Activities preparing for the Holidays are always so tedious, but the cooking with my family is always the most important. Along with raising our animals, and harvesting crops, is the importance of preparing these ingredients so we can eat and enjoy them with our families. I have memories of my childhood, with my Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters around the table preparing food. Together we made bread, cakes, cookies, pies, but my favorite has always been the Tamales. Some of us procrastinate; some of us make excuses, and my younger sister makes sure that no one skips out.
This year, my brother in law prepared the harina de maiz from posole that he made with his own harvest of corn, and we were fortunate to raise pigs, so after the Matanza, roasts were put away for the Christmas tamales.
I have a brother that insists on vegetarian Tamales, because "how many pork Tamales can one really eat?" Need I answer that question, or just assist with preparing veggie Tamales for my brother. These consist of harvested calabazita rueditas, corn, cheese, and green chile. Yum…OK… They too are so delicious.
The activity is of great importance, as we hope to pass this tradition to our children as it has been passed down to us. My family has continued this practice throughout my lifetime, and now that we are all grown with our own families it is a challenge logistically. There are so many dynamics involved in preparing for the Holidays, and then somehow, magically, it just comes together. This year we were all blessed to be in the company of each other, feasting on really good food, and confident that someday our children will make tamales with their children.
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