Weekend Reflections - Tamales and More

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cooking reflections
annual activity
for the last decade



My sister and I
make tamales yearly at
Christmas time, but this

year we made them late
(yesterday to be exact) ...
views along the way



forgetful, I made
the first three 'the wrong' way ... but
corrected myself




when we counted up
two hundred forty seven
was the end result



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and for other participating in
Weekend Reflections




shadowed reflections
on the floor ... of what you say?
look below and see



Molly enjoyed a
greenie while I consumed two
yummy tamales



Straight out of the camera above
and poster edges below

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and for other participating in
Camera Critters, Pet Pride, Shadow Shots,
Mellow Yellow & Mosaic Monday too ;-)

Okay ... I admit
I got carried away with
this post, such is life!

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."
Cherokee Indian Proverb

Although I continue to keep a Daily Gratitude List in my sidebar at Small Reflections, I do enjoy Blogging my Blessings here and this week I'm grateful ...

1. to have my sister at home for a few months before she and her husband head out on their travels.

2. for the sound of the surf (especially as I fall asleep at night) ... the salty scent in the morning when I rise ... and the utterly amazing sunrises and sunsets of late.

3. to find other folks who blog about gratitude ... most recently Lori of Weekly Gratitude and Brenda of It's a New Day & The Gratitude Project.

4. I spent some time with my 'reader' last week ... cleaning house (eliminating blogs no one has posted on in a long time), marking older entries as 'read' & reorganizing entries into functional categories that might help me manage time for blog visits more easily in the future.

5. for people who allow the entire post to be visible in their 'feeds' making it simpler to 'catch up' on several posts ... then click over to comment on one before moving on. I actually deleted a number of blogs that show only a title or a few lines because there's just not enough time to click over to check everything ... seriously!

See my Daily Gratitude List
in the sidebar at Small Reflections
and the lists I've transferred to Happily Retired Gal

What are some blessings in YOUR life currently?

For others who 'Blog Their Blessings'

go to My Blog Rolls and/or click on the
Blog Your Blessings logo
above Really Good Things.

For those who participate in Sacred Life Sunday
click the logo below:

Blessed Be ... and so it is!

Tamale Addendum:
Since several visitors have inquired what we DO with so many tamales ... I thought I'd clarify that we give the steamed 'ready to eat' tamales to family & friends ... usually between Christmas and New Years. This time they're just a little later than usual. Of course we keep some for ourselves to eat ... and we freeze the rest. Once frozen, they keep for several months and defrost quickly in the microwave.

Once upon a time ... long, long ago ... making tamales was something my sister did with a good friend, but after that friend moved away (about a dozen years ago) she enlisted my assistance to continue the practice. Actually, my sister does all the preparatory work ... she cooks the pork a day ahead, buys the masa at a local restaurant and soaks the corn husks before I arrive. All I do is assemble the tamales, and help her get each batch into and out of the steamer. Then I help her clean up when we're finished. Her husband tends to do the 'bagging' and 'deliveries' so it's a family affair.

Thought for Today
"Food is an important part of a balanced diet." Fran Lebowitz