I worked on my shelves yesterday, and as I continued on I felt total disappointment. I don't like the way the colors are coming together, and I have realized that the real trouble is in the base coat. So, now I'm very unhappy that I have all this paint and I am not going to use it. I am going to start over and try a different color pallet. I knew it was a smart idea for me to start this project practicing on the shelves before taking it to the wall. I'm happy that I didn't get impatient and jump right onto the walls, then my disappointment would be total meltdown. I have loads of yellow paint now interior satin, I am not sure what I am going to do with it because I'm not a yellow sort of person. I can maybe paint some old tires that were left in the woods by the previous owners and make a flower pot out of them, I'm thinking if I used the interior satin then polyurethane on them they might hold up to weather or I can donate the barely used cans to our church yard sale in May, to be sold if someone needs almost a gallon of yellow paint. If you have any suggestions as to what I could use it with, I am very open to them, I hate to waste anything!
My son has a job interview today, all prayers are welcome! He was laid off from his job in November and has been searching hard for a new job and finally a call came in yesterday. I am so excited for him, I'm praying hard that he gets this, he needs it badly. More because he gets very down when hes not working. He likes to be busy, earning his keep and working hard. He's been on unemployment and he's bored and just plain unhappy with nothing to do. His interview is at 9:00 a.m. today and I am going to be eagerly waiting to hear how it went.
This weekend is the church lunch-in again and the theme is Mexican food. I am so excited about this because it gives me a chance to make tamales. I love making them but it is so time consuming that I don't do it very often, but since I am going to do it up big, I will have some to freeze for us and plenty for church. Does anyone make tamales? I love trying different recipes for them. I'd love to know of others if you have them. I saw one once for chocolate tamales, that might be something tasty to try! My most often used recipe is:
Tamales
Required Time: 2 days
Ingredients (using 6 pounds of meat makes about 10 dozen tamales)
3 pounds beef roast
3 pounds pork roast
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chili powder
pepper
cumin
8 cups masa harina
2 cups shortening or lard
Corn husks 2-3 packages
Day 1:
Cook meat in separate pots of seasoned water (or in a crockpot filled with seasoned water) with an onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook 4 hours minimum. Save the broth. Place the broth in the refrigerator over night and skim the fat off the top before using.
After the meat is cooked and falling apart, remove from pot, set aside to cool, and use a blender or food processor to puree the onion and garlic with the broth. Season broth mixture to taste with chili powder and salt.
Shred meat finely and store covered in refrigerator, not with the broth!
Soak corn husks in water overnight.
Day 2:
Drain the corn husks well and pat dry.
Season shredded meat with chili powder, salt, and cumin to taste. As you season the meat, add a small amounts of broth to moisten meat, but don't let it get soupy or runny.
For every 2 cups of masa, add ½ cup of shortening or lard, 1 tsp. of salt, and chili powder to taste. Add broth mixture a little at a time to masa and mix with your hands to get a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you run out of broth, you can use hot water. 6 pounds of meat should yield about 8 cups of broth.
Assemble the tamales: spread masa about 1/8 inch thick on corn husk with fingers, leaving about ½ inch border along the sides and 2 inch border along the top and bottom of husk. Use about 2 Tbsp. of shredded meat to fill the tamal (like a cigar). Fold sides until they just overlap, fold narrow end under, and place tamale folded side down.
To cook, steam fresh tamales for 15 minutes or until masa is no longer sticky and looks firm.
Eat fresh or store in freezer.
I hope that if you make these your family loves them as much as mine does. It is a long process but it's not that hard to do, the first day is mostly just cooking the meat, the next day is just putting them all together and steaming them. I'm excited to make them for next weekend! I'm off to start getting things done today, and go out to get new paint! You all have a Terrific Tuesday!
