The Tradition

The smell of frying chili pablanos in the cast iron skillet saturated the apartment, and perhaps, even the neighbors apartments. It’s a strong smell, and one that I love. It reminds me of Thanksgivings at my mother’s home in Lufkin, TX during the 1980s and 1990s. We didn’t have the typical thanksgiving dinner growing up, because we knew that we would get turkey and the fixins’ somewhere during the season. So, she cooked our favorite meal instead, chili rellenos. It was our family tradition.

Heidi and I have adopted that tradition. Heidi made rellenos the first time when we lived in Waxahachie, then again in Terrell, and yesterday. What a treat. Now that we have done it three out of the five Thanksgivings we’ve been married, it’s tradition by my reckoning. Doing something once is unique. Doing it again, is nostalgic. Doing it a third time, tradition.

The smell of the cooking pablanos made my mouth water. While we were not able to be with family, having such a wonderful meal together just enhanced the tradition.

Below are the photos of the process.