little man...

In my Garden sits this adorable little guy.. Which my oldest daughter Stephanie gave me.  I think he's just the cutest, wouldn't you agree.  

This is the new little part of the garden that I created it was a big ugly empty square space with nothing but dirt.  With a dirty ole rug covering it up.  Which I dont understand why the carpet was there.  Well I later thought maybe they put it there to keep the weeds from growing up! 

Well I finally figure how to enlarge my photos for here on my I pad now if lol I can get a second one on I will be doing great... 

Yay. I did it...

Now I'm having a hard time my page keeps jumping what the world.  Ok well better stop here... 

Happy Thursday with Love Janice 

Tamales, Guatemalan Style...

Well this was the deal, a dear sweet friend named Tita, 73 years old decided one day after we were talking that she would have her friend come over and teach me how to make these awesome Tamales... I was excited very much so.. So lol she told me be ready cause she is not going to make an appointment she will just show up and say ok lets do this..  And that's exactly what happened.. 8am in the morning she called me and told me okay get over here.

Tita's lady friend making the sauce for inside of the Tamales... smelled so good.  Sorry I don't have more photos I didn't think of it till after.. 

what she did was burn the dry Chiles in a frying pan over medium high heat.. There were three different kinds. Pasillas Guajillos and Ancho Chiles

she removed them and burned tomatoes Romas and a small piece of Onion and two cloves of Garlic

all the stems removed and placed in a blender adding water.  Blending around 10 to 15 mins.  Then putting in through a strainer then she put into a large pot adding some consomme and salt.  Also a couple tablespoons instant masa. and some vegetable oil..

cooking for a long while medium low. 

This part was easy.. 

Next came the preparation of the Masa

Using a large bag of instant Masa flour.  She started by adding a portion to a large plastic container 

adding good quanity of broth from the meats, and water, mixing with her hands adding more water so it basically was like soup.. put it into the large pot over the stove.  Then making another one. . Again adding all the masa mixing very well it was a large pot of thick soup like texture.

Also adding some consomme and salt and a large amount of Vegetable oil about half the bottle.  Stirring and stirring and stirring for a long period of time till it formed like a mush consistancy not thick at all thin.. 

She removed it from the stove and it sat as we prepared the banana leaves. 

 ( Tita lives in a very tiny Cottage house )

( Nice)

She earlier before I got there boiled some Pork chunks and small pieces of chicken seperately in different pots.  

She also had prepared some sliced red bell pepper and sliced serrano chiles. 

 

 Banana leaves were taken out of the large packages and washed and cut to a nice size to put the fixings for the Tamales.  She washed them several times and removed some of the edging which were like a thick seam. 

They also use a special white paper for making Tamales that wraps over the banana leaf...they come large in size and she cut them in half...

After preparing the paper and banana leaves.  You can now add a scoop of Masa to the leave. 

Then your two small pieces of chicken and large spoonful of the sauce you prepared and then the red piece of bell pepper and the chili.. 

For me I like dulce which is sweet.. so she had some prunes and raisins put them in some warm for a few minutes to soften them.. I also love chili but these days with my Gall bladder I can't have it.. 

This was mine.. It was a small challange cause I never made these kind.. I have made Mexican ones with corn husk.. but she held them in her hand and made them.. I had to go find a counter not being used to doing it .. It was fun making them learning something new.. and trying to improve on my spanish which isn't to good lol.. I think I understand more than I can speak.. Lol and there were actually some moments I didn't understand a darn word she said to me.. but got the just of it later when she showed me..

Terrible I should know and speak well but I guess cause I have been around it and then to shy to speak it.. but lol in my older age I'm not as shy.

 

now just to tie them up so they don't come open when steaming them... Can't wait to see the results

Later Tita remember where the string was lol.. it works better than tying them with the banana leaves in my opinion.. so half ways through.. Tita's friend said I will make and wrap and you tie.. so we got a lot done in a faster time.. fun fun fun.. You couldn't get more closer to authentic Tamales from Guatemala..

The Real Deal

Very very nice.. soft and moist sweet but savory.. YUM.. I love the prunes and raisins.. The sauce was awesomely tasteful.. The perfect Tamale.

So I will try to make them on my own soon.  I think I have it all in check.. I told you all this from memory.

I tried to take some notes.. But Latin people do not measure nothing.. Least not the ones that I have had the pleasure in meeting..

