We engaged in what has become a Thanksgiving ritual in our family (albeit one we skipped last year) - making tamales. This year we made three varieties - potato and mole, bean and cheese, and cheese and jalapeno. We made about 12 dozen tamales in all, and ate a couple dozen between five people. (We make them small.)


Making the stock, out of vegetables we had on hand.


Mixing the masa. We used 10 pounds for a double batch.


Pickled jalapenos and carrots combine so well with cheddar or jack cheese for simple tamales.


The husks, after two hours soaking to soften them.


After spreading the masa, the filling goes in.


Rolling the tamale.


One method of tying. We used different folding methods, plus knots vs. bows, to indicate the different tamale types.


The finished tamales, after we'd eaten a family meal's worth. We froze these in dozen-batch bags for later reheating.


The key to our ability to take on marathon projects like this with a four-year-old: A kid's project table, stuffed to the gills with stuff we knew she'd like to do.

You can learn more about this tradition and read our favorite tamale-making recipe on The Tranquil Parent.