Margaritas--erika's recipe
1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
1 part triple sec
2 parts tequila
serve over ice in a salt-rimmed glass.

Tamales:
FOR FILLING:
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. red pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs. butter
½ cup slivered onions

FOR BATTER:
1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn niblets (I always use frozen)
2/3 cup instant grits (I buy the quaker packages)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbs. sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 Tbs. butter, softened
2 Tbs. minced jalapeno peppers (I use the jarred type b/c the real ones seem too hot for me, and also I always get “burned” when cutting them)
½ cup grated monterey jack cheese

Wrapper: Dried Corn Husks or Banana Leaves

1) Prepare Husks: cover several (maybe 8?) corn husks with boiling water. If they float to the top, weigh them down with a plate—anything to get them somewhat submerged. The idea is to get them pliable for stuffing. Banana leaves require no preparation

2) Prepare Filling: combine spices, rub chicken breasts with spice mixture. Heat butter in a pan and sauté chicken until no longer pink inside—5 mins(or so?) per side. Nearing the end, add the onions and fry alongside the chicken. You could also bake the chicken if it’s easier. Cool chicken and chop or shred into long, thin pieces. (you can also prepare seasoned black beans for a vegetarian option—see attached recipe). Grate the Monterey Jack cheese and set aside.

3) Prepare Batter: Puree 1 cup of corn in food processor. Set aside. Combine grits, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 ¼ cups boiling water. Stir until smooth. Beat in butter until melted/combined. Add pureed corn and remaining ½ cup niblets. Add jalapenos.

4) Assembly! Drain cornhusks and pat dry (or unwrap banana leaves) Tear strips for the ties, 2 per tamale (16 for this recipe). Arrange 2 husks, slightly overlapping, side by side and alternating tip and stem ends to form a rectangle about 9 x 7 inches (or whatever size you like!!!) Repeat until 8 rectangles are formed. Fill each with 1/3 cup batter, divide the chicken equally among the 8 and top with shredded cheese. Twist the edges and tie to make a neat package (don’t worry about it being perfect—if there’s a little gap, it’s okay.)

5) Cooking: get two big pots of shallow (1-2 inches?) water boiling. Each should have a steaming rack. Arrange tamales in a single layer. Cover and steam, adding more boiling water as necessary so the pot doesn’t run dry. 35 minutes should do it, plus or minus. Serve with all the fixins! TIP: if you want to prepare them in advance—steam and then keep in a warm oven for about an hour or so—they’ll dry out a bit, but it’s worth it not to be running to the kitchen every 2 minutes to check the water level. Once when guests were really really late I kept them warm for 2 hours and it was fine—they were a teensy bit dryer than usual, but basically were delicious.