What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Tamales! Seriously. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about should all troop over to my abuelita's house. It's not like there isn't an army already over there anyway. The ones my family makes are bigger than Mexican tamales. I don't really know how they compare to any other type, I haven't tried many. Why would I? The Mendez family makes the best tamales in the world, ask anyone. If they say something different, they can just be added to the army.
The "too many cooks in the kitchen" rule really doesn't apply on Christmas Eve, which is when our family typically gathers. Uncle Tito is banned from the kitchen though after the flaming turkey incident a few years ago. It takes a whole night and the whole army minus Tito to prep the food, because there's a lot of steps and it's a lot of food. I usually get stuck with some kind of chopping duty.
The stuff marinates for a night and then in the morning people start assembling and cooking. To avoid any wrath of whoever is the head of the kitchen this year, it's best to just nod and do whatever is asked of you. As long as it's not babysitting my bratty cousins, I'm fine.
Well, I guess what we make are technically humitas since we're a Chilean family, but nobody really calls them that. I think it's mostly because more people know what tamales are and sometimes it's just easier not to have to explain. I don't care either way, as long as I get to eat them. I always get a plate to take home, but sometimes the food doesn't survive the drive. Oh well.
Merry Christmas and feliz año nuevo! Let's hope the new year is a good one.
The "too many cooks in the kitchen" rule really doesn't apply on Christmas Eve, which is when our family typically gathers. Uncle Tito is banned from the kitchen though after the flaming turkey incident a few years ago. It takes a whole night and the whole army minus Tito to prep the food, because there's a lot of steps and it's a lot of food. I usually get stuck with some kind of chopping duty.
The stuff marinates for a night and then in the morning people start assembling and cooking. To avoid any wrath of whoever is the head of the kitchen this year, it's best to just nod and do whatever is asked of you. As long as it's not babysitting my bratty cousins, I'm fine.
Well, I guess what we make are technically humitas since we're a Chilean family, but nobody really calls them that. I think it's mostly because more people know what tamales are and sometimes it's just easier not to have to explain. I don't care either way, as long as I get to eat them. I always get a plate to take home, but sometimes the food doesn't survive the drive. Oh well.
Merry Christmas and feliz año nuevo! Let's hope the new year is a good one.