Hot Tamale!...

... But chili today, or as so goes the weather forecast. Got in the mood for some Mexican comfort food, and all with a wholesome twist. More on that later. For now, main thing is I wanted these tamales to get something of an outdoors-y taste.



Now for the wholesome-- served these tamales on a bed of brown Mexican rice (which is a plethora of healthy nutrients) and black refried beans. I can share with you that this meal was a scorcher with the chopped red chilis in the rice and the hot sauce for the tamales.

Good eats!! Do you have a local source for fresh tamales?

Looks delicious, BC! Makes me want tex mex and a margarita.

Thanks muchas, Guys

Brad-- Oh my goodness, yes.-- I am surrounded by sources for fresh tamales, and that actually is a more sensible way to go since they are such a labor intensive food to prepare. On the other hand, if one already has some really tender leftover pulled beef, one can experience a certain amount of pride in doing one's own from scratch.

Dyal-- Doh! What a great idea about the marguerita. Wish I had remembered that last night. Sometime, I hope you get the chance to try CalMex.

Never heard of CalMex! Maybe I should fly over to the west coast and you can make it for me? My wife and I just vacationed to Vegas and the Grand Canyon actually. We rented a car and drove from Vegas to the South Rim. We loved every bit of it. Gorgeous terrain.

Dyal_SC wrote:

Never heard of CalMex! Maybe I should fly over to the west coast and you can make it for me? My wife and I just vacationed to Vegas and the Grand Canyon actually. We rented a car and drove from Vegas to the South Rim. We loved every bit of it. Gorgeous terrain.

I would very much enjoy having you over, Dyal, once I get my home in order. I have some serious issues to resolve first. Amazing... the Grand Canyon is my favorite spot on earth. I got to backpack/camp down to the bottom, and it is even more awesome looking up out of it. And best beer (Coors of all things!) I've ever had in my life (brought down on mule back). No kidding, the hike down there is harder than the climb up, because one's legs really take a pounding on the way down. I awakened the following morning barely able to move! And Lost Wages is a fabulous place to eat. You and your wife were definitely close to my habitat.

As for CalMex, I find that it has less a dependence on cumin (which can get overwhelming and tiring), and a wider spectrum or repertoire of ingredients, spices, recipes. Not to mention the variety of kinds of chile peppers. Much of CalMex is essentially true Mexican cuisine brought up north. Of course I admit to being biased or jaded, so I should let you and everyone else be judge on that.

Cal-Mex, huh? Well, I'd say Tex-Mex is probably my favorite food group and a staple I've grown up on. That said, I will be traveling to Southern Californy at the end of July for the first time in my life and I'll have to seek out some Cal-Mex. To be honest, I'll eat anything-Mex

tex

Maybe you should change your name to "Tex-Mex-Toby"...

tex_toby wrote:

Cal-Mex, huh? Well, I'd say Tex-Mex is probably my favorite food group and a staple I've grown up on. That said, I will be traveling to Southern Californy at the end of July for the first time in my life and I'll have to seek out some Cal-Mex. To be honest, I'll eat anything-Mex

tex

Yes, Tex. In addition to the above said, I would certainly offer for example Santa Maria style tritip, especially if eaten in conjunction with our own native pinquito beans. Then there's our barbacoa and carne asada. And perhaps because of our geography (tremendous agricultural variety), you'll find prolific use of citrus, avocado, garlic, various chile peppers, cheeses, etc.