Chicken Tamales

Another of Logan's favorite that he wanted on Thanksgiving (instead of the traditional turkey dinner). Please try these at home. They are absolutely tasty.

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 8-ounce package dried corn husks
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed
4 3-inch-long serrano chiles, stemmed, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 cups (packed) coarsely shredded cooked chicken (about 1 pound; from purchased rotisserie chicken)
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dough:
1 1/3 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if masa mixture contains salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (omit if masa mixture contains baking powder)
4 cups freshly ground masa dough for tamales (34 to 36 ounces), or make masa dough with 31/2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla mix; about 17 ounces) mixed with 2 1/4 cups warm water
2 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth

Preparation
For filling:
Place husks in large pot or large bowl; add water to cover. Place heavy plate on husks to keep submerged. Let stand until husks soften, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
Preheat broiler. Line heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer tomatillos and any juices on sheet to processor and cool. Add chiles and garlic to processor and blend until smooth puree forms. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo puree and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt. Mix in chicken and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
For dough:
Using electric mixer, beat lard (with salt and baking powder, if using) in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in fresh masa or masa harina mixture in 4 additions. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups broth, forming tender dough. If dough seems firm, beat in enough broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, to soften.
Fill bottom of pot with steamer insert with enough water (about 2 inches) to reach bottom of insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks. Tear 3 large husks into 1/4-inch-wide strips to use as ties and set aside. Open 2 large husks on work surface. Spread 1/4 cup dough in 4-inch square in center of each, leaving 2- to 3-inch plain border at narrow end of husk. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling in strip down center of each dough square. Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion with strip of husk to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. Stand tamales in steamer basket. Repeat with more husks, dough, and filling until all filling has been used. If necessary to keep tamales upright in steamer, insert pieces of crumpled foil between them.
Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam tamales until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
(Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill. Before serving, re-steam tamales until hot, about 35 minutes.)
**If you have a electric steamer like me, put the tamales into the steamer for 1 hour and cool 5-10 minutes before eating. You can re-heat tamales in this steamer also. It takes about 10-15 minutes to re-heat them.

Banana Banana Bread

This is one of Logan's favorites. He asked me to make him some for Thanksgiving. This bread is delicious with butter, honey butter, or maple cream cheese.
Make sure to use very ripe, plump bananas with a skin color that ranges from yellow with an abundance of brown and black freckles to almost completely blackened. If you have very ripe bananas but are unable to make banana bread right away, peel and freeze them until ready to use.

Ingredients:
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
1 cup sugar
2 or 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed
(about 1 1/2 cups)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve. Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf.

Storage Tip: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Gobble Gobble

There is only one way to ring in the holiday... with Butterscotch Pops! I made some cupcake pops for a friend's baby shower a while back and realized that I should spice them up for Thanksgiving. This also gives me a little practice to get revved up for the holidays up north. Logan and Jeff love to taste-test the recipes. Aren't they cute? I got the idea from Bakerella. The recipe for the pops is here. I used vanilla cake this time since I had the chocolate on the outside. I guess someone got to them before I could get them wrapped up.

Decadent Fudgy Brownies

I went to a friend's Wildtree party a few weeks back and saw these delicious brownies in the catalog. Logan loves brownies. Brownie mix + fresh walnuts (my favorite) = a tasty treat that you eat with a glass of cool milk.

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the chocolate chip cookies your children will beg for. Soft and satisfying, they feature good-for-you oats and yogurt. This is another one I found at Diabetic Living. (I plan on making these for Thanksgiving)

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce container plain low-fat yogurt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces (12 ounces)

1. Place oats in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once. Place oats in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until ground; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oats and any remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces.
3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the 375 degree F oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 60 cookies.

Welcome to my Blog!

I needed to separate my loves a little. I love to post recipes and found that they were getting in the way of my other postings. Here's great recipe to start a blog off right (I found it on the Diabetic Living website):

Chocolate-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate pieces give these gems a one-two punch of chocolate flavor, while low-fat granola provides a crunchy topping.

1/2 of an 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup frozen egg product, thawed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plain low-fat granola

Line 18 muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.
Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer in a small bowl on medium speed till smooth. Add egg product and the 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute or till smooth. Stir in semisweet chocolate pieces; set aside.
Combine flour, the 1 cup granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each half full. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture over each. Sprinkle with granola.
Bake in a 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack.