Welcome guest author Rebecca Adler! + book #giveaway

Rebecca Adler is the pen name of author Gina Lee Nelson. Gina grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and high-tailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing women's fiction, Rebecca always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life: dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, flower shop in Germany, acting school on Broadway, sweatshirt boutique on Madison Avenue, all night dive on the Lower East Side, video series in Jersey, and a giant Furskin at the New York Toy Fair...

...plus the occasional play and musical.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing cozy mysteries with a hint of romance and a sweet, Southern-fried flavor.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!! 
see below

Take it away, Gina/Rebecca!

Growing up in small town Florida, my exposure to Tex-Mex was limited to the locally-owned Pancho’s on Okaloosa Island. This local favorite offered everything my young heart could desire: tacos, queso, and enchiladas. Occasionally, I would try something exotic from my mother’s plate. Guacamole, refried beans, or tamales.

Have you heard the old saying, I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got there as fast as I could? That’s me. After living in NYC and Maine with limited access to quality, lip-smacking Tex-Mex, I was thrilled to be in the midst of an overabundance of restaurants and taco stands offering, not one, but countless varieties of my very favorite foods.

With the release of Here Today, Gone Tamale--the first book in my Taste of Texas series-- I am excited to share the recipes for some of my very favorite Tex-Mex, and Texas, culinary delights. My favorite recipe in the book is definitely Uncle Eddie’s Favorite Chile Rellenos. I recently made this dish with a dear friend. We shopped at our local Mexican grocer, enjoying the process of choosing poblano peppers of just the right size and ripeness. The prep time spent roasting, peeling, stuffing, and sautéing the chiles flew by as we shared fond memories of other meals we’d prepared and enjoyed together. The end result? A delightful afternoon filled with scrumptious fare and heartwarming conversation.

I hope you’ll enjoy this savory dish with someone dear to your heart. May your coming year be filled with cozy mysteries, heartfelt conversation, and delicious food.

Uncle Eddie’s
Favorite Chile Rellenos

6 fresh ancho, pasilla or Anaheim chiles, or 1 (27 ounce)
        can poblano peppers or mild whole green chiles
½ pound Oaxaca cheese, thinly sliced
6 raw eggs (separated)
¼ cup flour
2 cups salsa verde
2 cups homestyle Mexican salsa
1 cup corn oil
Salt or Mexican seasoning to taste

Rinse the chilies. Preheat your oven to broil. Place the chiles
in a 9x14” baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven.

Watch and listen closely. When the skins start to make popping
sounds and to char and turn black in places, take the
chiles out and flip them over. Be sure and use a potholder so
you don’t burn your hands!

When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from
the oven. Wrap each chile in a moist paper towel or place in
a sealed plastic bag to steam. After a few minutes, check
them. Once the skin comes off easily, peel each chile.

Cut a slit almost the full length of each chile. Make a small
T across the top, by the stem. Pull out fibers and seeds (this
is where the heat is) and replace with a slice of cheese. You
can set these aside, for a few minutes or a few hours if you
put them in the refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles when
dropped into the pan.

Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer,
until stiff peaks have formed. Beat the egg yolks with one
tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and
stir until you have a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in the remaining flour and dip each one in the
egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides
until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan (either one
or some of each). Place one or two rellenos on each plate and
pour salsa over them. Serve them immediately.

Tips:

Fillings can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, then brought
to room temperature before stuffing chiles. Fillings should be at
room temperature or slightly chilled. If fillings are hot, the juices
will flow out and cause the coating to slide off. Use enough filling
to stuff each chile relleno as completely as possible, but not so much
that the seam won’t hold together.

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away a copy of Here Today, Gone Tamale to one fan. 

Leave a comment with your email and tell me what was your favorite food growing up!

You can contact me at:

Twitter: @GinaLeeNelson 

or on Facebook