One last tamale thought to come out even

Grandma used to make chicken tamales with a green olive in the middle up there in chilly Pierce, Nebraska. We ate the steamed tamales with Tabasco and jellied cranberry sauce at her famous midnight suppers all cocooned by the steamed over windows.

Grandma always tied her tamales with string instead of strips of corn husk. Halma knew what worked best! She was a culinary artist slash efficiency expert. I'd like to think I have a bit of her right brain/left brain combo.

Halma liked to come out even when she ate. If you don't come out even on the mashed potatoes with the turkey, you might have to have another helping of stuffing, sauerkraut, and gravy to try again. This is as good a reason as any for another helping.

I didn't come out even making tamales. I still have two pounds of fresh masa, but only four corn husks. I know now that one pound of fresh masa yields one dozen tamales. So I have to make another batch, beef this time, and tied with string. I might put a green olive in each just for fun. Got a little collapsible veggie steamer at, shudder, Walmart. Got an Oster mini-prep chopper for twenty bucks, but I might return it. Halma didn't need one.

© 2014 Nancy L. Ruder