So wonderful this day I spent with Ms Tita wonderful woman From El Salvador, and Tita's friend, sweet loving and kind

Thank you so much Tita and thank your Lady friend

Next I will learn soon I hope to make Salvadorean Tamales, some what the same but different.. 

I hope you enjoy this post and visiting.. 

with 

  much

    love

   Janice

Now some tea in my new Teapot and cup.. 

Next a recipe from more than fifty years ago that Mama gave me

For Banana bread

wink, you will love

Loving you a life time from afar

You know I'm sitting here early morning the time has changed so I'm up early.  Waking up early morning promotes extra time to think, because you can't do much at the crack of dawn...you don't want to awaken anyone.  The Garden is still dark so lol you cant look for the slugs that are eating your plants to salt them to death.  So instead I'm attempting to post on my blog from my I-Pad.  As long as it's just script I'm ok. It's when I try to add photos is where I have a problem.  My mind lately has been some what occupied with something from my past.  To be exact my very first real boy friend. I have always been in love with him, but because of circumstances I tucked it away inside never to let if surface.  A few nights, well a couple of weeks ago he came to my mind like a ragging fire.  I presume because my life had come to a standstill, though he has always popped in my mind time and time again.  But I always thought he really didn't care because of all the times in the past that he showed up in my life he came and left never saying that he really cared or loved me.  So I kepted my feelings to myself.  Locked in my dungin forever.  I tried hard to forget the past of him and our unborn baby but could never.  I was seventeen gotten pregnant had abortion not really realizing what I had done until years later when studying Gods word the bible.  My parents where not my friends so basically I had no one except my girlfriend who didn't know the better.  I lived with her and her grandparents.  I couldn't tell anyone not even my boyfriend he was hooked on Herion and what was he going to do for me.  At that time his mind was only on that.  When we first we're together it wasn't like that the drug addiction was way later sad but true.  So with all that I made the best decision for me. I quit school I only had several weeks before graduation but I just couldn't mentally do it anymore. I kept my job had the horrible abortion at five months, God only knows how much I hate myself now for it. And went on in life from one dum mess to another ending here alone. Panic disorder etc.. My life has been hard I have struggled like no ones business. But I'm here. Don't get me wrong there has been dark moments that I wanted to just die.  But somehow or some reason God kept me here.  I appreciate all that I have.  Thinking often I'd give all this material things up in a minute if
I could just have peace in my heart.   I'm about to be fifty seven years old.  I met him probably when I
was 11 maybe I played with his younger sister and brother and ended up being his girlfriend at a young age and more because my dad became an alcoholic he became my knight and shinny one.  But later to hurt me as much as my father.  But I assure you he was totally different before the drugs sweet loving caring and all the above he was my king.  As I sit here and write to you my blogger friends with Teary eyes sharing my story with you  I know you won't judge me.  I share this with you all because I have come to trust and care for you all.  This is a process for me to Heal and get better from my panic disorder.  I never thought that I would find him again but I did.  We have talked and for once I got mad sad happy expressed my pain my hurt my sorrow everything inside my soul.  I know he must have thought maybe I'm crazy.  But iam not.  I needed him to respond to me and he wasn't .  It was hard to tell him that I still loved him have always loved him never stopped.  He un fortunately is in a relationship.  I am not and haven't been for six years.  I started to a couple of times and then stopped me in my track thinking why go there again for what reason it never works out. I end up leaving..  I did fall deeply in love with another and to much he at a later point got addicted to
cocaine so after almost eight years I walked out.  Never wanting to trust anyone with my heart ever again.  I'm trying to be his friend which isn't easy because I love him and would like to spend what ever days of my life with him.  But I realize as I write this it's not going to be cause whether he is happy or not good or bad relationship he's not going to walk out of it.  I have so many emotions between mama dying my brother sick now, the house etc.. I just don't know I feel so lost and I keep trying to be strong for the family but frankly I'm tired of everything.  My only hope is my life with God ...  Dreams don't always come true and even though he is occupied I'm glad I found him I needed to release the hurt and pain of it all our relationship.   It truly is strange to find him at this time in our lives he being a few years older than me.. I have thought of us being older it's strange I never thought in my wildest dreams he be here.  I thought I would die never talking to him again.. I love you Mr R.M.R till my death...