Tamales

I did something a little different today...I cooked. To my knowledge I don't even think I used the microwave during any step of this process. More surprising, it tasted pretty good too! One of my not-so-hidden talents is the ability to mess up just about any meal. I can even mess up a salad (by storing it in a frosty area of the fridge. It gives a new meaning to iceberg lettuce). My culinary mistakes typically come due to lack of attention. My mind wanders, I talk on the phone, and all the sudden I realize the cookies are missing the baking soda, or I forgot the noodles in the 9 layer lasagne (that was an interesting experience-trying to separate the layers out enough to cram noodles between them). I found if I follow recipes from 'real people,' I get a little closer, but I have to triple check myself, I can't even begin to tell you how many times the teaspoons the recipe calls for accidently find their way into the dish as a tablespoon. Having said all that, I gave it another try because it is a skill a refuse to give up on. I found this recipe for crockpot tamales at http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/ I have alway wondered about the process of making tamales. I know it's considered a labor of love, and a special dish, as opposed to an everyday dish. So with a little extra time this break....I gave it a try-minus the love and the special occasion. They were pretty good. They were a little blander than I anticipated (I think it was the chicken), but they grew on me. I'd recommend it if you ever have the urge to make your own tamales. Let's pretend like they are healthy too, since they were made with chicken.