I'm Back, I'm Healthy and Now I'm A Texan

It's been a tumultuous year since I posted over a year ago.  We no longer travel and settled north of San Antonio. I'll explain it all real soon, but I don't want to talk about that today.  I'd rather share my recipe for Cream Cheese and Jalapeno tamales.

I started making tamales a few years back because I spent a fortune buying them so I decided to teach myself so I can have an endless supply. The first time I had cream cheese and jalapeno tamales (or any tamale at all) was Delia's tamales in Mission TX.  Everyone knows and loves their tamales, just ask any Texan. Mine don't compare, but I take great pleasure in spending the day making them. I also make traditional pork tamales, but these are by far my favorite!

Let's get started:
You will need basic ingredients such as lard (shortening will do, but not as authentic), corn husks, cream cheese and jalapenos.  You can season the masa with garlic powder, paprika, chili powder or even taco seasoning mix.

  

Soak the corn husks in warm water for about 1/2 hour until softened.  Since they float, weight them down with something heavy so they remain submerged. Like a can or brick wrapped in foil.

While the husks are soaking, make the masa.  Mix equal amounts of masa harina and warm stock or water (I used about 4 cups), and your seasonings.  I used 1tsp baking powder,1 Tbl garlic powder, 1 Tbl paprika, 1 Tbl chili powder. Use your imagination! The masa should be the consistency of peanut butter. Add more masa harina or broth to get the right consistency.

Now make the filling.  I used 2 blocks of cream cheese, 3 large jalapenos and 1/2 large onion.  I chopped the jalapenos and onion in a hand chopper then add the cream cheese. I don't remove the seeds from the peppers because that's where all the heat is! Of course you might feel differently so the seeds can be removed.  Use gloves, trust me. Mix well. 

Now it's time to assemble.  Place your bowl of masa, filling and soaked husks within easy reach.  Spoons are handy and a masa spreader is helpful. Work on a cutting board, easier to clean up.  A large plate to hold all your delicious tamales!

Here's how to assemble:
Pick a husk and dry it off with a clean towel. 

Spread masa on the husk. You can use a masa spreader or the back of a wet spoon. Spread the husk out so you cover the folds too. Don't spread the masa to the side edges since you'll waste a lot when you roll them up.   Place filling in the center.

To roll, fold the husk so the masa meets, then roll it up tightly.  Fold the bottom up and tie with a strip of husk (it's pretty strong). I tie my tamales because the are more manageable and don't unfold while steaming. 

   

Pack them upright in a tall pot with a steamer in the bottom. This prevents the tamales from touching the water.  Place a couple pennies in the pot.  If they stop rattling, you need to add more water.  

When the water starts boiling, turn heat down to medium low and steam for 2 hours.
Remove lid to let tamales cool.  Remove and eat immediately (!) or freeze them if you have restraint.  Enjoy! 

A Recipe for Stuffed Peppers

Ok, so a few people have loved my stuffed peppers, so I made them tonight. Everyone has their own version, so this is mine.

Ingredients:
2 large peppers, cut in half, cleaned and rinsed
1lb ground beef
1/2 c rice, cooked
1 med onion
1 med can tomato sauce
8 oz cheese, grated, chedder works, but so does Swiss
Worcestershire sauce
assorted herbs, like Italian, parsley or whatever you like
garlic powder

Parboil the peppers in boiling water. Cook ground beef and onions until cooked through. Cook the rice.

Add about 1/3 can of the tomatoe sauce, about half the grated cheese, worcestershire sauce, seasonings and cooked rice to the beef and onions and stir thoroughly. Lay the pepper halves into a pan to form cups.

Spoon the meat and rice mixture into peppers, top with the rest of the tomato sauce and top with cheese.

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 1/2 hour until cheese melts completely.

Spoon onto plate and indulge!

Eco-friendly Handmade Dishwasher Detergent

Just wanted to post a quick review of handmade dishwasher detergent.  Lots of folks like me make their own laundry soap, but few people make their own automatic dishwasher soap.  I thought this was worth trying since it uses some of the same ingredients as laundry soap (which I will post some other time).   This not my recipe, just one I found on PlanetGreen.  This is a website worth checking out.

