Week 50 of the 52s...Posole

For a couple of months I've known what Week 50 was going to be.  I've planned, anticipated and hopped up and down impatiently every single time I've watched the trailer.   Because today, dear readers, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opened, the next episode of Peter Jackson's epic tale.  A movie that most critics and viewers alike are saying is absolutely amazing, beautiful and a wonder of special effects.

After all my waiting, the day has finally arrived...and I can't go.

Well, I guess I could still go...if I wanted to risk coming out of the theatre to freezing rain and no way to make it back up the mountain.  (Deep sighs, a few lip quivers and several scorching curses ensue).

So, earlier this morning when I realized my expected thrills were dashed, I floundered a bit.  Now what?  I have nothing for the 52s this week and holy crap, I can't falter this close to the end!

Then I remembered a recipe I've had for quite awhile that I've always wanted to try.  I've eaten this at restaurants, but never made it myself.  I dig around in my recipe file (loose scraps of paper, pages torn from magazines and handwritten scribbles crammed willy-nilly between cookbooks) and eureka! I actually found it.

Posole.  An ancient Aztec specialty of hominy (maize to those guys) and red beans, jalapeno and green chiles, onions and garlic, tomatoes and chicken, simmering together in a pot all day.

Before I walked the boys, I made the Posole, and when we came home an hour or so later, the house smelled exactly like that moment when you walk into a really good Mexican restaurant: spice and heat, salsa and corn chips, refried beans and cheese, sour cream and avocado.  Honestly, I walked up the stairs into the kitchen, closed my eyes and inhaled the heavenly aroma of all things Spanish.  I truly love cultural foods.

Posole, my little cornbread muffins, and you can't have a bowl of Aztec stew without a really good beer.  My preference?  Dos Equis Amber...hearty, medium dark, perfect.

The stew had a slight kick--just the right amount of heat from the chiles--but with the cornbread and beer to temper it, this was a delicious, warm-your-bones thing to eat on a cold Winter's night.

I guess if I had to postpone my Hobbit adventure, at least my excellent Posole made up for it.  Almost...