs, cooked your way and served with a side of green chile and a tortilla. The pork belly was so tender with a red chile glaze spooned over top that I can only describe as an ultimate pairing. The flavors were unlike anything I had ever tasted before. Each bite I was taking mental notes on how I could recreate this perfect dish. I feel like I matched the flavors of the dish using different methods, like smoking the pork belly, and creating a glaze from roasted red chiles. I’m already planning on smoking another pork belly so that I can make this breakfast again.
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  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes, Red or Green | 0 Comments | Tagged @Brekki Brekki, Breakfast Hash with Pork Belly, New Mexicio Inspired Breakfast, Pork Belly Breakfast Hash, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Red Chile Glaze, Red Chile Salt
- Smoked Red Chile Pork Belly Burnt Ends
  
  Posted at 11:23 am by NativeNM, on October 31, 2025
  Pork Belly Burnt Ends are some of the most tender morsels you will ever taste. Traditionally, burnt ends are made from the tip of a beef brisket or a poor man’s version are made with chuck roast. Recently we had a taste of red chile pork belly in a breakfast dish at one of our favorite restaurants. But to create a version of that dish I needed to smoke a pork belly and make a red chile glaze sauce to coat the burnt ends. It was a challenge that I happily accepted! I picked up a 5 pound pork belly at Costco that had an even ratio of pork to fat. For this recipe I only used half the pork belly and cut it into 1 inch cubes. The pork was seasoned with a Chipotle Lime rub and set on a wire rack. Once the smoker was prepped with apple and hickory pellets, I set the temperature to 250 degrees. I placed the rack with pork belly on the smoker and spritzed it with apple juice every hour to allow it to caramelize and create that crisp outer texture. It took a little over 3 hours to reach an internal temperature of 195 degrees. They were transferred to an aluminum pan where I dotted the pork with slivers of butter and spooned the red chile glaze over top. The pan was covered with aluminum foil and placed back on the smoker for another hour. After resting for 30 minutes we unwrapped the foil and each had a bite. They were so tasty and it took every bit of willpower to not eat them all. We managed to save enough to recreate a special breakfast dish which is in the works to share soon.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 4 Comments | Tagged #LosRoast, #Spanglish Asadero Sweet Chipotle Seasoning, @Los Roast, Chipotle Lime Brown Sugar Seasoning, Chipotle Lime Seasoning, Los Roast NM Red Chile, New Mexico, New Mexico Roasted Red Chile, Red Chile Glaze, Roasted Red Chile, Smoked Pork Belly, Smoked Red Chile Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- White Ridge Bike Trails and Dragons Back
  
  Posted at 1:16 pm by NativeNM, on October 24, 2025
  The White Ridge Bike Trails and Dragons Back is one of New Mexico’s natural wonders. The area is full of white gypsum which is visible all along the trails. We hiked the White Ridge Loop in March which is approximately 5 miles. And just recently we hiked Dragons back. Both trailheads are gorgeous with colorful landscapes to see along the way. It’s one of those places that we never tire of, it calls me back over and over again. The trails are wide open with little shade so we avoid going in the heat of the summer, but as soon as the weather turns cool we are ready to go back. The gypsum rocks you find along the way are like a snowflake, no one rock formation is the same, they are all unique. And those artistic dead trees that have so much character; it’s as if they are sitting there waiting to be photographed in front of a beautiful backdrop. Dragons Back is a long ridge that spans over 7 miles out and back. We hiked along the spine in early October under a partly cloudy sky which made for some amazing photos as the sun peeked through here and there. Enjoy nature and get outside for a walk, it can lift your spirits in so many ways!
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  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged adventure, Dragons Back Trail, Gypsum, Hiking New Mexico, New Mexico, Ojito Wilderness, White Ridge Bike Trails
- Green Chile Chicken Salad Wrap with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
  
  Posted at 10:49 am by NativeNM, on September 23, 2025
  Earlier in the summer I smoked 2 whole chickens, pulled the meat and vacuum sealed it for the freezer. I find many ways to incorporate smoked chicken into soups and salads as well as recipes that need cooked chicken like enchiladas. Smoked chicken tastes a lot like rotisserie chicken in that it is moist, tender and quite flavorful. This chicken salad reflects my NM roots with roasted green chile and fresh corn blended together with a creamy mayo and chile lime salt. There are many flavors throughout but adding a drizzle of cilantro lime vinaigrette took this wrap to another level. The vinaigrette is tangy and robust that adds to the chicken salad topped with lettuce, tomato and sliced avocado. Next time you have some leftover cooked chicken, give this wrap a try.
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  Posted in Burgers, Sandwiches, Paninis and Wraps, Condiments and Sauces, Recipes, Red or Green | 7 Comments | Tagged chicken, Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, Green Chile Chicken Salad, Green Chile Chicken Salad Wrap, NM Inspired Green Chile Chicken Salad with Corn, NM Inspired Green Chile Chicken Wrap, salad
- Green Chile, Cheese and Bacon Omelette
  
  Posted at 9:41 am by NativeNM, on August 15, 2025
  It’s green chile season here in New Mexico. You may even see NM green chile roasting events near you in your state. NM green chile can be found in the grocery stores and at the farm stands around town. The roasters are fired up and the aroma of roasted chile is in the air. I recently made an omelette filled with green chile, cheese and sprinkled with bacon. The best omelettes are cooked low and slow so that they don’t become rubbery or have that brown crust. They should be light and fluffy with a bright color. It takes time and patience but it is worth it when you take that first bite.
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  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes, Red or Green | 4 Comments | Tagged 2 Egg Omelette, Green Chile Cheese and Bacon Omelette, NM Green Chile, NM Inspired Omelette, Omelette, Omelette with Green Chile and Cheese and Bacon
- Greek Lemon Potatoes On a Blackstone
  
  Posted at 11:39 am by NativeNM, on August 8, 2025
  Several weeks ago a new Greek restaurant opened up near us. We don’t have a lot of Greek choices in our area on the west side. So, one day Kat came up for a sisters day and we had lunch at “The Great Greek”. We shared a Souvlaki Plate with lemon potatoes as our side. The entree was delicious but we kept going back to the lemon potatoes. They were thick cut sliced potatoes with grilled lemons and had a crisp texture. I was curious how to make them at home and found that traditional lemon potatoes are roasted in a seasoned lemon broth, sometimes 45 – 90 minutes or longer depending on the recipe. That wasn’t going to work for me, especially in the summer, it’s just too hot to turn on the oven. I decided to go a different route and made them on my Blackstone griddle. I marinated the potatoes in a lemon broth for several hours. They needed to be partially cooked so that they would crisp quickly on the hot griddle without burning. My solution was to microwave them in the broth which took about 12 minutes. I microwaved them in 3 minutes intervals stirring them after each interval. When they were fork tender, I strained the broth and placed the potatoes and lemon slices on the oiled hot griddle. I turned them often and in 20 – 25 minutes they were crisp and ready to serve. I had no idea if these would taste anything like the restaurant but they turned out fantastic. They were perfectly seasoned and drenched in roasted lemons; the texture was crisp on the outside while tender inside. Greek lemon potatoes are now possible in the summer without ever turning on the oven.
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  Posted in Blackstone Griddle, Recipes, Side Dishes | 6 Comments | Tagged Blackstone Griddle Lemon Potatoes, Copycat Great Greek Lemon Potatoes, Greek Lemon Potatoes, Greek Lemon Potatoes on a Blackstone, Lemon Potatoes
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