Hot Tamales! I've done it!

Every Sunday in almost all weather, a cute, small, Mexican woman with gold teeth walks the North neighborhoods in Fort Collins. She can be heard blocks away calling out "Tamalessss...."

with her strong accent. My children and I used to love to run out to her noisy, teetery homemade cart, and buy the chili y queso variety, which she would pull out of a tall pot tied closed with strips of plastic grocery sacs. They are tasty and authentic, and I love that she makes them in her own kitchen, bypassing the city laws for health and vending licenses. I love this in theory, but then I start to wonder, what does her kitchen look like? What are the quality of her ingredients? Her English is such that I am not sure I could carry on this type of conversation with her, and I would feel so snobby coming out and asking these questions...

Do you use lard or hydrogenated fats?
Is the corn is the masa flour genetically modified? So, I have chosen to appreciate the presence of her lovely homemade tamales in my town, but not partake any longer. Still, the taste remained on my palate, which inspired this. I searched the web for recipes, and ended up mixing several into my own. They are fiery-hot-delicious, 1/2 of them vegan and all of them organic. They have black beans, tomatillos, cilantro, and olive oil. They took forever. During the extended two day process I had them for lunch to taste and adjust the spices, for dinner when I brought them to the potluck, for lunch the next day, and when the final ones pictured above where finished steaming at 11 PM last night, I took a bite and couldn't eat another. I put them in the freezer. I don't think I'll be able to eat another tamale for at least a week. Good thing they freeze well. In retrospect, it was fun, and definitely something I will do again.

Here is what else I've been working on. Magic wands. I made them to sell during the holidays, but they were plainer. Here are some that I made as gifts that involve needle felting on top of the wool felt. Fun, I think. The next ones I make will have hand whittled sticks instead of dowels, and I will use recycled sweater wool instead of manufactured felt. Yay!