I’m no tamale expert, unless you count eating them, but last year I adopted the tradition of making tamales for Christmas using Anna Zepaltas recipe (I really liked hers because it used part butter and part lard, rather than the traditional all lard. I think the flavor makes a superior tamale dough). I had never hosted Christmas dinner before and it was a cold December day. I wanted the excuse to hold people captive drinking margaritas all day and playing board games and I’d always wanted to undertake the challenge of tamale making. It was a hugely successful, immensely fun, and seriously challenging undertaking. And I learned a lot. Last year made this year possible, and I have to say that now that I’ve done it twice, I feel confident in my ability to help others make them successfully, and certain that this is well on its way to becoming a yearly tradition. The tamales and salsas are amazing and the day is indeed lots of fun. By breaking the steps down over a couple of days, you’ll make your tamale party fun and low stress. Start with the tamale dough, a few days ahead. It stores well. I make … Continue reading →