Tamales are a traditional food in Mexican households, and though I am not Mexican I do live in Texas, so that means I get to observe my favorite of the Mexican traditions. I have always like tamales, but found them to be a little greasy.  Last Christmas my aunt found a man on the side of the road who we lovingly name "Tamale Dude", and he turned my like into love with his Queso Tamales.  They were just cheese and jalapenos... but I could not get enough of them, so this Christmas after we couldn't find Tamale Dude anywhere, we made our own.  

I had always heard stories of what an intensive process tamale making was, and that is probably why I have never attempted to make them before.  When my aunt was gathering the ingredients she was gathering information from various strangers who might have some helpful tips for us in our journey.  We found out a few things: 1. The recipes that they were talking about were for making well over a hundred tamales (a few more than we were interested in making) 2. There is a float test, but we aren't quite sure what that is for (ours didn't pass) 3.  We were brave Grin-gas. 

We mixed a couple of different recipes to make our tamales based on the ingredients that we had at the house because we were both tired of getting out in pre-Christmas Houston traffic.   So this is how we did it...      
Ingredients 
8oz package corn husks

Prepare Husks
Simmer the husks in enough water to cover them for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and place a plate on top of the husks to keep them submerged. Soak 1 hour. Before using, drain, shake off excess water. Sort them and select the largest ones for the tamales and use the smaller ones for lining the steamer and for making ties.

Tamale Dough
1 pound (about 2 cups) fresh masa for tamales or (use Maseca masa for tamales, follow instructions on the bag)
1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces (soften slightly)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling
12 ounces Manchego, Chihuahua, or mild white cheddar cheese cut into 3" long sticks
4 hatch green chiles, roasted and sliced into 3" sticks

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times to lightly incorporate ingredients then run for about 1 minute till the mixture is light and all the ingredietns are well incorporated.

Assemble as shown and place in a steamer lined with corn husks. Place in a prepared steamer and steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The only way to know if the tamale is done is to open one and check it. The tamale is cooked when the dough pulls away from the corn husk. 

We started mixing the masa dough, but it was very thick and we had to keep mixing for a long time...

The next thing that we did was the assembling. We tried several different methods because we weren't sure how to get the best results as this was our first go round and I could not find good pictures of how to assemble them.   So this is my attempt to be more clear.  Place about 2-3 tbsp. of the masa mixture in the center of the open corn husk (it should be a little more spread out than it is in the picture)  then place the cheese and chiles on top. Then you wrap the corn husks snug but not tight, and then fold up the bottom and tie. 

We made quite a few batched of these, and then we started trying out other fillings... everyone seemed to really like them and I liked that they were not as greasy as some of the others.  I still don't know what the float test is for, but maybe I'll pass it next time. 

Well, I had a good week of being back in Austin after my adventures over winter break.  I did not do anything overly exciting during this week, but I did get to catch up with my girls over football games and french dinners.  My weekend plans fell through, so I will instead spend it getting ready for my last semester in law school (yay!) and organizing my apartment. I know a bunch of you started back to school already and I hope that your semesters go well, and for those lucky ones of you who are no longer in school are having a great week as well.   What will your weekend consist of?  

Some things
A great way to get your hands into some glamour
A place to go hiking underwater
An ingenious device that should have been thought of soon
A beautiful new take on a stained glass window
A weird thing I had never heard of before
A poster that reminds me of Empire Reconds

I believe that my love of setting the table can be traced back to a placemat I had as a child that had a place for every utensil, glass, and plate.  I always wanted to use that placemat and I always wanted my things to go in their proper place.  Now, anytime I am given the opportunity to set a table, I love it.  I enjoy setting the ambiance for the meal as well as having things in their proper place.  It is not about being hauty, but proper manners and etiquette is about making others comfortable and at ease.  Any good southern woman is taught to take care of others from the minute they are born, and yet I also feel that a lot of people I have encountered are scared of proper etiquette because they do not want to seem pretentious.  I personally love using the right glass, fork, plate or whatever it may be for the occasion and I do wish that it was again something to be enjoyed and to bring people together and not something that makes people nervous. 

Never take it too seriously though, because in the end, it is just dinner.  The first few photographs are from my Christmas Eve dinner that I set using white plates and napkins.  I used an only white table linen and whatever green I could find around the house to make a runner down the center of the table.  I must admit that while I was making it I kept thinking of that scene in White Christmas when they were singing "Snow" on the train and they made the little snow scene (Thanks for having that so embedded in my memory Dad).

These second pictures are from the New Year's Eve dinner where I used clock plates on top of black metal chargers, folded black napkins, gold and silver candles and balls on the top of some plastic chargers from Target.  The black chargers are just silver ones turned upside down.   I added a clock just to complete the theme and then I was finished.  I know I took these pictures before I finished setting out the glasses, forgive me.  Anyway, I thought the final outcome of the two table settings was nice and even more than the settings I loved that there were so many of the people I love sitting around me at the table. 

Here is a handy guide for proper table setting if you find yourself so inclined.  

I love a good scarf because of it's versatility and it's ability to awaken an entire outfit just by being there wrapped around your wrist, neck, hair, or tucked into a pocket.  They can be beautiful works of art as anyone who has seen one of the Hermés creations can attest to.  I was browsing around on the internet looking at different artists the other day in hopes of finding a gift for a dear friend, but instead I found these scarves by Sophie Duran.  Sophie lives in the Netherlands and has created these scarves out of photographs, old travel books, and minerals and are inspired by the ancient stories of Greece, Norway, Ireland, and India.  I love that each of the names give a clue as to where it is inspired by, but she does not tell you exactly to let your imagination run free. 

The images that she creates are then printed on to fabrics, and when I look at them, I am drawn into these mystical places that she has created.  I think that Ms. Duran has a wonderful eye for colors as they are very pleasing to the eye and definitely encourage eye movement over the whole piece of art. They are almost more interesting when they are slightly crumpled and you have to complete the image in your mind. 

Black and White cookies have always been one of my favorite cookies, especially for eating along side of a cup of coffee, but I had never made them until this New Year's Eve because I thought it would be too much work.  I will admit they were not as easy as many cookies I have made, but they were worth the extra work.  Everyone who had them, loved them and thought that they were so fancy and fit perfectly with the black, white, gold, and silver color scheme I had going.  The thing that I like most about this recipe from The Curvy Carrot is how soft the cookies stay and the hint of lemon flavor.  

When you put them on the cookie sheets they are a little bit lumpy and I was trying my best to make them smooth, but once they cooked they smoothed right out, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.  The dough is extra sticky so it is good to use the back of a spoon or a small spatula to make your cookie rounds. 

I am back in Austin now, and will be back to blogging every week day.  Thank you guys so much for reading and I loved hearing all the complaints about my lack of updates when I saw everyone.