I made up a batch today and tried it and I must say, my dishes came out sparkling clean.  Just like laundry soap, I'll never buy dishwasher detergent again.  I'm saving a huge bundle of money too.   When you see how easy it is to make, you'll wonder why people spend so much money on commercial products. 

Here's the recipe:

You can find washing soda and borax in the laundry section of your grocery store

1 cup washing soda (I used Arm & Hammer)
1 cup borax (20 Mule Team)
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup citric acid (Fruit Fresh) or unsweetened lemonade packets

Mix and store in a mason jar or other tight fitting container.  Use 1 tablespoon per load. 

If you have a rinse dispenser, fill it with white vinegar for best results.

My dishes came out sparkling clean, no spots and no filmy residue.   Everything in this soap is eco-friendly, and since I have a septic tank, this is important to me.  And who wants to drain chemicals into their public sewer system?  Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a natural substance made from salt and limestone and acts as a grease cutter.  Borax is also an ingredient that occurs naturally in the environment and usually mined.  Salt is well, salt.  Can't argue that.  And citric acid is also a natural ingredient.

These are some of the ingredients in the bottle of soap I have left.  These are only the emergency treatment ingredients, so who knows what else is in it:  sodium carbonate (that's ok), sodium hydroxide (lye, which is caustic),  sodium silicate (used to preserve eggs and pressure treated wood, really?  WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES SEVERE IRRITATION TO EYES, SKIN AND RESPIRATORY TRACT), clorine bleach (is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates).  Well, yeah, I'm rethinking using bleach in my laundry now.  So the bottle under my sink also cautions against getting in eyes or on skin and breathing fumes.   No, not the kind of stuff I want in my dishwasher. 

So folks, do yourself and the environment a favor and try this soap.

My Version of Potato Leek Corn Soup

I rarely follow a recipe verbatum. I always take out a couple books at once and spread them out before me when I want to cook. I'm not much for inventing recipes as modifying from several sources. I start out with an idea of what I want to make, get out my books, sometimes check online, compare, then go.




Today I had fresh corn on the cob and leeks. I would have just made my traditional potato and leek soup, but I had this corn, 30 ears of it. I blanched and froze most of it, but left out 5 ears to make soup. I thought corn chowder sounds good, but hey, I have these nice-looking leeks too. So I pulled out my standard reference, Joy of Cooking, and my soup book, Soup, A Way of Life by Barbara Kafka. I compared recipes for corn chowder which had similar ingredients. This is my version of Potato Leek and Corn Chowder. Amounts are estimated, as you can add or subtract the amount of ingredients to suit you:

Ingredients:
3-4 leeks, white and some green
4 potatoes
1/4 c salt pork or bacon (optional)
celery - 2 stalks
green pepper
salt
paprika
bay leaf
2 c milk
fresh corn - 3 or 4 ears (you can substitute canned or frozen)
fresh parsley

Prep:
Dice 1/2 green pepper and a couple stalks of celery
Slice leeks (white part and some green) and place in bowl of cold water, separating the rings to rinse. Lift out gently and drain, leaving dirt on the bottom of the bowl
Peel and dice potatoes, maybe 3 or 4 cups, 1/2" cubes
Dice 1/4 cup of salt pork (you can use bacon, or leave it out for a vegetarian soup)

Now for the fun part:
Saute the salt port until browned and crispy in a hot pan. This takes about 10 minutes to release the oils into the pan.
Add the leeks, celery and green pepper and continue browning. Cook off any water that collects.



Add the potatoes, 3 cups water, salt, paprika and a bay leaf. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and hand mash the mixture in the pot. The potatoes will thicken the soup. It will be lumpy.




Add the corn and 2 c hot milk. Simmer until corn is cooked through.



Add fresh chopped parsley and season with salt if desired.

Serve with a sprig of fresh parsley. Voila! It was filling and delicious!