Alright, all you who live in Anahiem, did you know that a hot pepper shares the name of the city in which you reside?

If you like it hot (when it comes to food,) you’ve probably heard of the narrow and moderately hot vegetables called Anaheim peppers. But have you ever wondered how the name originated?

Once upon a time back in the 1990s–when you had big hair and ate Atomic Fireballs if you needed something spicy– a farmer named Emilio Ortega brought a variety of chile pepper seeds to the Anaheim area.

These particular seeds were developed by Dr. Fabian Garcia in New Mexico about 100 years ago who was seeking a chile pepper that was bigger, fleshier and milder. When Ortego’s seeds became wildly popular with the neighbors, he knew he was onto something good. He later founded the Ortega Chile Packaging Company,which was the first commercial food operation in the state of California. The Ortega name is still known today.

Anahiem peppers are green when young and turn a bright red as they mature. When shopping for them at Ralph’s which is less than two miles away or another grocery store within the vicinity of The Crossing Apartments, avoid ones that look soft or wrinkled and pick ones with deep colors. Many restaurants and cooks use them to make chile rellenos.

Varieties of the pepper are also grown in New Mexico, but tend to be hotter than those grown in California. If you’d like to see some ways to cook them, keep reading. Otherwise, hope this information gives you more insight into the area in which you live.

3 Delicious, Spicy and Healthy Anaheim Pepper Recipes

1. Forbidden Rice Succotash. If you didn’t know (I didn’t,) forbidden rice is a strain of Chinese black rice and is considered to be both food and medicine in China. It is much healthier and more flavorful than white rice. This recipe made the creator’s dad very happy.
2. Mexican Pizza. The sauce for this pizza is made with black beans. It’s not at all like some greasy, gut-busting kinds you’ll find at many fast food spots.
3. Farmer Market Salsa. This cook advices people to stay away from peppers with stretch marks because they are the spiciest.

Remember: the seeds of peppers pack the most heat, so remove them if you want a milder, but still flavorful dish.

If you have your own Anaheim pepper recipe, share it with us on Facebook.

Photo Credit: Badagnani

The Crossing Anaheim will be having it’s first summer resident party on August 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The location will be announced in your invitation, but don’t worry it will be good. Mark the date on your calendars now and tell your neighbors. We want everyone to be there so our community can get to know one another.

“While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many.  ~Lady Bird Johnson

Will you be there to help us make this a strong apartment community? Are you wondering where the party will be?

We’ve got some exciting news for all residents at The Crossing: live culinary entertainment from some big name chefs will arrive for our property in August.

Aren’t you excited? If you love food, I can’t see why not. Of course, maybe you need a few more details. OK. I’ve got them for you (and will have even more specifics soon.You’ll want to bookmark this site, subscribe to the rss feed or just come back. It would make us smile!).

The Big City Chef blog recently featured Hash Brown Potato Cakes.

Maybe you’ve heard of or watched Food Network’s “Private chefs of Beverly Hills.” Well, the stars of the show–Big City Chefs–will be providing our apartment community with fun and fabulous food. They do live chef demos, wine lectures and exciting hands-on cooking classes. Go check out their website for more information and to read their blog. We’ll have dates and specifics soon.

Do you think this is a good idea? (Let us know what you think on Facebook.)

This is surely a great opportunity for food lovers–one that is unique to our wonderful California. Who knows some other good food happenings in the vicinity of The Crossing or in all of Anaheim?

Photo Credit: greg.turner

Come enjoy a gourmet lunch on your lunch hour! Buffet style lunch specials include pasta dishes, pizzas, salads, garlic bread and a Chef’s special for only $8.75! Available Monday-Friday 11:00am-2:00pm

1070 North Tustin Ave Anaheim, CA 92807
714-575-0076