My Tamales

I was asked to write down my tamale recipe and that is hard because I just throw things together without thinking so here goes. 

I was taught how to make tamales by an old friend from Mexico. I have lost track of him but think about him everytime I make tamales.  Mine are a little different from his but the concept is the same and I think they are pretty darn good. 

I do it in steps so that it isn't as big a job as it could be. I suggest cooking your meat a day or two ahead and refrigerating the meat and the cooking liquid. This makes it so much easier for taking the fat off the liquid and any remaining fat on the roast. 

For the meat we like pork but you can use any meat you want. The cooking liquid is really important though so kept that in mind when choosing a meat. 

5-6 lb Pork shoulder roast or your fave

3-4 dried chilies, I like Guajillo or New Mexico

2 Tbsp Wahoo Chili (of course!)

2 tsp salt

Cracked black pepper, 3-4 turns

6-8 cups water 

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for 8 hours or until it pulls apart. 

Cool the meat and cooking liquid with the peppers to solidify the fat. Remove the fat from both. Shred the meat and blend the liquid and peppers, removing the stems first, until frothy. Strain and set aside the liquid. 

For the Masa

4 cups Masa Harina

1 cup Crisco or lard if you choose

6 cups reserved cooking liquid 

2 tsp salt

Combine the flour, shortening and salt until resembles course crumbs. I use my hands. Play with your food!!  Add the liquid a little at a time until a wet but firm dough forms. You may have to add more or less liquid depending on your humidity. Your dough should form a sticky patty. 

Soak approx 24 corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes. Or until they are translucent and pliable. 

Spread 3-4 Tbsp of mass onto the fatter end of the corn husk leaving about 1/4 inch to one side for rolling.  Add your meat and roll into a log and fold the smaller end over. Place in steamer. Repeat until all of the masa is gone. 

Steam for 90-120 minutes or until the masa is firm and set. It should easily peel from the corn husk when done. 

You can double the recipe if you want to make a lot to put in the freezer. I didn't have enough energy for that this time. 

Enjoy!

Herbed Beef Cheeseball

Herby, beefy, cheesy........sooooooooooooooooooo yummy!

Today is National Cheeseball Day but we are celebrating it at work tomorrow with Cheeseballs and Bingo!  Hey....it is called the Fun Committee afterall.  :)

Here's the yummy, heavenly goodness that I created.



Ingredients:
1 pkg of cream cheese, room temperature
1 pkg of dried, chipped beef, diced
2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning



Combine thoroughly.  To form into a ball, wet your hands and scoop up all of the cheese mixture.  This keeps your hands relatively clean and allows you to form the ball easily.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Enjoy with your favorite crackers.

Happy cooking!

Herbed Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

It's Grill Time!!!  We have it fired up and going strong!  Burgers, smoked sausage and these little beauties are cooking away. Want to know what I did?  Well, here ya go!

Ingredients:

Bag of Frozen Brussel Sprouts

3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

1-2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning

1 Tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

1 Tsp Salt

Place all ingredients in a large piece of heavy duty grill foil. 

Fold up in a packet and place on the preheated grill on low. 

**Note:  You will want to start your packet before anything else you are going to cook on the grill. Our burgers and sausages were done well befor the veg**

Cook for 30-35 minutes depending on your grill.  If using fresh Brussel sprouts, reduce the cooking time.  Try not to open the packet too much to keep the steam inside. You are creating an oven effect and everytime you open the oven door it has to hear back up again. It lengthens the cooking time. After the 20 minutes you can check your sprouts for your desired doneness.  

Serve with extra butter and balsamic vinegar if you wish. Enjoy!